I noticed in a lot of the pictures that people hold the bass by the lower jaw and let it hang with no support.This can cause the jaw to break.If you want to hold the fish for a picture then support the fish
if you hold it by the lower jaw.When i remove the hook from the fish i lay it down on my boat so it doesn't stress the fish more than it already is.The mouth and jaw are key to the fishes survival.Please be careful when handling the fish.
if you hold it by the lower jaw.When i remove the hook from the fish i lay it down on my boat so it doesn't stress the fish more than it already is.The mouth and jaw are key to the fishes survival.Please be careful when handling the fish.
I completely agree with treating the fish right. However, holding a fish vertical in the lower jaw is fine for all but the biggest bass. The problem comes in when people put torque on the jaw trying to move the bass from vertical towards horizontal. But you can't go wrong with supporting the fish either way. I hate seeing the lunker page in various magazines and see the people that try to get a "cool" pose with their 10 pounder with one hand.
Laying the fish down is in a lot of ways no better, unless you take precautions to protect its slime layer. A nice slick surface that you've made wet with some water is fine. Carpet, grass, or dirt is not so good.
Common sense goes a long way when handling fish.
Laying the fish down is in a lot of ways no better, unless you take precautions to protect its slime layer. A nice slick surface that you've made wet with some water is fine. Carpet, grass, or dirt is not so good.
Common sense goes a long way when handling fish.
totally agree anyone with expierence knows how to hold a bass by the lip. if you try to fling the bass around the lip, its when the ligaments or tendons whichever break. for me unhook and get the bass back to the water asap without doing damage. we all love these fish so treat them like you actually do love them!!!!!!!!
I agree with what's been said here about holding normal sized bass by the lip, and especially being careful about the slime layer, which is something that I think is less respected, generally.
I have a question about other species though... I'm going to spend a week in July on a lake with a considerable population of walleye, and I fish from a kayak, often in the dark of night. I cut my finger there once thinking I had a bass on and trying to lip a walleye out of the water in the dark. What's a safe way to handle a walleye, for both me and the fish? I know people grab them by the gills, but that seems dangerous for the fish...
I have a question about other species though... I'm going to spend a week in July on a lake with a considerable population of walleye, and I fish from a kayak, often in the dark of night. I cut my finger there once thinking I had a bass on and trying to lip a walleye out of the water in the dark. What's a safe way to handle a walleye, for both me and the fish? I know people grab them by the gills, but that seems dangerous for the fish...
This article was in Field and Stream a few months ago:
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/2010/02/gill-plate-grab-catch-release-pike-without-net
The gill plate grab is common practice, and unless you have a lip gripper tool or net, the only way to land fish with teeth. It's especially common in ice fishing, because once you get the head out of water, you can pull the fish out without horsing it. As the last sentence of the article says...always support horizontally. With long fish like pike, or lake trout, you can pull the ligaments away from the fishes back bone, rendering its swimming skills useless, so it will die.
With smaller walleys, I think you can grab them above the gills from the back, also. Your story reminded me of one of a time fishing with dad and grandfather on the St. Lawrence in NY...my dad hooked a pike and for whatever reason, my grandpa decided to lip it, to bring it in the boat...blood everywhere!
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/2010/02/gill-plate-grab-catch-release-pike-without-net
The gill plate grab is common practice, and unless you have a lip gripper tool or net, the only way to land fish with teeth. It's especially common in ice fishing, because once you get the head out of water, you can pull the fish out without horsing it. As the last sentence of the article says...always support horizontally. With long fish like pike, or lake trout, you can pull the ligaments away from the fishes back bone, rendering its swimming skills useless, so it will die.
With smaller walleys, I think you can grab them above the gills from the back, also. Your story reminded me of one of a time fishing with dad and grandfather on the St. Lawrence in NY...my dad hooked a pike and for whatever reason, my grandpa decided to lip it, to bring it in the boat...blood everywhere!