As an avid angler, learning how to properly hold a salmon is an essential skill. Handling these large, powerful fish incorrectly can cause serious injuries to both you and the salmon. In this comprehensive guide I’ll share tips and techniques to safely handle landed salmon based on my years of fishing experience.
Why Proper Handling is Critical
Mishandling a salmon can have negative consequences
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Injure the fish’s delicate bones, organs and tissue. This reduces its chances of survival after release.
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Cause injuries to the angler from the fish’s thrashing. Salmon can weigh over 30 lbs!
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Damage the fillets if the spine is misaligned. This leads to blood clots in the meat.
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It’s simply ethical. Salmon deserve respect whether being released or harvested.
Proper handling ensures the salmon’s wellbeing and your safety. It also preserves the quality of your catch.
Recommended Techniques for Holding Salmon
Follow these best practices when handling a landed salmon:
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Wet your hands first. This protects the salmon’s protective slime layer.
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Hold the fish horizontally, never vertically. Support the entire body.
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Grip firmly but don’t squeeze too tight. Handle firmly but don’t apply excessive pressure.
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Use two hands for larger fish. Support the head with one hand and the belly with the other.
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For photos, support the entire horizontal body. Don’t solely hold it by the jaw.
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Limit air exposure to 10-20 seconds if releasing the fish.
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Use a rubberized net to minimize slime loss and injury.
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Avoid placing the salmon on hard or dry surfaces.
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Don’t stick fingers in the gills or eyes. This damages sensitive tissues.
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Refrain from jamming thumbs down the throat to control the fish.
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When releasing, hold the salmon upright in flowing water until it recovers and swims voluntarily.
Recommended Hand Positions
There are two proper techniques for gripping a landed salmon:
Two-Handed Mid-Body Grip
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Place one hand under the front half of the belly, the other under the rear.
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Spread fingers to cradle and support the belly.
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Keep wrists straight and elbows out. Don’t squeeze the belly cavity.
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Lift the salmon horizontally, keeping the back straight and supported.
Head-Grip Method
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Place landing hand under the head behind the gill plate.
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Firmly grip the head while sliding hand under the gill cover.
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Put thumb inside mouth behind teeth for extra control if needed.
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Use the other hand to support the belly on larger fish.
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Keep the salmon horizontal when lifting it from the water.
Why the Head-Grip is Recommended
The head-grip technique has advantages over holding salmon by the tail or body:
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Provides full control of head movements and thrashing where injuries occur.
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Keeps the back straight since the head positions the body.
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Allows control away from the powerful tail.
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Avoids separating vertebrae which damages fillets.
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Access to the jaw gives leverage for controlling large salmon.
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Heads and gill plates are tough and can handle firm gripping.
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Facilitates easy hook removal by rotating the head.
For these reasons, experienced anglers recommend controlling salmon by the head and gill area. It provides control while supporting the fish’s weight.
Additional Tips for Careful Handling
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Use a rubberized, knotless net to safely land salmon while minimizing slime loss.
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For photos, hold the fish horizontal and support the entire body length.
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Use hook removing tools to minimize handling and injury.
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Allow exhausted salmon ample recovery time before release. Face it upstream to let water flow over the gills.
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Keep a wet rag handy to grip slimy fish. Don’t beach or rock the salmon.
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Use a soft cloth to hold caught salmon when cleaning and filleting. Avoid bare fingers.
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Support the head and body when weighing salmon, not just the jaw.
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Stay calm and avoid panicking which leads to poor handling.
Learning proper fish handling techniques is crucial for anglers who catch salmon. Using the correct grip provides control of the fish while minimizing harm and injury. This allows salmon the best chance of survival after release and ensures highest fillet quality on kept fish. Handling salmon properly demonstrates respect and ethical treatment for these prized game fish.
So be sure to keep these tips in mind next time you hook a trophy salmon. By following these recommendations, you’ll land your catch while protecting both the fish and yourself. Proper handling takes practice but the rewards of a healthy released or preserved salmon make it well worth the effort.
Take A Side On Salmon Fight Position
If you play your salmon from a side on position youll be playing the fish and not the river. You will also gain much better control of the fish and the fight and the pressure you will be applying to the hook hold will be in a safer in to mouth direction. Its far easier with high rod tip pressure to turn a salmons head forcing it to fight when youre side on to the fish. Logically this should make sense and I cringe when I see videos of long extended salmon fight action from fishers who have let their fish get way downstream of them which often ends up in disaster.
Once You’ve Hooked A Salmon
Once your salmon has been properly hooked it is crucial that you maintain a high rod position throughout the fight. A wild salmons in-built defence mechanism when in danger is to dive to the bottom of the river. If your rod tip is not high enough a salmon will drown your line and therefore stand you a good chance of snagging your line on a sub surface obstruction or exerting unnecessary and often excessive line drag pressure on your hard earned hook hold. A salmon will also attempt to rub the hook out on the riverbed if given enough free reign to do so therefore maintaining a high rod tip with sufficient pressure on the fish to keep its nose off the riverbed is important during the fight.
Where Trout & Salmon Hold in Rivers
FAQ
How to grab a fish without hurting it?
To grab a fish without hurting it, prioritize keeping it wet, minimizing handling, and avoiding areas like the gills and eyes. Use wet hands or gloves, and support the fish’s weight along its body.