Are you interested in booking a Cabo fishing charter, but don’t want to actually keep a fish? If so, you are in luck. While you are certainly welcome to keep what you catch and even send it back to the U.S., some people simply like the thrill of the catch and are happy to release their fish back into the ocean alive and well. There are a variety of tips that can help you have a successful catch and release fishing trip.

Be Prepared

Whenever you plan for a catch and release fishing trip, it is important to go into the excursion prepared. This means that you’ll need to have release tools handy in order to get your fish back into the water. Fishing charters in Cabo San Lucas should be well prepared to send your catch back into the ocean if that is what you decide.

Use the Right Tackle

It is always important to use tackle that matches the species of fish that you are hoping to land. If you have to fight a fish for too long, they will become exhausted and stressed, so if you are hoping to release the fish unharmed, choosing tackle that will allow you to land it – and release it – quickly is crucial.

Minimize the Time that You Handle the Fish

Sure, you’ll want to get a few pictures of your fish once you finally haul it onboard, but in a catch and release situation, the less that you handle, hold, and touch the fish, the better. Ideally, you’ll want to leave the fish in the water and not handle it, but this isn’t always possible. Just be sure to get the fish back in the water as quickly as you can.

Keep Your Hands Wet

Going along with minimizing the handling time of your fish, if you do have to touch it, it is important that your hands are wet in order to maintain the protective slime coating on the fish. Never hold onto the fish with a dry cloth between your hands and the fish, as this will remove some of that protective layer that the fish relies on for survival.

Revive the Fish

If a fish appears lethargic or exhausted before you fully release it, give it time to revive. Exhaustion is often the result of a long fight, so if a fish is having difficulty swimming, allow the current to gently revive it before you let it go on its way.