Releasing fish, does it put the school off?

[GregL]

Hey Raiders

Out last week fishing for jews, we sounded out a patch of em and jigged 2 fish out in almost a double hook up. The school was huge, driving some 40 odd meters before I had even thrown the jig over from when they first came on the screen, we were still over them when we hooked up but didnt check on release of the caught ones. By the time we got sorted again, moved back on the leccy, we couldnt find the school at all. There was a tailor school chomping away and that's what led us there in the first place but even under them nothing.

Thinking back. previously fishing in the Parra we have kept a couple of fish, they dont seem to go off the bite but when you release one we usually don't get another in that spot for another half hour or so.

So what are your thoughts?

Greg

[Catchin Jack]

Great post and poll Greg, will be some very interesting replies and theories to this.

Will sticky this post.

[The Incredible Hull]

I voted yes.

I remember watching a video, the pro guy put the fish into the live well and explained that releasing will spook the school.

He then released the fish after fishing the area.

[PRED-ATOR]

Greg ive heard and seen alot of fishing deonstrations advising that releasing fish (especially jeew fish will spook the school) they explained this is due to the distress this fish puts out into the water once released which is picked up along the lateral line of the fish in the school

Jewies spook easily and your experience pretty much corresponds with what the demonstations have advised.

I agree with keeping the fish alive in a live well and releasing it else where.

With kingfish however I have found it makes no difference. the more commotion the better just makes them go more crazy lol.

Hope this helps, and would be very interested to know what sounder you use mate.

Cheers, Stan

[Hodgey]

Great thread, Greg.

I believe this is especially relevant to EP's; a species that is well documented for it's 'shutdown' attitude once fish are released back into the water. One exception to the rule that springs to mind is Barra. On more than one occasion (sightcasting), I have caught (and seen others catch) the same fish that was released just 5 minutes prior. Having said that, the barra weren't schooling at the time. Bream are infamously finicky, yet tournies appear to catch multiple fish from one spot, even after releasing others in the same location. There must be some sort of scientific research to explain this, although I guess there is a huge amount of variables to consider? I look forward to other people's comments!

Cheers

Ian

[night_rider]

My possibly worthless 2c would be that if the fish is released quickly and in good nick

there is no issue, but if the fish comes back a bit wonky or druggy it will herd of the school?

[The Incredible Hull]

Perhaps keep a diary of every time you release fish, and the results, along with all the variables.

Tide, Wind, Moon, type of fish released.

Edited January 31, 2012 by The Incredible Hull

[The Iceman]

Interesting Greg

Im with Hodgey on barra seems like the more you catch out of a school the more agro they get though they generally are small

EPs definately shut down but I have experienced a good bite recently that went against that theory when we caught plenty and were just dropping them back in Eventually they moved on as the tide changed

Bream Im not sure reckon I have had instances where they have fired up and caught plenty and times when a dropped fish has put them down

So Im not sure if there is a yes or no answer to this due to a whole lot of variables

[finin]

Kingfish... definite yes. School will move off but will not move to far, you just have to sound for them again. Found could move up to 300m from original spot, but have also found school will move back if left alone for 10-15 minutes Thats why our first king is always tied off to the back of the boat, firstly to raise the school to the surface, secondly to keep the school at the tied off fish and thirdly when you release caught fish they dont freak out and run, the school is already there and they swim happily into the fold.

Trag and Jew, also a definite yes. School will move again not to far from original caught spot, pretty sure the fish emits a different smell, like an alarm smell to the other fish.

Snapper also a yes. Have found the school will move, but generally not to far.

[Jewhunter]

Good question Greg.

Yes, I reckon if you drop or release a jew it will shut them down. Bass are very much the same most of the time. I always drive away from the school to release them. Smaller fish don't seem as bothered by it as the good ones.

Same with pearl perch up here. You will get a few & as soon as you drop one they switch off.

Different reactions from different species of fish I would say. Some shut down & others fire up!

Cheers,

Grant.

[tentonner]

Good question Greg.

Yes, I reckon if you drop or release a jew it will shut them down. Bass are very much the same most of the time. I always drive away from the school to release them. Smaller fish don't seem as bothered by it as the good ones.

Same with pearl perch up here. You will get a few & as soon as you drop one they switch off.

Different reactions from different species of fish I would say. Some shut down & others fire up!

Cheers,

Grant.

There are always exceptions to any rule I reckon. Few weeks ago fishing a hawkesbury creek mouth we caught and released approx 40 bass in the same area and it had no effect on the bite. It seemed on this day that nothing could diminish their appetites, impossible to answer this question definitively I reckon.

[Ray R]

Blackfish don't seem to care either, I have released tons of the little fellas back right from where I've caught them and they don't mind one little bit..

[iMick]

My experience: Caught three Soapies between 40-45cm in 10 minutes, released them all where they were caught. Pulled the hook on a 10kg+ Jew one cold winters morning (after getting on the water on my own at 3am, and nearly freezing to death laying on the floor of my boat in the foetal position, another story for another day) couldn't get another hit there to saving my life, I must have worked that spot for an hour. I think Bass are just too aggressive and instinctively must hit a lure, I release all Bass, and if they're there they hit. Bream can be finicky, I've got some spots in the Hawkesbury that are one fish spots, creep up and score one, and move on. Found a school of EP the other day, nailed two, and they shut down. We release Yella, shut them down, come back in 30 minutes and get another one, we once tested out how many could fit in my live bait tank, and got 6 in there from the same "honey hole" maybe not releasing them straight away kept the bite going. Interesting topic.

[Morgs84]

Good question Greg.

Yes, I reckon if you drop or release a jew it will shut them down. Bass are very much the same most of the time. I always drive away from the school to release them. Smaller fish don't seem as bothered by it as the good ones.

Same with pearl perch up here. You will get a few & as soon as you drop one they switch off.

Different reactions from different species of fish I would say. Some shut down & others fire up!

Cheers,

Grant.

Agree with you there Grant it seems dropping a pearlie will shut down the school in no time.

I've found it happens with trag also

Morgs

[Yowie]

Quite a few years ago when the school jewies were in big numbers in Port Hacking, if we hooked one but the hook pulled down near the bottom, the school would disappear for a while, but usually return some time later.

If one was released near the surface, it did not affect the school, as the released fish would swim away from the boat at an angle and not straight down to the other fish. Once it was dark, the fish would sometimes swim up under the boat, biting about 15 feet under the boat. Most people would not say it these days, but they became a bloody pest, because they grabbed the bait before anything else could get to it.

Most other fish don't seem to be affected too much. Have had different fish drop off the hook, such as whiting, tailor, kingies, follow by another that will readily grab the bait once it is free. These are the fish that I have been able to see in shallow water.

[Bass-Addict]

I mainly fish for bass and have been told to not release bass back into the water if you pulled it from the school.

Fish coming back to the school stressed will alarm other fish that something is wrong.

So i have only practised this and usually release the fish elsewhere (maybe a few 10 meters away), unless im on a yak then i can't really do much

[4x4fisherman]

I mainly fish for bass and have been told to not release bass back into the water if you pulled it from the school.

Fish coming back to the school stressed will alarm other fish that something is wrong.

So i have only practised this and usually release the fish elsewhere (maybe a few 10 meters away), unless im on a yak then i can't really do much

At a creek in western Sydney I caught and released 11 bass out of 6 square metres of water in 90 minutes at the base of a little rapid. I started to think I was re-catching fish so the last 6 got a tiny trim on the tail and no, each was another individual. I think bass are one of the easiest fish to entice to strike and most difficult to spook. I think conditions like barometric pressure, salinity, lighting and temperature are more likely to cause them to shut down butnot having fished a big cross section of locations for them it may vary from place to place. I think the dirtier the water the more brazen they are.

[Brian Goldsmith]

Iteresting topic...My story is not really up there with Barra, Jewies and the like, but interesting anyway... I took my kids down to lake in a park where you could feed the fish ( fork tailed catfish) and turtles with bread. just for entertainment I took a rod with and unweighted hook, The turtles and catfish were moving in in droves as we threw bread into the very dirty water, the turtles were comming in close and the catfish were staying further out, I baited the hook and cast it out as far as I could as I did'nt want to hook a turtle, a catfish grabbed it and I handed it to my Daughter who reeled it in.It was grunting loudly..as they do..

We released the fish and almost instantly all the catfish vanished, we could not even intice them with more bread on the surface...so , in this case..catfish are definatly shut down after reliese, However I'm sure you have all been fishing in a creek or lake where you can catch and release catfish all day long, but I guess thats a lot bigger/deeper area???

[nbdshroom]

Iteresting topic...My story is not really up there with Barra, Jewies and the like, but interesting anyway... I took my kids down to lake in a park where you could feed the fish ( fork tailed catfish) and turtles with bread. just for entertainment I took a rod with and unweighted hook, The turtles and catfish were moving in in droves as we threw bread into the very dirty water, the turtles were comming in close and the catfish were staying further out, I baited the hook and cast it out as far as I could as I did'nt want to hook a turtle, a catfish grabbed it and I handed it to my Daughter who reeled it in.It was grunting loudly..as they do..

We released the fish and almost instantly all the catfish vanished, we could not even intice them with more bread on the surface...so , in this case..catfish are definatly shut down after reliese, However I'm sure you have all been fishing in a creek or lake where you can catch and release catfish all day long, but I guess thats a lot bigger/deeper area???

So even if you continued to feed bread (i.e. not the ones with hooks), the catfish were absent? That is pretty good evidence that they shut shop and left for that particular instance.

Edited January 14, 2013 by nbdshroom