Quote Originally Posted by arkcrappie View Post
I don't think it is any worse than handling a fish. Maybe Matt (D10) could weigh in here and give us some handling tips for fish to be released.


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I use a rubber coated dip net to land big crappie. We use soft small mess nets to net bass, walleye, and trout during electro fishing samples. If the net material is wet, I don't think it harms the fish much. Wet hands aren't too bad on fish either. The worst thing on a fish's slime coat is dry hands or a towel. I cringe when I see someone grab a fish with a towel to take it off the hook and then throw it back. I've always wondered how bad the carpet in boats were on a fish's slime coat. If the carpet was wet, I don't think it would take much of the slime coat off. If it is dry, I'm not sure.

Matt