Many recreational anglers practice catch‐and‐release; however, research indicates that capture and handling has the potential to adversely affect fish. Numerous catch‐and‐release studies have been conducted during warmer months, but little work has been done during the winter when ice‐anglers in temperate regions target fish. We conducted an ice angling simulation that quantified the impacts of air temperature and air exposure duration on swimming performance and gill physiology of Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides. In all experiments, fish were first subjected to a simulated angling bout in water at 5°C, followed by 30 s or 5 min of air exposure at above freezing (3–8°C) or subfreezing (−7°C) temperatures. The fish were then assessed for critical swimming speed (Bluegill), oxygen consumption (Bluegill), burst swimming (Largemouth Bass), or gill damage (Largemouth Bass). Results showed that Bluegill subjected to 5 min of air exposure at −7°C suffered impaired swimming, with a 47% loss in critical swimming speed (Ucrit) compared with the controls. Treatment had no impact on burst swimming or gill damage in Largemouth Bass. The results demonstrate the possible impacts of air exposure on fish, and we recommend that ice‐anglers make an effort to minimize air exposure duration, especially when air temperatures are low.

Fish that strike angling lures often have a set of characteristics that predispose them to capture. Vulnerable fish may then be removed from a population, either through harvest or incidental mortality, and in turn leave individuals in a population that are less vulnerable to angling. Over time, the removal of vulnerable individuals can erode capture rates, possibly resulting in evolutionary changes if traits that result in capture correlate with characteristics such as fecundity or growth. We sought to define the mechanisms driving individual angling vulnerability in Muskellunge Esox masquinongy, with the intent of informing management activities to conserve populations. The behavior of individually identified Muskellunge (n = 68; mean TL = 310.2 mm; range = 229–350 mm) was assessed using standard open‐field tests; the fish were then stocked into earthen‐bottom ponds to assess angling vulnerability. After angling, all captured fish and a subset of uncaptured fish were assessed for metabolic parameters. Results indicated that larger Muskellunge displaying low levels of exploration and aggression were preferentially captured. Behaviors such as boldness and activity did not influence capture, and metabolic parameters did not differ between captured and uncaptured fish.

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