The Influence of Leader Length on Fishing Efficiency and Anatomical Hooking Location During Catch-and-Release Float Fishing

Catch-and-release (C&R) fishing has become a common practice. Anatomical hooking location (AHL) can be crucial to fish survival. The length of the slack line connecting the hook to the rest of the rig (leader) can affect both the anatomical hooking location and catch efficiency. In this study, we set out to determine whether such a scenario would occur. A total of 2826 fish representing nine species were captured during the study. The shorter leader (15 cm) yielded 1462 fish (51.7%), whereas 1364 fish (48.3%) were captured using the 40 cm leader. Mean catch per unit effort (CPUE) was higher for the shorter leader (44.3 fish h−1) than for the longer leader (41.3 fish h−1). Fish were most frequently hooked in superficial, non-critical anatomical hooking locations within the mouth (upper and lower jaw and mouth corners). Safe hook placements accounted for 88.0% of captures with the 15 cm leader and 78.7% with the 40 cm leader. The research supported our hypothesis and predictions: a shorter leader is safer for fish and less likely to cause deep hooking in critical anatomical locations. On the other hand, shallower hooking was associated with higher catch efficiency. Our findings can help anglers design terminal tackle appropriately.