Do Bass Mouths Heal?

[loudcherokee]

Just wondering if that thin white membrane on a bass mouth between the outer lip and the jaws ever heals up after getting a hook stuck through it, especially after a large hole is created by a heavily fighting fish. Is it like our ear lobes if you take a piercing out?

LC

[BuffaloBass716]

I wondered about this too. Also, dose it hurt them at all when the hook is set in to their lip or any part of there mouth?

[loudcherokee]

I am no expert but I have read that they feel pressure the way we would feel pain. They eat quite a bit of critters that bite back so pain is not the same for them as us.

Again, no expert here.

yeah, I've read the same thing about the pressure. I was more curious as to if those holes close up and if they don't, if it affects being able to catch that fish later on if the hook happens to hit the same hole.

LC

[NEjitterbugger]

Ill ask next time I catch one...

[Jigs 4 Pigs]

Not sure if they heal, but I've seen/caught some bizarre f'ugly looking bass

[tate]

I have no clue ..... but I would think so, as I suspect most fish are caught and released many times and while you often see holes/tears from previous catches I would expect to see more if they didn't heal over.

[Curved]

I don't know, but people's mouths are one the fastest parts of the body to heal. Just like how bass's tails heal fast after the spawn, I've got a feeling their mouth tissue heals fast.

[AJMichigan]

I've always read that once a bass is caught the odds of that same fish being caught again is 50% less. Not really a healing question, but i've read that somewhere.

[AK-Jax86]

You would have to ask the fish itself only they know if it hurts

[Brandon Dozier]

I have fished a small pond over the years and I catch a lot of fish that have been caught previously.  The holes in the white membrane doesn't seem to close up.  It seems that they are just stuck with that hole.  Similar to if we had a gunshot/stab wound.  You are left with the scar.  Contrary to bass though, we will heal under the skin.  Bass don't seem to heal the same way in that part of the mouth.  With that said, other parts (fleshy) of their body's do seem to heal up completely.

[J Francho]

Yes, soft tissue will heal.  Scales will grow back. Torn fins will regenerate.

[Mccallister25]

I would think the tissue heals. Probably fairly quickly. As far as pain is concerned, im sure they feel some sort of pressure but its probably a different pain than us, being as bluegill and other species have spines. Theres no way bass dont get stuck in the mouth, when trying to chow down. A hook may feel like any other spine.

[TC235 <*))))><]

Fish heal from battle bruises, but only to a certain extent.

 

Ex: Caught a 6lb bass a couple weeks ago, she was gorgeous except for the big hole right on the bottom lip just abut where you'd lip a bass. It made lipping the bass a effort and sorta felt bad because it defiantly was never going to heal. It honestly looked like a ignorant angler who tried RIPPING two two trebles right threw the fish

 

 

This subject bringing up a friendly reminder to all

 

 

ALWAYS HANDLE FISH WITH THE MOST POSSIBLE CARE FOR A HEALTHY FISH AND FISHERY!

 

If there's one thing that any angler can appreciate and love is catching a pond lunker twice or more! Once you catch the same big bass and notice it's healthy condition you'll feel great that you were careful in the first place.

 

P.S

 

FUN FACT: The bass in my main pic was C@R THREE TIMES! and hooked a fourth. C@R AND FISH CARE MATTERS!!!!!!

[gripnrip]

Fish heal from battle bruises, but only to a certain extent.

 

Ex: Caught a 6lb bass a couple weeks ago, she was gorgeous except for the big hole right on the bottom lip just abut where you'd lip a bass. It made lipping the bass a effort and sorta felt bad because it defiantly was never going to heal. It honestly looked like a ignorant angler who tried RIPPING two two trebles right threw the fish

 

 

This subject bringing up a friendly reminder to all

 

 

ALWAYS HANDLE FISH WITH THE MOST POSSIBLE CARE FOR A HEALTHY FISH AND FISHERY!

 

If there's one thing that any angler can appreciate and love is catching a pond lunker twice or more! Once you catch the same big bass and notice it's healthy condition you'll feel great that you were careful in the first place.

 

P.S

 

FUN FACT: The bass in my main pic was C@R THREE TIMES! and hooked a fourth. C@R AND FISH CARE MATTERS!!!!!!

Possibly from a culling system.

[BrianSnat]

I'm pretty sure I've been catching the same bass over and over again on my local lake, probably half a dozen times in the past three years. First it's pretty large, over 4 1/2 lbs.  Caught it  (or them) in the same area and it (or they) has the same malformed mouth so I'm fairly certain it was the same bass.  Obviously it was caught when younger and the angler removed part of the mouth with when removing the hook.  The thin membrane had healed, and outside of the lip had healed though part of it was missing.

 

It's a small lake that gets consistent fishing pressure, so I'm sure most of the adult bass have been caught at least several times, but only sometimes do I catch one with a hole the thin membrane other than the one my bait caused.  So I'm inclined to believe that it does heal eventually.

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

I think the netting of their mouths don't have feeling, but the rest does. I also heard that they hurt more when they have prey bite their mouths. I have also seen bass with some "healed" up spots in their mouths too.

[zachb34]

If their mouths only feel pressure why would they spit a jig so quick?

[J Francho]

It tastes wrong?

[Marty]

I've been told by people who should know that tears in membrane will fuse back together. As to pain, the biologists have told us that fish do not have a nervous system that would allow them to feel pain in the way that we think of pain.

 

Years ago I attended a lecture by a bass pro who was trying to make the point that fish fight because of pressure, not pain. He said when you've got your fish near the boat, put slack in the line and the fish will quiet down. I don't know if that really proves anything, but it seems to make a certain amount of sense.

 

 

If their mouths only feel pressure why would they spit a jig so quick?

 

All we could say there is that the fish knows--for whatever reason--that the jig is not something it wants in its mouth.

[wnybassman]

You would have to ask the fish itself only they know if it hurts

 

Personally I have never heard one scream in pain.

[Loop_Dad]

If their mouths only feel pressure why would they spit a jig so quick?

 

When they bite on the head of a jig, they feel the pressure like they bit a piece of rock(?)

[wakeeater]

the next time i catch a dink, i'm gonna try giving it slack & see if it settles down.  i just don't see myself trying this technique on any fish over 3 pounds, though. 

[5 Dollar Fishing Game]

I caught a few today. I spoke to one of the bass over a cup of coffee. We chatted and he said they don't like the fake stuff so they spit it out. Sometimes they don't realize that they are fake and then they get hooked he said. As for pain, he said they don't feel anything. After a few crazy stares at Starbucks, I took him back to the lake and we parted ways.

[J Francho]

the next time i catch a dink, i'm gonna try giving it slack & see if it settles down.  i just don't see myself trying this technique on any fish over 3 pounds, though. 

 

They generally set to getting the obstruction out of their face. They'll rub on the bottom, shake their head at the surface, or sometimes ignore it if it's a small hook.