6.

7.
8.
9.

Respect the land. Leave no litter and take out what you take in.
Pass it on. Teach a child or friend to trout fish.
Support trout research and habitat protection.
Join an organization that works to protect the resource and promote
sportsman-like conduct.

PROPER CATCH-AND-RELEASE TECHNIQUES

Catch-and-release techniques are used to ensure sustainability of fish
populations and to avoid the negative results of overfishing. It is simple!
First, use barbless hooks to reduce injury and handling time of fish,
therefore increasing survival rates. Land your fish as quickly as possible to
minimize the fishs fighting time. Leave the fish in the water and unhook
the fish with a de-hooking tool like forceps or needle-nosed pliers. If a
hook has been swallowed, cut the line as far down in the fishs mouth as
possible. Digestion will take care of the hook. If a fish must leave the water
to be unhooked, wet your hands before handling the fish and minimize the
time out of the water to 20-30 seconds. When placing the fish back into a
river or stream, point the fish into the current while it breathes. Support the
fish gently in the current until it swims away. All anglers need to follow the
methods mentioned to increase a fishs chances of survival and other anglers
chances of catching a nice-size fish!

WADER WASHING, PREVENTING EXOTICS & DISEASE

Anglers should beware of unnoticed passengers on their waders and take
the necessary precautions to assure they are not spreading harmful exotic
hitchhikers from one stream to another. Harmful exotics such as Whirling
Disease spores, Didymo algae, zebra mussels, mud snails, Asian clams
and many more are becoming more common threats to aquatic resources,
including Appalachian trout streams and tailwaters.
The larvae (immature form) of animals can be so tiny that they are
invisible to the naked eye. These animal larvae can live in mud, dirt, sand
and on plant fragments. Therefore, anglers should always remove visible
mud, sand, plants or plant fragments from wading gear, clothing and fishing
equipment before leaving a trout stream. Do not transport any potential
hitchhikers, even back to your home. Remove and leave them at the stream.
Anglers should thoroughly clean their wading gear after each use. There
are several ways to clean wading gear of aquatic hitchhikers. Once wading
gear is 100% dry, allow it to remain dry for 5 days before using it again.
Another option is to dip wading gear in a 3% bleach solution, rinse well
(as chlorine can be harmful to gear) and allow to dry thoroughly. To avoid
72