Holding fish between fingers and thumb...

[SUFC]

Yeah, i know it's just me, but I don't like seeing anglers holding fish vertically like this. It looks painful to the fish.
I prefer to cradle it to distribute the weight.

 

[MarkV]

Same here. That's a pretty firm hold, pinch even to me.

 

[Zerkalo]

I've made a thread on this before and as in my avatar and other pics before I was told, I no longer hold fish like that. It was an honest mistake, although I don't see how it 'chokes' a fish and how there's any more chance of dropping it than when cradling it, I now know there's better ways to do it so all the pics I take from now on are either in a landing net or on a unhooking mat as I rarely have someone fishing with me to take a photo of 'cradling' a fish.

 

[carphauler]

When match fishing, this is how you hold smaller fish to transfer them to the net, holding it up for a couple seconds more to take a photo makes little difference.

 

[JLK]

I've caught ide before from some venue's where you can nearly touch your fingers when you hold them like that. First and last time after that as it wasn't pleasant tbh.

 

[Silverfisher]

Does hook a bit risky from the dropping point of view. I prefer a good grip round their middle with one hand if they’re fairly small or two hands cradling them if they are bigger.

 

[SUFC]

When match fishing, this is how you hold smaller fish to transfer them to the net, holding it up for a couple seconds more to take a photo makes little difference.

Does it afford a firmer grip, hence less likely to slip from the hand and miss the keepnet?

 

[nejohn]

Unless they are small fish that are swung to hand I tend to avoid holding fish as much as it can. I will unhook the fish in the landing net and then either put it back in the water or into my keep net using the landing net only. My view is the less we handle fish means less chance of doing damage to them. If I want a picture I will take one with the fish still in the net and try to get something like a reel or float in the shot to use as a reference for size. I no longer see the point of a picture of me holding a fish

 

[tipitinmick]

Yeah, i know it's just me, but I don't like seeing anglers holding fish vertically like this. It looks painful to the fish.
I prefer to cradle it to distribute the weight.
View attachment 41370

Well said that man. . Thought it was just me.

 

[JayD]

In 60 years of fishing, I've never held a fish like that. If you are holding something between fingers and thumb, the heavier it is, the harder you have to pinch. The harder you pinch, the more the likelihood of causing damage to internal organs.

John.

 

[Lee Richards]

If you are taking a photo of the fish yourself and it starts to flap then there are only three options drop the phone, drop the fish or grip it tighter.
I can guarantee the first won't be happening.

 

[SUFC]

If you are taking a photo of the fish yourself and it starts to flap then there are only three options drop the phone, drop the fish or grip it tighter.
I can guarantee the first won't be happening.

There's another option - lay the fish in a wet landing net on a mat, for example.

 

[Lee Richards]

That should be the only option

 

[tipitinmick]

I'd sooner drop my phone.

 

[Maesknoll]

If you are taking a photo of the fish yourself and it starts to flap then there are only three options drop the phone, drop the fish or grip it tighter.
I can guarantee the first won't be happening.

I have never taken a picture of myself with a fish, wouldn’t even attempt it. Even pictures taken by others are rare, I doubt I have 10 from all the years I have fished.

 

[Silverfisher]

For me if you are going to hold them in one had doing so horizontally distributes their weight better so puts less pressure/weight m on you and them. Good to do so over the water, the net or your lap as well just on the off chance you drop them although once you develop a technique I find you don’t drop many, apologies to those early fish I caught as a youngster



Then if they’re bigger then I find a cradle grip is better or just laid in the net. Always knelt down as well just in case you stack it although luckily I’m of an age where my balance hasn’t gone yet



Quite a bit bigger and I just leave them in the net and take some of their weight with the net rather than have their full weight on the ground plus you can quickly lift the net if they move.



It’s almost as important to hang onto some bigger fish for a little while in the margins to revive them if they’ve scrapped a bit. There’s also something quite satisfying feeling their power through your arm once they are ready to go.

Others may have more lax or more stringent methods but such methods have always seen the fish go back strongly.

 

[carphauler]

 

[Godber]

As long as nothing goes crunch when you grip them l cant see the problem. You probably grip a toddlers hand tighter.

 

[MarkV]

I know lots of anglers hold them with the pinch, top anglers included. People see it and do it also, mainly in matches.

It may even just feel natural to do it, but looks all wrong to me. Too firm a grip needed.

So I unhook in the landing net between my legs and lower the fish into the keepnet while still in the landing net. Easy. Couple of seconds more that's all.

Can't remember where, but I have fished matches where this method is a fishery rule, no dropping into keepnet. Think some anglers like the macho 'bosh' as in it goes.

 

[Lee Richards]

I get the its okay if you are transferring fish from net to net or water.
If you are taking selfies though then that's a different matter as you are focusing on the phone/camera and not the fish.