To Tag Or Not To Tag That Is The Question by Bob Moeller

This is what was going through my mind even after I joined this committee last year. Due to a “pure stroke of luck” last November 15, this question was answered for me. That’s when another angler in Great South Bay, New York recaptured a 31 inch, 10 pound striped bass that I had Tagged & Released only two months before at Charlestown, RI. Included in my notification letter from the American Littoral Society was a nice little fish patch that I have subsequently sewn on to my RISAA fishing cap. I hope to fill that cap with patches in subsequent years. The Tag and Release process is a fairly simple one for boat anglers. You have a nice flat surface with ample storage area for a tape measure, scale, rag, pencil and paper, and of course, the tagging needle and tags. For a shore angler it is a little more complicated. It takes some prior thought and planning. It can be done effectively, as my experience proves. You see I was so concerned with keeping the fish out of the water too long, that I nearly gave up on the whole process. I thought I would probably kill more fish in the process than it was worth. All it took was planning, a couple of clumsy first attempts, and some determination to get the job done. When you buy your tags and tagging needle by contacting our committee at the monthly meetings, or by phone, email, etc., you will also be provided with instructions for tagging. I plan to supplement those instructions with this list of helpful shore angler tips:

1. Only take as many tags with you as you “realistically” plan to use. Keep extras at the car. You do not want to be fumbling around with ten tags in a tackle bag if you only need five. 2. The numbers on the tags are “very small print”. There are many digits to this tag number, but they all end in the numbers zero through nine. Take a little piece of adhesive cloth tape, or a letter seal, and wrap it around the tag. Number the tags in larger numberals from zero through nine, accordingly. 3. Each tag has a corresponding card with that number on it. This card is where you note the data from the fish that you catch. Leave these cards in the car and carry a piece of paper and a pencil with you. It is easy to quickly write down the tag number from zero to ten that you used, and to note the data that you need. Then transfer this data to the card neatly, when you have time and are in a comfortable location. 4. Definitely carry a measuring tape. Carry a small, accurate scale if you have one. Don’t guess at the weight if you don’t have one. Just record the length. 5. A bait rag will really help you to handle the fish carefully. Cover the fishes head with it to calm him, after you lay the fish down. You really need to look around for a flat surface, and/or set up your tackle bag at this location before you catch your fish. If you are like me, you plan out where to land the fish before you catch him anyway. Right? 6. Finally, I commit the data to memory and then note it down on my paper after tagging and releasing my fish. This just helps to get the fish back to the water more quickly. There is not that much to remember. If your fish seems sluggish at the point of release, be sure to hold him by the tail and work him back and forth in the water to revive him before release.

By the way, the Littoral Society needs data on all types of saltwater fish so plan to tag Squeteague, Flounder, Tautog, Bluefish, as well as Striped Bass. See you at the monthly meetings.

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