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Fish care Antiseptic kits

Graham, I put some lemon juice and dill on a sea bass last night, yet I have no formal fish related qualifications:D

How long till opening day again? ??:rolleyes:
 
Sticking hooks in fish is harmful, Kevin...Ray Walton is the man who put me onto it a while back. He's got it pretty well documented from the 70's on the royalty. I'll see if I can get some photos off him to put up. The fish regenerate fins as long as the bone rays aren't too eaten away. It stops any bacterial infection in its tracks and allows the fish to heal from within. They all went on to lead a happy fishy life and grew large, all documented in the recaptures of the fish. Good enough evidence for me.....never used bonjella, John. No need to. Friars all the way.
 
Mark Anderson said:
Hi men,

Good post Howard , if needed , when resting / unhooking in the net ain't an option , then why not ?. As for what to put on a hook hold , there are many fish keepers on here that may be able to answer that better ?.

Hatter
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Propolis is the usual topical treatment used by koi keepers and has excellent healing properties. It is made by bees and sold for a massive profit by koi dealers, however it can be purchaced from outlets such as Holland & Barrett far cheaper. This product has been used for a decade or so, therefore any side effects would have been flagged up by fish keepers long ago.

I agree that many proprietary treatments are a rip off.

I don't notice so much damage caused by hooks as I used to 25 -30 years ago. I remember barbel with 5 whiskers and mouth tumours on commercial river venues which were probably the result of hookups....maybe the use of smaller modern day micro barbed hooks have helped?

dt:)
 
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Unless it is a large wound,..no Bobby. The liqiud form is best, being more concentrated than the watered down sprays.
 
Having kept Koi for many years and treated various injuries I am sceptical that these antiseptic liquids / creams can be of any use in a fishing environment. To work properly the wound site needs to be dried, the antiseptic applied and again allowed to dry then ideally a protective coating applied over the top. Even after a protective coating is applied the treatment washes off in very little time and generally needs re-applying daily until wound is seen to be healing. In the mouth I doubt the treatment will last very long considering the amount of water be taken in and passed out through the gills, on the body / fins I find the fish try to flick / scrape off the treatment as if it is irritating them and can cause themselves more damage. Saying all that if it makes you feel better, and I may even carry a bottle of magic potion next season, then go for it.
 
Kevin Daly said:
Mr Bassinder, please refer to the above.
If that is not explanation enough please refer to my post about unhooking in water and if you would be so kind as to give me a general guide to use of an unhooking mat in water I would be extremely grateful.
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Kevin,

We seem to have got off on the wrong foot which is not my intention, we are all anglers after all. However why is "unhooking in the net" considered to be some kind of step up from using an unhooking mat? To me this is not unlike the myth that chinning out a pike is somehow better for the fish. IMO hooks can be removed with more safety and certainty for both fish and angler when the fish is lying flat on a mat (still in the net) but lying still rather than thrashing about in the water.

Paul
 
Paul Bassinder said:
Kevin,

We seem to have got off on the wrong foot which is not my intention, we are all anglers after all. However why is "unhooking in the net" considered to be some kind of step up from using an unhooking mat? To me this is not unlike the myth that chinning out a pike is somehow better for the fish. IMO hooks can be removed with more safety and certainty for both fish and angler when the fish is lying flat on a mat (still in the net) but lying still rather than thrashing about in the water.

Paul
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Hi Paul, my observation here is that, firstly, it's impossible to state a hard and fast rule because different circumstances warrant different responses. In terms of unhooking in the net, I have fished a few swims on the Wye where I have been pretty much stood in the water and have played/landed fish from that position. With most hook holds I have found that by crouching down, keeping the fish in the net and in the water, I can extract the hook very swiftly and then release the fish from there. It can, like many things in life, be over in a matter of seconds.

Cheers.
 
Hi Howard,

In my experience when trying to unhook in the net if the hook is easily visible and in an easy place to grab the shank then it is relatively easy to slip it out in the net. However if this is not the case then one tends to "run out of hands" very quickly. IMO it is always better for the fish to unhook it on a mat while it is adequately restrained from thrashing about and then retuned immediately for resting / release.

Paul
 
I tend to agree with Howard that it depends on circumstances and that you should just do what you consider will cause the fish minimun distress.
I nearly always rest the fish first,..if I can quickly remove the hook whilst the fish is resting in the net I will do so, if not I will leave the hook in and use a mat when the fish has got it's breath back.
Mind you, after netting an Avon double for a mate a while back the fish nearly escaped over the side of the net just as I extracted the hook!:eek:
Still surprises me that some forget that most fish can't close their eyes and a piece of stubble in that wet grass is all it takes to blind an eye,..unhooking mats are a must.

Keith L.
I agree that topical treatments are subjective. I have noticed that Propolis is an ingredient in 'health' fish foods designed to 'boost' the immune system.
Not to be used constantly though.
dt
 
Paul Bassinder said:
Kevin,

We seem to have got off on the wrong foot which is not my intention, we are all anglers after all. However why is "unhooking in the net" considered to be some kind of step up from using an unhooking mat? To me this is not unlike the myth that chinning out a pike is somehow better for the fish. IMO hooks can be removed with more safety and certainty for both fish and angler when the fish is lying flat on a mat (still in the net) but lying still rather than thrashing about in the water.

Paul
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Paul
Quite right about the wrong foot and being "anglers together". And I will concede most of that was my fault. What we are doing here, I think it happens; a lot on forums; is we both presented our preferences and opinions as "the right way to go". Your statement about control is all important, You must do what you are comfortable with. I find armed with a set of pliers I can unhook 75% of my Pike in the net or while holding them by the chin; if Under 20lb. I find Barbel to be much easier, I can wrap them in the folds of my net grab the shank of my hook with a cut off pair of forceps and have the hook out literally in seconds.
Back in the early 90'sI once attended an AGM of the old ABE and listened to a fisheries scientists who's name escapes me from Calverton. He was adamant that brain damage can occur in Barble after only 30 seconds out of the water. Answer is simple isn't it, don't take them out of the water. I must have looked a proper Dick when I first started doing this but now apart from the occasional wet foot I can have the fish resting without the benefit of a hook in its mouth in seconds.
 
Kevin Daly said:
Paul
Quite right about the wrong foot and being "anglers together". And I will concede most of that was my fault. What we are doing here, I think it happens; a lot on forums; is we both presented our preferences and opinions as "the right way to go". Your statement about control is all important, You must do what you are comfortable with. I find armed with a set of pliers I can unhook 75% of my Pike in the net or while holding them by the chin; if Under 20lb. I find Barbel to be much easier, I can wrap them in the folds of my net grab the shank of my hook with a cut off pair of forceps and have the hook out literally in seconds.
Back in the early 90'sI once attended an AGM of the old ABE and listened to a fisheries scientists who's name escapes me from Calverton. He was adamant that brain damage can occur in Barble after only 30 seconds out of the water. Answer is simple isn't it, don't take them out of the water. I must have looked a proper Dick when I first started doing this but now apart from the occasional wet foot I can have the fish resting without the benefit of a hook in its mouth in seconds.
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Brain damage within 30 seconds Kev :eek:. There are some recognisable barbel that often come out several (and some even more than that) times a year in popular stretches of river, and have been doing so for many years. Your possible response to that might well be something like 'The brain damage probably explains why it keeps getting caught'....which sounds logical, as a quick quip. However, I would think it more likely that if a fish has been caught literally scores of times....and has suffered brain damage virtually every time....then it would no longer be functioning in any way, let alone look fit and healthy and be feeding :D Just my thoughts Kev.
 
David Gauntlett said:
Brain damage within 30 seconds Kev :eek:. There are some recognisable barbel that often come out several (and some even more than that) times a year in popular stretches of river, and have been doing so for many years. Your possible response to that might well be something like 'The brain damage probably explains why it keeps getting caught'....which sounds logical, as a quick quip. However, I would think it more likely that if a fish has been caught literally scores of times....and has suffered brain damage virtually every time....then it would no longer be functioning in any way, let alone look fit and healthy and be feeding :D Just my thoughts Kev.
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Did I say can or will Dave?
The ones that come out again and again probably post on here me old mate
 
Dave Taylor said:
I tend to agree with Howard that it depends on circumstances and that you should just do what you consider will cause the fish minimun distress.
I nearly always rest the fish first,..if I can quickly remove the hook whilst the fish is resting in the net I will do so, if not I will leave the hook in and use a mat when the fish has got it's breath back.
Mind you, after netting an Avon double for a mate a while back the fish nearly escaped over the side of the net just as I extracted the hook!:eek:
Still surprises me that some forget that most fish can't close their eyes and a piece of stubble in that wet grass is all it takes to blind an eye,..unhooking mats are a must.

Keith L.
I agree that topical treatments are subjective. I have noticed that Propolis is an ingredient in 'health' fish foods designed to 'boost' the immune system.
Not to be used constantly though.
dt
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I know its wrong to anthropomorphise, but, having just watched Spurs loose to west ham for the 3rd time this season and wanting to quite literally never see anything again as a result, i thought id stick a blade of grass in my eye. I must report back that i can still see. I know its wrong to anthropomorphise (and to repeat yourself) but i cant see :)D) a blade of grass making a barbel go blind.
 
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