Catching and Releasing Lakers

[Gotta Bite]

I have not caught many lakers nor do I target them, but they few we caught we kept. I have heard and seen on TV about catching lakers and having to puncture the air bladder with a syringe so that they will live when released. At what depth or time of the year does that need to be done? Please let me know. Thanks.

[rshubuck]

I burp my lakers. Really! Just run 2 fingers down their belly from the tail to the gills gently a couple of times. This pushes the air out of their bladder. This time of year the water is cold and the survival rate is much better but this method should be done especially on any fish a 100' plus.

[GAMBLER]

I burp my lakers. Really! Just run 2 fingers down their belly from the tail to the gills gently a couple of times. This pushes the air out of their bladder. This time of year the water is cold and the survival rate is much better but this method should be done especially on any fish a 100' plus.

+1. The only other thing I will add is bring them up slow. If you horse them, their air bladder will extend and be harder to burb.

[kliph]

Also when releasing a laker push it straight down.

Than watch to make sure it has stayed down.

If I see that a laker is floating I will throw a floating

marker buoy by it.

That way I can t turn around and find it.

Many times all it takes is a push with the net to

get the laker to dive.

[Big Dave]

There is a plunge method, you basically throw them in nose first. You want to get them down 5 or 6' then they swim right down. It looks awful , but works.

[Gotta Bite]

Thanks for the feedback. I am taking my father out on the lake for the first time in his life this weekend. I want him to catch some fish. If the brown bite is slow i want to weigh my options with lakers and if we don't keep them, I want to make sure I can get them back down to where they came from for someone else to tangle with if they choose.

[carpedium]

Great info

[Wendysm]

We have fished lakers in summer and winter and am always worried about releasing them. This winter while ice fishing I caught a nice one, but already had some in the freezer so I decided to let it go. I had my Flasher hooked up and still in the hole when I put it back. I watched the fish on the flasher go right back down to bottom, I did not burp it as I had brought it up slowly. It made me feel better watching the fish go back down to 75 feet no problem.