releasing fish out of deep water

[tugger]

its been a while since i was shown where to puncture a fish that has been brought up from the deep and has his swim bladder poking out its mouth. as you never puncture the bladder but prick the fish near its side fin. does any one here know the exact spot on the fish as this again will help with releases offshore?

mark

[straddiebrad]

i have seen it done but cant rember either,and see it done with a half a dozen snapper sinkers and a barbless hook that worked well.brad

[mick fillet]

It seams a bit cruel to stab a fish in its side i feel bad doing it but it work reel good the fish swims off healthy as.For the snapper you come back from the head 3 spines and about 1cm mabye a little more below its lateral line.Use the thinest shapest fillet knife you own and remove 1 scale as not to push it in on entry any cuase an infection.Then insert the tip of the knife breifly where you removed the scale and only going in 1cm maybe a bit more depending on size of fish. If you put you fingers each side of the blade and pressing down on the fish as you spike it you feel the fish deflate a litle and a slight sound of air from the entry wound and thats it.

Practice doing it on a couple of keepers first you will master it after the second fish.

[tugger]

thanks mick will practise this next time

[noname]

i use a hyperdermic needle behind the pectrol fin then attach a weighted line with 3 good sized snapper leads attached to a barbless hook to send him back down.

rob

[dhess]

Using a fillet knife makes an uneccessarily large hole. For all you junkie'sout there a hypodermic needle is much better. You can also get hypodermic needles called blunt's wihch have a blunt end. Much less risk of going too deep.