Quick Rules
- Keep fish in the water
- Land fish fast — long fights kill fish
- Wet hands before touching
- Barbless hooks
- No bank photos
- Revive fully before release
Handling
Keep fish submerged. Limit air exposure to a few seconds. Support the fish horizontally — never squeeze or hold vertically. The faster you get them back in, the better their odds.
Gear
Use strong enough tackle to keep fights short. Fly patterns over bait. Rubber nets over knotted mesh. Go barbless — it’s required on some of our rivers anyway.
Hook Removal
Remove hooks in the water with hemostats. If a fish is deeply hooked, cut the line. Digging for a deeply set hook causes more damage than leaving it.
Respect
Fish quickly, handle carefully, release clean. These are wild fish in a wild place. Treat them accordingly.
Paul responds personally to every inquiry.