Holding bass for pics

[dtrs5kprs]

For those who receive BASS Times, there is a good article covering the various ways folks hold fish in the current issue. Some of it was quite surprising, with studies done by Mike Allen on recovery time of fish based on the hold used. Bottom line was that none of the common holds were inherently harmful to the bass, or could be shown to cause permanent injury or impair the ability to feed. The study included fish up to 8.5lb. 

[Smithvillesteve]

Thanks Dave. Hopefully that will stop a lot of the complaining on this site about how we hold bass for pics. I always try and support a fish for a pic by holding my hand under the belly and take the pic of a fish horizontally. Glad to hear that according to your post that seems to be ok. Guess I'll have to worry about if I'm doing it right when i catch an 8.5 lb bass!!

[Ham]

So laying them on the boat carpet is ok? Rocky shoreline is good too? Hero shot on a stringer is cool if you release them later?

Did the article suggest a best practices way to hold the fish?

I think I'll take less fish pics this year.

 

[dtrs5kprs]

27 minutes ago, Ham said:

So laying them on the boat carpet is ok? Rocky shoreline is good too? Hero shot on a stringer is cool if you release them later?

Did the article suggest a best practices way to hold the fish?

I think I'll take less fish pics this year.

 

Study was just on the holds. I'm willing to assume the other issues are detrimental. No one wants to see a fish covered in gravel from a roll on the bank.

I didn't take away any best hold info. Honestly, the take home message for me was that they were kind of surprised the unsupported horizontal jaw hold (which is what seems to fire everyone up, and what caused Bernie Schultz to ask them to study the effects) didn't cause more harm. Contrary to the tale, it apparently does not fracture their jaws.

The other concerns are why I use a rubber net, and the unsupported horizontal hold. Figure the less you touch the body the better, with the jaws and mouth being made for rugged use, like rooting craws.

Thought it was a little odd that the old school vertical hold came out of the study as the one that required the most recovery time. There is just an awful lot we don't know about fish, and still a lot of "dock wisdom" going around.

[Bill Babler]

I also love the rubber net.  Especially if you are fishing by yourself.  It is a nice buffer just to lay them down in the rubber, keeping them off the carpet.  On another note, I never catch one big enough I feel I need to hold its belly

We trout fishermen have been using the rubber net now for the last 10 yrs.  It is just magic at not knocking off scales and you can keep that wet fish in the net thru the release  process, lots easer on both the fish and the fishermen.  Nylon and rope small strand nets are just terrible on trout.  With the small very lightly attached scales they have, those harsh nets pretty much skin and scale them.  People also have a very rough time releasing trout.   Yes they are slimy and they for sure are wigglers.  Best deal for me if I cannot get them loose when they are In the net I simply hold them upside down and it really has a calming effect on them..  Makes it a lot easier to get that tiny hook out.  Ihave seen guys grab them with terry cloth towels.  By the time they let them loose they have virtually taken all the slime off the trout and probably about 50% of the scales.  It is a terrible way to handle any fish.  In any fish handling less is always more.

Good Luck

[176champion]

Saltwater speckle trout and silver trout are slimy also, i used to grab them right behind the gill plates and it didnt seem to hurt them...it may no be the proper way but i figured it was better than knocking the scales and slime off of them.

[Bill Babler]

I am just dying to go speckled trout, redfish and flounder fishing in the next 40 days before my season takes off.  My wife and I were just down in Louisiana looking around.  I thought about taking a guide trip, but those guys are $700 a day for 1 or 2 people and my wife does not fish.  Hated to spend that kind of dough on myself.  Really surprised me as their equipment boats and tackle are about 3/4 of the price of the stuff we use here and we are $250 a day less than that.

I want to take my own Bay Boat down and try it.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  We went and looked at Grand Isle, Venice, Big Lake and Holly Beach.  We also drove over to Port Arthur in Texas.  Kind of funny, had the best meal of the entire trip was in Texas.  You would think that Louisiana being the hot bed for food we would have like it the best, but we both had seafood platters in Port Arthur that were fantastic, for about 1/2 the price of Louisiana grub.

[BFTMASTER]

It would be really hard to beat Venice Louisiana for any kind of saltwater fishing.

Fish populations and creel limits are both significantly higher in LA. 

check out : Louisianasportsman.com   and research some of the articles from years past.  They should also have a regional report on there somewhere.

 

[Bill Babler]

Yep, look at it all the time. Nothing like personal information however.

[denjac]

1 hour ago, Bill Babler said:

I am just dying to go speckled trout, redfish and flounder fishing in the next 40 days before my season takes off.  My wife and I were just down in Louisiana looking around.  I thought about taking a guide trip, but those guys are $700 a day for 1 or 2 people and my wife does not fish.  Hated to spend that kind of dough on myself.  Really surprised me as their equipment boats and tackle are about 3/4 of the price of the stuff we use here and we are $250 a day less than that.

I want to take my own Bay Boat down and try it.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  We went and looked at Grand Isle, Venice, Big Lake and Holly Beach.  We also drove over to Port Arthur in Texas.  Kind of funny, had the best meal of the entire trip was in Texas.  You would think that Louisiana being the hot bed for food we would have like it the best, but we both had seafood platters in Port Arthur that were fantastic, for about 1/2 the price of Louisiana grub.

We need to go to mobile bay Bill. Stay on Dauphin island. I know where those big reds live.