Could I Have Done Anything Different?

[Preytorien]

So I went fishing last night in a small shallow pond near my house. It's aereated by a couple of fountains. Real pretty place with a nice healthy population of bass and bluegill.

 

I rigged a senko and within a couple of casts I had one on. I didn't horse the fish or anything since there was a good bit of slop around the bank, I played the fish enough that it wouldn't flop around in the algae too much.

 

Ended up being about 2-2.5lbs. I detected the bite pretty quickly so the hookset was clean, however the hook was somewhat far back, but not so far that I easily removed it from the fish's mouth with forceps.

 

It seemed sluggish when I put it back in the water, so I gently moved it back and forth to get the water flowing across its gills.

 

Sadly though, I see the fish surface a few moments later, and basically watched the next few minutes as the beautiful thing died right in front of me. I felt as worthless as the senko I caught him on.

 

What part of my catch and subsequent release could've caused it?

 

I've caught fish with the hook much further in their throat, I've even had to resort to advanced hook removal methods for removal, and ended up being covered with blood, and those fish didn't die. They took off like a shot.

 

Why'd this one die?

 

I'm pretty concious about conservation and making sure my fishing is clean, this is honestly the first fish I can remember dying after I've caught it, so it's got me a bit disturbed and stumped at the same time.

 

Any thoughts?

[Catch and Grease]

Maybe it was wore out from fighting against your rod... When I fish I try to horse the fish in as fast as my line will let me so when I release him he will have plenty of energy to recooperate.

[KYBassin']

Based on what I read, I'm not sure it had anything to do with you. I've had long battles with LM in the heat of the summer and I've never seen a fish go belly up like that. Very hard to say.

[BassinLou]

Yeah, I hate it when a fish dies. But you know what? It happens. You didn't do anything malicious towards the fish. Who knows why it died. Overly exhausted? hmmm maybe, but I doubt it. Did a gill get pricked and you missed seeing it? Maybe? Who knows why the fish died. Trust me, it will not be the last time unfortunately. 

[Mccallister25]

Yep. It sucks, but it happens. As I saw someone say on here a while back, this is a blood sport. Its gonna happen again.

[Hyrule Bass]

once the fish is in the algae and covered in it, there pretty much is no fight, might as well crank him in instead of trying to play the fish. try to horse it in so it rides over the algae to you and not under it...

[reb67]

I don't fish ponds but I had an old timer tell me once in heavily fished ponds the bass lose some of the durability and stamina. Don't know if that is true are not

It does not sound like you did any thing wrong I have read some of your post you seem to be a responsible fisher.

How ever it will happen from time to time. Don't know how long you have been fishing but it great you have never had this happen before.

Shake it off and go after again.

[everythingthatswims]

If I ever have a fish go belly up I just snag it and take it home to eat. I never intend to kill them but it happens and I hate to see them go to waste. But even if you leave them in the water, I have always said "try asking the turtles if it went to waste".

[Tyler j]

Last year we wear dragging big footballs at night and I killed a fish on the hook set no lie he hit I swung he didn't fight swung in boat dead as a door nail

[Tyler j]

I have a pond that' sound similar to yours and I catch fish on a frog and they choke it deep they still live. All of them can't live man it's all right