Can deep-caught perch be released?

From shallow water, freely; from 10 m (33 ft) or more, mostly no — released fish float on the expanded bladder, cannot get back down, and die on the surface or to gulls, whatever the release looks like at the boat. Fizzing (venting) at perch size is unreliable in untrained hands and not a workable answer to a fast school bite. The honest management is simple: when you fish deep schools — the classic winter basin pattern at 8–12 m (26–40 ft) — treat every fish as kept, stop at your limit, and if you want a release fishery that day, go find a shallower school instead.

Browse every question