Some Missouri fishing regulations, especially those for blue catfish, require the release of fish. To help regulations succeed in maintaining good fishing for everyone, follow the tips below.
General angling:
• Choose lines and equipment that will bring fish in with minimal damage. Use artificial lures over live bait. Fish that hit artificial baits are less likely to be hooked deeply enough to damage vital organs and have a higher survival rate.
• Prepare for easy release.
1 - Squeeze hook barbs flat with pliers or file them off. Barbless hooks allow you to unhook fish without causing serious wounds.
2 - Always carry a hook disgorger or needle-nosed pliers. Back the hooks out, if possible.
3 - Clip the line as close to the hook as possible if the fish is hooked deeply in the gills or stomach. The hook will fall out after a time, with minimal damage to the fish.
• If you use live bait, set the hook at the first sign of a bite, so the fish doesn't have time to swallow the bait.
• On rod and reel, don't play a fish any longer than necessary.
• Check set lines frequently to improve survival of released fish, and in the summer keep set lines positioned above the thermocline (the transition zone between surface water and deep water).
• Use a landing net large enough to handle your fish safely.
• Wet your hands and any other dry surface a fish may come into contact with. This will protect the fish's slime coat, which guards it from infection and improves survival.
• Hold large fish by the lower jaw with one hand and support the heavy body with the other.
• Grasp fish with teeth across the gill covers.
• Never put your fingers in the eyes or gill sockets.
• Minimize the amount of time a fish is exposed to the air - gently release the fish as soon as possible.
• If you're using a live well or holding tank, provide continuous aeration, cooling the water with ice in the summer, maintaining a 0.5 percent salt solution (1/3 cup non-iodized salt per 5 gallons water), and replacing half of the water in your live well every two hours.
1 - Don't allow water to drain from a live well when moving a boat.
2 - Don't put too many fish in your live well. You should put no more than 3/4 pounds of fish per gallon of water. Most live wells can hold about 11 gallons of water plus 8 pounds of fish.