Send 'Em Off Strong

I walked outside this morning and it hit me like wall. Summer has arrived in Florida, the humidity is up, and as if on cue, thunderstorms are stacking up along the coast today. As it reached 89 an hour ago, I needed a longer break from yardwork, and that got me to thinking about fish that we release. From here on out, they need a little more resuscitation time as the water gets hotter this month and certainly through the entire summer.

The best practice is to use adequate tackle for the job, to shorten the fight time. No sense in fighting fish to exhaustion that you plan to release, or must release due to closed seasons, bag limits or sub-legal length.

Keep the fish in the water, and at most, take a quick snap shot in four or five seconds and get that fish back. We all need reminding of that, I am guilty not sticking to that at times.

Lastly, if predators are about, such as sharks or dolphins, that tired fish that you release is probably a dead duck. Release a fish into cover whenever practical, and in extreme circumstances, it might be time to move on and not fish when and where your released catch is sure to fall victim.  

-- Mike Conner, Editor-in Chief