Will hooked bass survive?

[John D]

Hi guys.

After losing a really big fish last week (which was most likely a bass) my mind started to drift to a state of concern for the welfare of the fish.

Does anyone have any idea whether or not a bass has a good chance of surviving while it has a hook in its mouth - and a soft plastic lure attached to the hook?

At first the biggest disappointment for me was losing such a wonderful fish. But now the biggest disappointment is the thought that after an encounter with me and my poor skills this seemingly large fish no longer lives in our sea

All feedback welcome & appreciated,
John D.

[gfkelly1969]

I think it probably depends a lot on the type of hook you were using and where he was hooked,if he was lip hooked with a steel hook he would have a better chance of surviving then if he was deep hooked with a stainless steel hook

[JimH]

John

If it was a soft bait and single hook its most likely the fish was hooked in the outer mouth regions - this is one of the benefits of lure and fly fishing - most fish are hooked in areas that are 'tough' and fish are generally not 'deep hooked'. There will always be exceptions of course. Hooks dont deteriorate as quickly as we might believe or wish - but the single hook will probably be shaken free by the fish over time.

After all thats how we loose them....

I'll bet that any bass in its day by day encounters with crabs and such like will have damage done to the same mouth region when hunting

Overall with a minimum amount of hooks that are de-barbed, damage done to a fish can be mimimal - IMHO three trebles is simply too many. Most of the damage done to fish happens when landing - time taken out of wate[/color]r, lip ripping, eye contact with trebles, dragged over sand or dry rocks, not supported properly for fotos if been returned (guilty in the past), poor use of a boga grip (i never know why people OVER use them even when fishing single hooks) landing nets and one that many people forget is overplaying the fish causing lactic acid build up.

Overplayed fish may 'return' looking ok but in fact seldom survive.

If you are going fishing for bass you can only do your best and make sure that your knots are very good, the gear is matched to the size of the fish and the environment, your leaders and line are in good condition, your hooks are sharp and rust free, you can land and return the fish quickly and effeciently - and you know the benefits of quick release.

Loosing fish is part of the game - how you loose them is up to you!

[ATF]

Jim,
three treble lures - do u remove the front trebles or would this take away from the action/performance of the lure? or does it even make a difference
they are a curse with hooks impaling fish and hands once landed....

[JimH]

Hi ATF

Theres no doubt at times landing a powerful head shaking fish with a lure in its mouth with those trebles exposed is a tough task. You know you dont want them in your hand and this in turn creates doubt and indecision - you reach you stop, you reach again you stop, the fish spins and thrashes and then the damage starts - time out of water, hooks in the head/eyes, flesh ripping etc.

If you are fishing a lot of trebles then try de-barbing them at least, then try reducing the numbers of hooks. A little trial and error might be needed if the hooks are taken off at the head or at the tail - depends on how the fish are taking but generally I take the first one off at the head.

Regarding performance of the lure it may be changed only slightly but adjustments can be made if you feel it neccessary by replacing removed hooks with split rings of equivalent weight - its probably not necessary a lot of the time.

Quickly landed fish will have a lot of more energy and are very cross - they have that look in their eye!
I tend to use strong leaders of hard alloy mono - I slide my hand down the leader to the lure and then grab the lure firmly,FIRMLY (as I have removed the top hook I have a degree of grip, I think its called a KEY grip) then because the hooks are de-barbed its pliers on the hook and a quick twist out and away. Its still not always easy.

I dont use a boga personally but if they are used properly (no lifting, release in water, minimum flesh pinch) when fishing a multiplicity of hooks then it makes a degree of sense to keep them out of your hands - bass dont have teeth afterall! I dont see any real reason why you might use a boga if fishing single hooks on soft baits or flies - a considerably more simple release, especially if de-barbed.

This is fine for me as a guide - I dont fish when guiding so I help the client release if he wants it - some people prefer to catch, land and return completely. I still end up with cuts bruises contusions and multiple lacerations at the end of the season but its part of the game!

When I'm fishing by myself its of course a different story - I try to keep gear to a minimum, two boxes in two pockets or small pack, I have an immediate access to a pliers on a lanyard, no flapping about looking in 40 different pockets, and I have learned like we all must, to deal with the rod the fish and the release when standing in the water a lot of the time. I generally dont tramp back to shore.

Rod under left arm, reaching for fish with same hand and pliers, fish in right hand, tight grip on the lure (or a variation of this) - grip the hook twist away - sounds lovely - a lot of the time its not......! I've been practicing for a long time.

[Pat]

Overplayed fish may 'return' looking ok but in fact seldom survive.

This is probably the case with all big fish landed Jim. Most will test your gear to the utmost and its very hard to bully a big fish in. Most fish over 9lbs that I've caught have taken a long time to revive and I have often wondered on their likelihood of survival?

[RockHunter]

I dont use a boga personally but if they are used properly (no lifting, release in water, minimum flesh pinch) when fishing a multiplicity of hooks then it makes a degree of sense to keep them out of your hands - Bass dont have teeth afterall! I dont see any real reason why you might use a boga if fishing single hooks on soft baits or flies - a considerably more simple release, especially if de-barbed.

I find it a lot easier to handle a big fish with a boga in one hand and holding the underside of the fish with the palm of the other hand. Without the boga I have had bass squirm out of my hands and fall on the beach/rocks, but using that technique I can keep them relatively still and unharmed.

[JimC]

It is always the gutting thing about losing a fish to a snap off – is the fish going to be trailing a lure for the foreseeable future? Something tells me that with single hooks the chances of the hook falling out are high. As the lads have said the vast majority of soft lure caught fish are lip hooked. It is said that a hook will rust away within a short time should it remain in the mouth. You would have to wonder if this is the case with galvanised trebles.

As I am fishing from the boat I net the fish and pick it up by the bottom lip, slip the hook and leave the fish off. I think it is important not to be sticking hands into gills while holding the fish. I usually hold the fish at the side of the boat until it is ready to swim off. As Pat has said, this can take some time with bigger fish. The only times I have seen fish come belly up after release are deeply hooked fish, tends to happen more with bait than with lures I would say.

I must say that I dread lures with loads of trebles (I still use them though!). Even pollack can be a nightmare not to mind a spiky cranky bass with a treble hooked in top and bottom lip. Add to that the chances of the “other” trebles getting caught up in the net or the fish and you have a recipe for frustration and skewered hands.

While it is always a pain to lose a lure in a fish; the fish stands a better chance of losing the hook and surviving than getting a smack over the head and landed into a fish box!

These chaps went back happy enough:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMvTpC8Hnmc

[JimH]

This is an interesting one Pat - I think its possible to overplay both big and small fish, its knowing or guessing how far you can go without causing to much stress thats going to catch up a number of hours later and then kill them.

Watch Andy Mills land a 50kg tarpon on a 8kg leader in less than ten minutes on a fly rod. Some people spend hours landing the same fish.

[JimH]

See the fish in this photograph below- the indentation in its side was caused by me dropping the fish. I was eager to make the photograph with Gerry, it was a spectacular day for many reasons. I see a lot of other photos from that day from Andy and Pat of fish > 10lbs landed on fly and lure - all returned. I still see me struggling and dropping the fish on the rocks - he went back fine as he was caught at 10 yards - did he survive the fall?

I know i've never lifted a big fish very high since and seldom if ever except over water.

http://www.probassfisher.com/2008/08/words.html

Things happen in fishing John.

[lumpy]

i think this brings into account the use of bogas and other lip grippers, i have a major issue with thes being used to weigh/land fish whereby their body weight is being supported by their lower jaw. if you look at the jaw of a fish, esp predetory species they are designed for mobility, not stability. holding a fish by their jaw has to cause significant damage, possable dislocation/subluxation which could have an affect on their feeding abilities.

[John D]

Guys thank you all so very much for your kind & extremely educational feedback.

Kind regards,
John D.

[roooster]

i caught a bass about 4 years ago that had a j-11 joined rapala lure attatached to the side of its mouth,it looked like that it had been there for awhile,i removed the lure & returned the bass...so id say it just depends what way the fish is hooked on weather it survives or not.

[roger de dodger]

have removed other anglers hooks from bass ,tope and smoothies all hooks that wouldnt rust out

[red]

I had a wrasse last year that had a rusty treble caught in the side of its mouth. Looked like it had been there a while and it was a fine fat fish so it didnt affect its feeding.

[Eoghan]

I moved to replace trebs a long time ago where it was possible. Bass have such a large mouth that I doesnt seem to make any difference. The first time I tried it I had 4 bass and my mate beside me had 3 with trebbles, so didnt notice any difference. Until the time came to release the fish, I had mine unhooked immediately and back in the water. How many times have ye struggled in the pas with a treb buried in a fished mouth. For me its all about getting the fish back in the water as safely and quickly as possible. Its a lot easier to unhook a fish under water with one hook than a treb.