🧤 Fish Handling

Whether you're keeping a fish for the table or releasing it, correct handling protects the fish, protects you, and keeps your catch in top eating condition.

For fish you release: wet your hands first (dry hands remove the slime coat that protects against infection), support the fish horizontally with two hands, and never hold it by the gills, eyes or jaw hinge. Keep it out of the water for as little time as possible — hold your breath while the fish is in the air as a simple timer. Return it gently and revive it (see our catch-and-release guide).

For fish you keep: bleed and ice it immediately. Cutting the gills or the tail and bleeding the fish into the water, then getting it onto ice, makes an enormous difference to the eating quality — especially for gamefish like yellowtail, katonkel and tuna, and for shad which spoils fast.

Handling with safety in mind: mind the spines (galjoen, stumpnose, rays, catfish), the teeth (shad, katonkel, sharks, barbel), and the gill plates. Use a de-hooker or pliers rather than fingers. For rays, control the tail spine; for sharks, keep clear of the mouth and never sit a big shark on dry sand.

Good handling is the mark of a responsible angler — it keeps the fishery healthy and your catch delicious.