FISH OFF THE HOOK SHELTON RELEASE, A NEW TYPE OF SELF-RELEASING HOOK, CUTS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY ON MORTALITY.

Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer

BISHOP - Trout fishing all day without coming close to a limit and with minimal harm to the fish has long been the domain of fly anglers.

Typically, bait anglers have a dilemma when fishing in this style. In order to continue fishing when they come close to catching their limit, they have to release a fish when it is hooked. But most of those hooks wind up in the fish's esophagus. That means when extracted, the fish have a higher mortality rate.

So when the Friends of Sierra Trout, founded by Eastern Sierra activists Dick Noles and Bill Wright, sought ways to decrease mortality in fish, they turned to Tom Jenkins, a fisheries biologist who received his doctorate from UCLA and lives near June Lake.

At first, Jenkins was skeptical. Numerous studies had been done, including a 2000 survey by Department of Fish and Game trout specialist Steve Parmenter in the Eastern Sierra.

``I didn't think there was anything that could be found new,'' Jenkins said between weighing and measuring trout at Crowley Lake recently.

But Noles and Wright had found a new type of self-releasing hook, the Shelton Release, which was developed four years ago by Bill Shelton of Newark, which is located on the southeast side of the San Francisco Bay. The hook is designed to release from the fish without touching the fish or with the use of a net.

``I was surprised,'' Jenkins admits. ``For years, people have yanked them right out. And that can be catastrophic.''

The Friends of Sierra Trout garnered $60,000 in grants from the DFG, U.S. Forest Service, Inyo and Mono counties and the City of Bishop. Noles, a Bishop resident, says they turned downed numerous funds offered from tackle and bait manufacturers.

``We feel this is the prime trout-fishing area in the country,'' Noles said. ``We thought that there are too many fish being killed. We know a whole lot of people who do not like to see that.''

So, they decided they wanted to find the best way to halt mortality, and when that was accomplished, create a video, which is being distributed through Eastern Sierra chamber of commerces and schools.

A ``shorty'' led Shelton to develop his hook, of which the eye is placed near the start of the circle of the hook, allowing the hook to spin, and be released, when yanked. Four years ago, Shelton went pheasant hunting in Rio Vista and followed it up with striper fishing with his son in the Delta.

``My son caught a 17 1/2-inch striper,'' he recalled. ``The legal limit is 18 inches. We released him and a couple minutes later, he popped up. I thought, 'There's got to be a better way.' So on the way home, I thought of (the self-release hook).''

Noles, Wright, Sierra Recreations president John Fredrickson, who operates the Crowley and June Lake marinas, and Steve Marti at Bridgeport Twin Lakes, under the supervision of Jenkins, began fishing with barbless flies, circle hooks, Sheltons, J-hooks and treble hooks in June Lake and at Mono County board member Tim Alpers' Owens River Ranch, where he raises trout. They caught 150 fish at June Lake and 450 at Alpers' ranch with all fish going into a pen to correlate data.

Jenkins' study of the June Lake group found the mortality rate at 2 percent or less for all but circle hooks, which was 9 percent. The line to the treble and J-hooks was cut as close to the hook as possible.

``We conclude from these results that artificial flies and Shelton bait hooks are equally effective for catch-and-release fishing in a typical Eastern Sierra lake,'' Jenkins wrote in his report. ``Circle-C hooks, if left when deeply embedded, would be a good second choice. Even standard J-hooks and treble hooks might be adequate, but their high incidence of deep hooking and the possibility of some long-term damage warrants caution at this point.''

At Alpers' ranch, the barbless mortality rate was 0.7 percent, Shelton rate was 4.7 percent and circle hook 3.3 percent.

Shelton says he patented a hook remover, but he says his hook is even better, so he has not even marketed the remover. The Shelton hooks can be found in Eastern Sierra tackle shops and marinas north of Bishop, and in the Bay area. He plans on marketing it soon in Southern California, but has been delayed because of a design of a similar salmon hook.

``It's not just for catch-and-release,'' he said. ``A guy can spend eight hours fishing and of that, spend 1 1/2 hours retying lines that break off, get stuck in rocks or have embedded hooks. This allows for a more enjoyable day.

``Believe me, this is not about money or a profitable business. I've given away more hooks than I've sold.''

RELEASING FISH

The best ways to keep a released trout alive:

-- Use a Shelton Release self-release hook (Web site: www.sheltonproducts.com), circle hook or file off the barb.

-- Do not handle the fish.

-- Keep the fish in the water as much as possible.

-- Remove the hook with a hemostat, or cut the line at the edge of the fish's mouth.

-- To handle the fish, use a soft cotton net or wet hands. Do not squeeze and pick up by the lower jaw.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Shelton Release Hooks

(2) Fish have a better chance of survival if they're caught on a Shelton Release, a self-releasing hook. Here, a family lands a trout at Crowley Lake.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Box:

RELEASING FISH (see text)