Lake Trout - How to Release

[scruffytoad]

Hey guys, I am a fairly new fisherman on Seneca lake and have been catching lake trout with my downriggers in ~60-100 fow. After bringing them in, I try releasing them and they always float and don't swim back down. I have watched them for about 15+ minutes and while they are alive, they just sit there, laying on their sides on the surface.

Am I missing something? How should I release these fish appropriately?

Thanks,

-S

[chowder]

Ray K, any words of wisdom?

[Missdemeanor]

The reason that those chickens float is because their air bladders expand on the way up from the depths. I wouldn't consider myself an avid chicken chaser, but on occasion, I'll drop the bells and nuts to the bottom in 100. When I release them, I gently squeeze the fish's stomach and you can hear the fish burping. I then hold the fish by the tail and place him overboard. When I feel the fish kicking his tail, I shove him straight down in the water and 99% of the time the fish swims on his own back to the deep. I seldom get floaters.

The key is getting that air bladder deflated....Hope this helps......Matt

[Legacy]

i try to avoid catching them

[scruffytoad]

Missdemeanor -

Thanks for the response! Unfortunately I have tried this a couple times without any luck. Maybe I am sqeezing them wrong and will try again.

Will they live if I just leave them floating?

[ERABBIT]

If I playing catch and release on Seneca I don't net them just unhook in the water. If ALL your fish are full of air your are getting then in too fast play them a little more but not so as to ware them out and they come up on there side. I like to "spear" them back in I saw Ray G. do this and he releases a LOT more than I do I like eating them. He will use the fish like a spear and make it dive a few feet rather than just letting it swim away. Pick your floaters up and eat them Seneca fish are super tasting not any thing like the Lake Ontario fish !!!!!!! :?

[ray koziatek]

put them on your left sholder and pat there back till they burp!!!!!!!!!!Then release......gently burp them from the head back start at the head and with a wet hand slide it back it will take a couple times sometimes it works and sometime it dont. llike rabbit says let them sorta come to the surface slow enjoy the fight .

[scruffytoad]

Thanks guys! This is helpful! I will try this!

FYI: ERABBIT is right, I always here lakers don't taste good, but the floaters I've kept tasted pretty darn good from Seneca Lake...

here is the last floater I had to eat...

[ERABBIT]

Nice fish , here 6 we just got today NONE were floaters in the net and in the box............. ................and in my belly soon..........

[spoonfed-1]

ED,

How is Ray G. doing?

Have you heard from him latley?

Glen

[ERABBIT]

Glen he's on the Sanders Board most of the time now. He's still wacking those lake trout REEL good out of Samson. I have not seen him to talk to him in person this year but from his post every thing seem to be going OK for him. If you want stop over to that board some time and just say HEY Ray. Or give him a PM..................

[spoonfed-1]

OK Thanks.

He is one lake trout catching machine. LOL

Glen

[ERABBIT]

Glen I sent him a PM on that site and told him you were asking about him on here.

[muskybob]

Nice size laker scruffytoad.

PS: I flipped your image for you.

[FISHINMAN]

When I feel the fish kicking his tail, I shove him straight down in the water and 99% of the time the fish swims on his own back to the deep. I seldom get floaters.

99% is way way to high :shock: I would prefer to see that dropped to .9%. Please work on that

I would talk with Gambler, Jax (or YT :shock: ) they are the experts

[SinDale]

Article last week on www.bassresource.com:

[We videoed the procedure of fizzing or air bladder relief and release her.

The video can be viewed at http://www.rattleheadbaits.com/index_files/feedback.htm and it is on the bottom of the page.]

I don't know if it works for trout, but it might help you guys. Personally, I practice "if it floats, it stays on the boat". We had a good sized brown in the spring that we pulled up too fast i think, that did the side stroke while we reset our gear... tasted great in the Wegmans lemon olive oil and some Mrs.Dash!

[FLXTroutman]

Recent GLAngler article on piercing smallies to release looks like a small thin needle to "pop" air bladder, not sure where you would stick it in though. I do agree with the torpedo push straight down with a biggun' since the top water is too warm for that fish you just caught in 46 degree water. Since I fish Canandaigua and more often than not the lakers are the most cooperative quarry and readily bite my presentations they are table fare if you keep them. I personally have found my passengers prefer to keep them unless it's a shaker and they go back.

If you want a simple recipe click on the link.

http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishin ... php?t=7655