Correct way to hold larger Bass....

[Tony Livingston]

This made the rounds over at PondBoss, thought it might serve us as well over here. Beware the one handed grip! Broken jaws may not be apparent to the angler, but the damage to the bass can be terminal.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=4...

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I just baby em as much as I can and go from there.
Well, I would if I ever caught any...

[Tony Livingston]

Remember too, that just because grandpa and dad did it that way, doesn't mean that a better way doesn't exist. I'm just as guilty as anyone when it comes to the lower lip grip, but I'm trying to do better. I don't think anyone is saying that an improper hold WILL eventually kill a bass.....only that the possibility exists, and as we gain more knowledge in this area the old ways may turn out to be bad news sure enough....kinda' shaping up to be the case, actually.

[Leo Nguyen]

An improper hold won't kill the bass immediately. However, we need to truly understand the ladder of the situation. It's a domino effect. It's like saying, if someone pass punches us in the jaw, broken our jaw, will it kill us immediately? Well, it may, or may not, base on our physiology. Take in term of a bass, let's compare our physical phenomenon:

1. Suffer a broken jaw. We may heal in time, but in the meantime, we will truly suffer pain.

2. Pain suffering causes us not to eat. This results in poor dietary consumption, which brings us to poor health and lost of weight.

3. Infection kicks in without medication (like fish actually have pain meds, aquatic doctors, or structural hospital to check in), which reduce total bodily function.

4. Without proper bodily function, the body is susceptible to either predators or invasive bacterial/viral attacks.

5. Death is imminent without intervention.

This argument has always been countered argued by unsupported opinions, which drive intellectually anglers insane. We, as responsible anglers, can only stand idly by, and listen to illogical rambling from the pros, seasoned anglers, and greenhorns alike.Of course, what go my panties in a wad is, "Oh, there are tons of them in the water. One dying ain't gonna hurt the lake full of them."

Yeah..say that again, when our lakes are dropping, most fishes are dead because of the limited water availability, diminishing aquatic spaces and food resources, while fishing pressure remains high to cull the rest of the remaining fish population.

[Jim Gronaw]

I am pretty sure that not all of my bass holds are kind to the fish, so, I need this kind of info.

[Jim Gronaw]

Here are a few from this past year where I 'tried' to hold the bass with the better grip and handling. Perhaps I could improve on these as well. I will say, handling a 10 to 13 pound bass is foreign to me,. I think that the heavier the body of the bass, the greater care should be given to avoid the holds that could produce the broken jaw.

As I mentioned, these fish are no where near the size of the fish on the PB forum, but safe handling applies to all fish, all species, with each having it's own distinctive needs for safety and survival.

I could see a big, slab crappie suffering jaw damage from some of the pix I have viewed over the years, and again, I have been guilty of such acts. For fish that are to be released the utmost care and concern is needed. Most European carp anglers are way ahead of us in this game.

[Tony Livingston]

Well spoken, Jim...and thanks for the photos demonstrating proper hold. I totally need to work on that.

[Andy is OptiMystic]

I have only handled about 5 LMBs over 4# and each time I was euphoric and any plans about how best to handle the fish went out the window. I grabbed the lower lip and snatched them out, eager to make it real/legit before something went wrong (I have lost at least that many more very close to the boat or shore). I did release all of them and at the time felt sure they were fine. But I did not know about the jaw issue until somewhat recently.

[jim cosgrove]

thanks jim those fish are in no distress.the stuff i see people do to fish boils my blood at times.if they ever did such a thing to a domestic animal they would be in jail.whether its to be eaten or not is no excuse to brutalize "just a fish".i like people who decide which is a "good" fish versus a trash fish also.have seen people battle a huge carp and then throw it in the weeds .they are all disapointed that they caught a trash fish.a fish that size may have been in it's 20s or older and still growing .had survived against all odds to be killed and wasted because its not what the angler expected to catch.

[Jim Gronaw]

I agree totally...I love catching big carp and surprise channel cats when after other game. All fish are worthy in my book.

[jim cosgrove]

the fishing pressure in my area would be hard for most people to understand.carp are one of the few true trophies left in many lakes and ponds.they are blamed for ruining the fishery by many.we screw things up so bad that only a carp can thrive in many waters then blame the carp.the few places near home where i can still catch a few quality sunfish or bass also have big carp so obviously they add something or at least coexist without too much danger to the natives.

[Jim Gronaw]

You're spot on, Jim I know of some excellent bass fisheries, largemouth and smallmouth, that have had a decades old population of big carp...and the quality bass fishing still remains! There's a 240 acre lake just above the Mason Dixon from me that has more big carp than any other lake I know, and, it has more 5 pound class largemouths than any small public fishery I have ever seen...just amazing.

I once caught an 18-pound carp there while fishing for walleyes on a Rat-L-Trap and took a bunch of pictures of the fish, then released it. A big fish is a big fish...I love them all!

[Jim Gronaw]

I believe the bass in the second and third photos are the same fish...one catch in late November and the other was the following March, 2014, and appears heavier than the fall capture.

We have caught and released several big fish from a two acre pond several times over a 6-7 year period. Then, the fish either die or maybe is kept. The most times we have caught a single large bass is Ole Swooptail, at seven captures by the end of 2014. Here's Matt with Swoopie in 2013...

Four different anglers have caught and released this fish seven times over a 4 year period, proving that proper handling and catch and release is a great tool for future fishing fun. This single individual fish is the 'personal best' bass for three different anglers.

Cool!