A year ago the lovely Mrs. Gallus gave me a fish tagging gun and 100 numbered tags she got from Greg Grimes. It's a slick little outfit. The only trouble is, I've been too chicken, er, hearted to use it the way you're supposed to. But now I've got 5 nice RES I've been fattening up in my PBR for 9 months that I'm going to repatriate into the pond, and if I catch them in the future I want to know it and be able to track future growth. I'm still chickenhearted and reasonably so, I think - would you want to kill a 10" pellet trained Redear?

I talked with Greg about this briefly at the PB Conference, and he said it's a common worry of (amateur) PMs. We're afraid to poke a hole in our beloved finned friends and stick a tag in.

So let's clear the stench of fear from our shorelines and learn how to tag with no regrets, only information to be gained.

Here's what I know from previous research: The preferred area for tagging is high on the back, just below the dorsal fin. Remove a scale to make an insertion point ( ). Inject the base of the tag into the muscle on the fish's back ( ). Periodically (I'd say before every fish) clean off the tagging tip with rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol to disinfect it.

FYI, numbered tags are fairly expensive, but simple colored tags used with the same equipment are reasonably priced and would be sufficient for tasks like tracking stockers from a particular year class or different source.

So, Pros and experienced taggers, where is my info off and what advice or clarifications can you give?

"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever."
-S. M. Stirling
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