did bass die after catch and release

[Tery Songz]

5 minutes into my fishing trip i had a big leaf on my square bill crankbait sexy shad color i was getting mad due to all the dead vegatation i kept snagging up and so i reeled in faster to bring my crank bait to me to take the leaf off then BOOM a 8 pound largemouth so big just took it and ran so fast i didnt have time to set the hook he set the hook himself!!!! the bass were feeding on bluegill and small baitfish at around 3-6 ft so i thought a sexy shad color would be great for shallow diving and imitate a bluegill/shad then i reeled em in thing kept flopping in the water it took me a minute to get ahold of him, i layed him down on the grass (i wet my hands) and removed the hook there was 1 more hook in its lip so i dip em into the water for a 5 seconds then move him to a less steeper area where i can crouch down and unhook em i unhooked him with his body in the water and i took a few selfies with him and let him go he swimmed off him self at a normal speed and 5 seconds after he is swimming off he turned side ways and swam off again in a normal way,

 

do you think the fish died? because if it did im probaly going to be ticked off for letting a 8 pound bass or so die, havent fished in a very long time maybe less then 5 times this year and this is my first bass of the year, so... and also the pond is about 3 acres no one ever fish's there either do you think theres more bass that big? all i could see is when ever i walked the shoreline i could see a a swarm of little fish just run off so im guessing the fish have spanwed here in memphis

[Nitrofreak]

The fish could be ok, there is truly no way to know for sure unless of course you go back and find it floating on the surface, in the long run of things I am certain you did your best to return that fish back to the water as quickly as possible but in order to lessen the amount of time focus first on getting the fish unpinned from your lure, no need in keeping your hands wet, even though that shows you care about the fish which is truly good, it's really not necessary, snap a quick selfie or two after unpinning her, it does help if you want to take her measurements to have a catch net that you can submerge the ol girl for a moment or two and then take her measurements and release, now you have everything you need if you want a replica and the fish lives to fight another day!!

Congrats on a great catch!!!

[Tery Songz]

thanks! so if the fish is dead it should be floating? can it be under water? since im going there again and want to catch some more bass there.

 

[WdyCrankbait]

I think he would be fine.  Yes, fish will float when dead so, if you dont see him for a couple of days, he's good.

That's one thing I do when releasing.  I make sure I drop him into the water, from say about 6".  I heard, or saw on a TV show, that if you do that, it kind of shocks the fish out of it's phase and he just swims off.  From the ones that I drop as opposed to ones I hold the lip and swim back and forth a little.  The ones I drop into the water ALWAYS swim off like a rocket after being released.  I hope that means they are better to survive. 

[quanjig]

Pics or it didn't happen........

[Tery Songz]

EDIT: ok heres some pics  i didnt scale it also im just guessing it could be 10 pound idk, if some one could guesstamite the weight of the fish lemme know because i wanna know if i have a new PB my pb is 7 pounds

 

 

[WdyCrankbait]

you should buy more of those KVDs.

[Tery Songz]

16 minutes ago, WdyCrankbait said:

you should buy more of those KVDs.

actually they arent kvds 

 

there bass pro shops brand squarebills there about 3 bucks cheaper than kvds they have nice hooks and paint jobs

 

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Navigation?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&searchTerm=bass+pro+shops+squarebill

 

when ever i go back to buy some more flurocarbon ill pick some more up, do you know how much that bass weighs? im guessing 8 pounds but it looks like 10?

[roadwarrior]

Tery,

Consider what you write before posting. You have already developed a reputation that bothers a lot of guys. Now your PB is 7, but last week it was 8 lbs. The fish in this thread might go 5 lbs, but I suspect it's 4 and change.

[geo g]

Terry most fish will survive ok unless gut hooked or gills effected.   I fish almost every day when home and seldom see bass floating.  I often fish the same lakes and with all the pressure floating fish would be evident.  Live bait fisherman have a higher rate of fish morality.  With plastics and good technique the rate is very low.  Fishing technique has a lot to do with it.  

[Nitrofreak]

Its defiantly a nice bass but I agree with others that it's not a 10, although one that would warrant some excitement for sure, do yourself a favor and pick up a quality scale, one that will alleviate any sort of guess work, they are out there at some reasonable prices, I use a Berkley digital scale, it's not exact but it does get very close (within oz.) of a certified scale and for roughly around 20 bucks.

Nice fish and congrats !!!

[tbone1993]

Nice fish but wetting your hands before handling a bass does nothing when you lay em in the grass. If you have a good set of pliers on hand you can easily and safely remove a hook without ever letting it hit the ground.