Minnesota DNR Asks Anglers To Only Eat The Small Sunfish

If you're a Minnesotan who plans on heading to a lake for some good ol' fashioned outdoor fishing this weekend, there's a good chance you'll reel in a sunfish. Ever since I was a kid, sunfish have always been fun to catch off the dock (if you're properly licensed *cough*), and even tastier to eat if you know how to cook 'em. I knew I shouldn't have written this before lunch.

But the Department of Natural Resources is making a friendly request to all Minnesotan anglers:

Eat the small ones, please!

Here are some quick tips for catching and releasing:

- Fish hooked in the mouth almost always survive
- Have pliers ready for taking hooks out
- Quickly land a fish to minimize their time out of water
- Handle the fish firmly but carefully, and wet your hands before touching a fish to prevent removal of their protective slime coating
- Revive a fish by cradling it under the belly and gently moving it forward in the water until it swims away
- Don't release a fish that can be legally kept if it is bleeding heavily or can't right itself

Follow those tips, and you can help make fishing a better experience for both your fellow anglers and our scaly little friends. Good luck!

Source: Bring Me The News