Deep Sea Fishing: Tips On Conserving Your Catch

The sport of fishing takes a whole new meaning when out in the open ocean. But, once you have caught your slippery silver prize what will you do? Most respectable anglers will choose to keep only what they can eat and then turn the rest loose. 

Fresh fish is unparalleled in flavor and texture and most local restaurants will be too happy to prepare your catch. After a long day on the water, there is hardly anything better than sitting down to feast on the seafood you pulled from the ocean. 

Why Conserve?

Fish is a renewable source of food. With this in mind, we can ensure and abundance of fish for future expeditions and generations by carefully applying management techniques to the fish caught. Never take more than you need is the golden rule that helps to avoid fishing regulations and monitoring that can spoil the fun. 

Furthermore, with each passing year regulatory guidelines become more stringent, now even the size of recreational bags is limited. The situation is caused by such-high technology making the art of fishing available to just about anyone. 

The Solution to Increased Regulations and Fish Shortages

The catch and release practice is one of the best deep sea fishing tips to avoid fish shortages and ensure that anglers like yourself will always have enough fish to pull from the ocean and plenty more for everyone else. This way not only will there be a fish population left for future populations but the presence of hash restrictions can also be allayed temporarily and possibly forever. 

Following are some deep sea fishing tips that environmentally and civic minded anglers, like yourself, can make sure the released fish survive the ordeal and return to their homes. 

- Use the Tackle Right


The first thing to do is match the right tackle to the proper fish. While this may seem like an obvious practice, not all anglers concern themselves with the safety of the fish they release into the water. If you are using extremely light tackle, your fish will be bushed when you release him. This will prevent them from making a good escape from the next predator. 

Customize Your Hook

With a pair of pliers, you can fix your hook so that it is not so vicious. By bending down the barb, you will be able to make sure the catch and release is conducted as easily as possible. Circle hooks are another good option for this task as the lines simply have to be cut and released.


Don’t Suffocate It

You will want to remember the fish is most comfortable in the water and as you are releasing it from the hook you will want to keep it in the water or at least in your very wet hands to avoid as much trauma as possible. Fish are coated in a protective slime that keeps them safe from disease, if you were to rub this off the poor guy won’t stand much of a chance. 

Hold It Right

Be very careful with the fish. Be sure not to grip it by the sensitive eyes or gills. If these were to be damaged the fish could die very quickly.

Joshua Keaton
Joshua Keaton

Joshua is our senior staff writer for Fishing.org and Shooting.org. He is an avid hunter, clay shooter and amateur photographer.