putting them back

[d-a]

i have only been fly fishing a few months 6 outings i caught a nice trout 6-8lb at a quess i only had a 5lb leader so i had to play it carefully for about 5 mins when i unhooked it it swam about 10ft then lay on the bottom belly up it was out of my reach has any has any body got any tips for returning fish so this will not happen again i dont like the idea of fish dying unnecssary

 

[BAZACODBASHA]

Hi mate,
In general I have found that rainbows are quite a resiliant fish, and will usualy swim away quite happily, even after a good few minutes scrap. However some seem to be hardier than others, but as a general rule, if you want to return the fish, then try and unhook it either in the net in water (you WILL get splashed !) or on soft ground (grass).
Also if you intend returning fish you catch, then nip the barb of your hook down (most waters require you to do this anyway for 'catch & release')
I often do this myself..........it makes unhooking much easier and caused less stress to the fish as they can be returned quicker. Don't worry about losing the fish if there is no barb on the hook, as you should still land it if you play the fish carefully.
Nice rainbow what you landed by the way.................hope it survived.
CHEERS ................BAZACODBASHA

 

[kingcod deano]

when you are releasing a fish of that size it is best to let the fish have a couple of min breather in the net before you release it well done on the trout no doubt it will have recovered

 

[fish fingers]

i no it,s hard davey but you,ve got to play them hard and fast which i read in a trout mag but it,s easier said than done with out breaking your leader apparantley they tend to die from a heart attack with the stess of being brought in personally i prefer the 2lb to 3lb fish fin perfect by do they go i,ve had fish to 17lb and it had a few runs but just came in like a sack of tattys nice fish welldone, regards stan long time no see hope you are well,bet you wished you had took up the fluff chucking years ago