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Hooking Mortality of Lake Trout Angled through Ice by Jigging and Set‐Lining
Author(s) -
Persons Steven E.,
Hirsch Steven A.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
north american journal of fisheries management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1548-8675
pISSN - 0275-5947
DOI - 10.1577/1548-8675(1994)014<0664:hmolta>2.3.co;2
Subject(s) - trout , salvelinus , fishery , gill , fish <actinopterygii> , biology
Hooking mortality was determined for 96 lake trout Salvelinus namaycush caught through the ice by jigging and by set‐lining with large dead baits on Gunflint Lake, Cook County, Minnesota, in January 1991. The estimated mortality rate for all released lake trout was 24%; estimated mortality rates for lake trout caught by set‐lining and jigging were 32 and 9%, respectively. Hooking location strongly influenced lake trout mortality. Mortalities of lake trout hooked in the gills or gut, inside the mouth, or in the lip were 36, 29, and 0%, respectively. Seventy percent of the lake trout caught by set‐lining were hooked in the gills or gut, compared with 9% of the lake trout caught by jigging. The lack of mortality for lip‐hooked lake trout suggested that capturing fish from deep water (25–50 ft), handling in cold temperatures (–20 to 20°F), fin‐clipping, and cribbing had little effect on mortality during the study. High hooking mortality rates for lake trout taken by set‐lining suggested that the use of this fishing method should be restricted when management strategies require the release of winter‐caught lake trout.