By: Mikey Conroy

Hello my name is Mikey and I am the blogger this week. I would like to share with you  some of the do’s and don’ts of fishing. This blog will tell you what to do if you are a beginner fisherman and don’t know exactly where to start. I am going to give  you three tips to help  to improve your fishing game.

           First I’ll tell you what to do when you bring in the fish to unhook. When the fish is above water, lay it  down on a rock, sand, or whatever surface you are fishing on.   Grab  the fish to stabilize it so it doesn’t move around as much. If the fish has spikes on the top of it, put your hand at the start of his head and slowly move your hand over the spikes with enough force to keep them down. Finally, slowly  take the hook out of his lip and release. Here is what you don’t want to do…   When you have landed the fish, you never want to put it on the ground and rip the hook out of his mouth.  This will hurt the fish and maybe even damage your hook. You will also look unprofessional and could be kicked out of  your fishing spot, or even worse, lose your fishing license.

          The second tip I have for you is what to do when a fish swallows your hook.  You need to have a pair of pliers and try as hard as you can to get the hook out of its bellie. If you are unable to remove the hook, then what you want to do is take your scissors and try to go as far down in the throat as you can to cut the line and release the fish. What you don’t want to do in this situation is try and rip the hook out if it’s bellie. This will cause pain to the fish and might kill the poor animal. 

           Lastly, let’s talk hooks.  The hooks you need to use for fish safety are circular hooks. The circular hooks prevent the fish from swallowing the hook.. Fish are also more attracted to circular hooks, so you will most likely catch more fish while also keeping them safe.  Strait hooks that curve at the end are easier for the fish to swallow and more dangerous for the fish.  Check out this video for a demonstration.

            I hope after you read this blog, you will try fishing and use these tips I’ve provided for you. Fishing is one of the best hobbies that you can have and it is one of my favorite things to do so I really hope you use these tips and enjoy the sport as much as I do.