What happens when you return a fish to the water?

1 During the whole capture, the fish will be getting a little stressed and its blood will be pumping around the body much faster than normal, with adrenaline levels high and its respiration rate up also,” says Ben Gratwicke – a fish expert and owner of Diggerlakes in Devon. “The fish’s colour will often change due to the amount of blood that is moved around the body. The endocrine system within a fish releases hormones from glands around its body and these are sent to the target cells-relay information throughout the body, this process can happen within seconds when in response to fear.”

2 “On its return to the lake, have a look at the fish’s sides as you can often see line or leader marks in its layer of protective slime or mesh prints from being in the net, this is why you MUST keep the fish as wet as possible on a nice smooth mat,” explains Ben. The slime layer on a fish protects its body and without it, the fish is open to parasite attacks and secondary infections.

3 “Many times I have seen recently captured fish swim madly around a fishery and until the adrenaline levels subside and hormone levels decrease the fish will not rest, this can really put the end to more action in a small pond or low stocked water if other fish are near by.”

4 Most fish lose weight after a capture to lack of appetite and it may be many days before the fish is ready to feed PROPERLY again. “Yes, I know of many fish getting caught several times over a short period of time, but these, as a rule,
are rare,” concludes Ben.