by Tylisa Schadams

Created on: August 01, 2009   Last Updated: August 03, 2009

The Musky is the allusive "fish of a thousand casts" and is both a hard-to-catch and hard-to-find fish. Since these fish are so rare and the goal of many freshwater fisherman to catch, safe release practices should be used in handling these beautiful specimens. This will ensure the future of the sport for our children and grand children. Here are a couple quick tips that will help you achieve the goals of a safe release and your own safety as an angler.

1. Anglers should invest in proper release tools before they even begin fishing for the Musky. These tools include (but not limited to) a set of heavy-duty Bolt Cutters to cut hooks, a set of heavy-duty Needle-Nose Pliers at least 7 inches long for extracting hooks, a set of Jaw-Spreaders for easier release of deeply-hooked fish, a set of "Hook Outs" which are similar to pliers but usually much-longer, and a set of Plumber's Gloves or another type of Fish-Handling Gloves to remove as little as the protective slime from the fish as possible while handing fish.

2. When you hook into a Musky, make sure all of these release tools are readily available. If you have a net, it's usually safer, unless the Musky is smaller (under 20") to land the fish in the net. Make sure your net is big enough to land the fish or it's useless! If you don't have a net, don't drag the fish up on the bank/into the boat. Let the fish tire itself at boat side/bank and perform a successful release in the water. You should keep the fishes head underwater as much as possible during the release process.

3. Now that the fish has tired itself out, half the battle is over. You must determine which of your tools to use. If the fish is hooked on the outside of the mouth, Pliers can easily be used to pop the hook out. If the hooks are located on the inside of the mouth, you should use your Jaw-Spreaders to open the mouth, than extract the hooks with the Hook-Outs. If any of the hooks are deeply embedded, you should immediately cut the hooks. New hooks are easily available for your lure and the old ones will rust out of the fish. If any hooks are located near the gill area, extreme caution should be used in removing these hooks. A word of warning though, fish will usually thrash around while you're trying to remove hooks. Don't be afraid to let go of the fish and let them fall back into the water during this process. Many successful releases take time and patience; you will become better at it with experience.

4. When all of the hooks have been

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