freshwater-recreational-fishing-guide-2018-19

13 How to use circle hooks
Circle hooks have been shown to increase
the survival of angler released fish. With their
success already proven for many game fish
species, the hooks are now used increasingly
for many other common recreational species
including Australian Bass, Golden Perch
and Murray Cod. Circle hooks bring about
many benefits for anglers, but they do
require a few minor changes to your normal
fishing techniques.
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Do not bury your hook (particularly with
tough baits), lightly hook the bait so that
the point and barb are exposed.
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When using soft baits like cheese or bread
it is not so important to expose the hook as
fish will crush the bait during the bite and
become hooked.
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Do not strike at the fish, allow the fish time
to take the bait into its mouth and then
apply slow and steady pressure to set the
hook in the mouth area. The fish often
hook themselves.
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Non-offset circle hooks are recommended
for the best mouth-hooking results.
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Use a de-hooker or needle-nosed pliers to
help with unhooking.
NSW Recreational Freshwater Fishing Guide Responsible fishing
Barotrauma
Fish may suffer from barotrauma injuries when
they are caught from deep water. Barotrauma
occurs as a result of the expansion of gases in
the swim bladder and other organs as the fish
are not able to adjust to the rapid decrease in
water pressure when they are pulled towards
the surface.
Returning the fish to capture depth is crucial
in maximising the post-release survival of
barotrauma-affected fish.
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Release your fish quickly with minimal time
out of water. This provides the fish with a
good chance to return to depth without
any treatment.
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If the fish is displaying barotrauma
symptoms and unable to swim down:
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Use a release weight to help return the
fish to depth.
If no other option is available, vent the
fish to release the expanded gases.
This technique requires considerable
experience to carry out successfully
without inadvertently damaging
internal organs as the size and location
of the swim bladder varies from species
to species.
Steps on how to make your own release
weight are available under catch and release
fishing at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries
DIY release weight
Note barbless hook, cable ties and small screw
to secure hook to sinker.
More information on these techniques is
available under best practice at:
www.recfishingresearch.org/category/practices