A guide for unhooking fish

So you are new to sea fishing and you manage to catch your fish sea fish. You land it on the beach, now you must unhook the fish, ready to catch another. I will assume you want to return the fish to the water unharmed.

Handling sea fish

When handling fish, be mindful of the fact they are covered in a slime that protects their skin from harmful bacteria. This protective slime is damaged if fish area allowed to thrash around on pebbles, and worst of all is handling them with dry hands. Always moisten your hands in some sea water, best of all is to cover the fish in a damp cloth, covering the eyes will calm them down.

Try and place them on a something soft. Carp anglers use an unhooking mat to lay the fish on, this keeps them in tip top condition. Carp are caught and returned many times and our sea fish deserve the same consideration - they are a valuable asset and treat them with respect, sea fish numbers are declining!!

Beware of species that have spines on their back, gill coverings etc. They need handling with care and attention. Knowing your species will help avoid stings and painful “pricks”. Dog fish and eels are a pain. Hold the doggies tail in a curve close to the head in one hand. it will relax and allow easier handling. Eels are just awkward, there is no easy way to keep hold of them, a chamois leather or towel may help!

Tools for unhooking fish

There are many tools available to assist you when unhooking fish. The best all round piece of kit is a pair of forceps. They can be purchased from many outlets - google “forceps” to find out! Your forceps will work well for most species caught from the shore and are far better for deeper hooked fish than your fingers. They also offer you protection from teeth and hard mouths.

Bigger shore caught species like Conger, Tope and Huss will require something a bit stronger. This is where a pair of long nose pliers comes into play. They are also very good if you embed a hook into your self (push the hook point through and cut the barb off and thread the hook back out - I have done it and it hurts!!!)

How to unhook fish

Okay, lets get to the bare bones of unhooking fish. This is hard to explain as it depends on how the fish is hooked and where it is hooked. The basic method is to grip the hook by the bend and push it gently in the reverse direction it would require to set the hook. Keep the fish still with firm but proportional pressure using wet hands or a cloth as mentioned above. Generally keep grip on the head area as this is the best area to prevent them from moving too much and allowing you best access to the mouth of the fish.
Once the fish is unhooked, return it to the water asap. I will pass on more tips for returning fish unharmed soon.