Ripping Lips?

[bfishn]

As a walleye angler (not on Stockton) bass are e real PITA for me. I cuss 'em, I whine about 'em, and I blame a slow day on 'em. I've never hurt one though, and I don't know any other 'eye chasers that would.

A freind tells the story from the '70s about he and another buddy of mine. Seems they'd had a big day sight fishing bass beds on LOZ, and had 8 nice ones on the stringer. When they got back to the resort, the second fellow remembered he hadn't pulled in the stringer before the 2 mile run in their rental john boat. There was one left, the others, strung through the lip, had been torn off on the trip.

"Beat their lips off he did!". I should regret laughing like I do every time I hear them tell it, but these two guys... I call 'em Backwoods Bill & Ted.

[powerdive]

Seriously, I can't even fathom purposely mutilating an animal. Pulling the wings off a fly--even as a child, I couldn't do it.

I'm at a loss on the split lips (some interesting ideas above), but I do believe plenty of bass have their jaws broken--unintentionally, ignorantly--by the anglers who catch them. If you hold a bass up horizontally by the lip, without also supporting the body--well, that jaw isn't meant to hold a load like that.

I've never used one, so forgive my ignorance: what about these boga grip things? Could they cause any damage?

[Dutch]

Seriously, I can't even fathom purposely mutilating an animal. Pulling the wings off a fly--even as a child, I couldn't do it.

I'm at a loss on the split lips (some interesting ideas above), but I do believe plenty of bass have their jaws broken--unintentionally, ignorantly--by the anglers who catch them. If you hold a bass up horizontally by the lip, without also supporting the body--well, that jaw isn't meant to hold a load like that.

I've never used one, so forgive my ignorance: what about these boga grip things? Could they cause any damage?

I use a boga and it doesn't seem to do any damage. Most of the fish just hang without flopping when I have them in it. I don't land with it just weigh.

[Quillback]

I use Boga grips sometimes to weigh fish, if used properly they cause no harm. I have never caught a bass with a split in it's jaw as described above. I don't know how that can be caused unless it's intentional. Hook setting, gripping lower lip, etc., is not going to rip them like it's been described.

[Feathers and Fins]

PD, Bogas are a great tool I use to use them all the time for Saltwater no need in freshwater unless its a toothy critter like a Pike or Musky imo. But for salt I have released many fish with no problem. I have thought about using them again but to me a net is simpler and less damaging on a fish. Truth be known if I was after the big pike and musky I like the cradle landing net. Do No More Harm Than Can Be Avoided is something I take to heart.

[Dirtracer35]

To break the jaw and rip it all the way down is something nothing can cause. If you look at how a bass eats a bait. And how we anglers set the hook. Bottom jaw hook ups are near impossible. Not to say a treble hook does not land itself in the bottom jaw. But a straight shank or EWG hook lands itself in the top jaw or sides. Unless swallowed. The amount of force to break the jaw is much more than by holding the fish. IMO

[Dirtracer35]

Here's pics. Yes the fish was kept due to the health and circumstances of the fish.

[Feathers and Fins]

To me that looks like a knife cut

The top pic you can see what appears to be 2 hook wounds if probably a treble hook, if its the case the third hook would line up where the slice is. Either an inexperienced angler tried to remove the hook and ripped the hell out of the poor thing or there is a problem and someone is intentionally harming fish. To me that is worse than a poacher as they are not even trying to kill it just cripple it so it slowly starves to death.

[michigan man]

Second pic looks like an intentional knife wound to me too. If so, that's despicable. I wouldn't even do that to a trash fish.

[Quillback]

Yeah sure looks intentional to me.