Not sure what I did wrong. Bass died!

[Jonathan Ellingwood]

Hi guys , I'm a 100 percent catch and release!! Last night I caught a bass and it was hooked through tongue. Tried to get it out with my hands no success.  So I put fish back in water had my wife hold pole while I ran inside to get pliers .  I was just fishing my back yard.  I finally got hook out and he didn't make it !! I am disgusted with my self! What did I do wrong ?  I never want this to happen again. 

[BrianinMD]

You did nothing wrong, it happens.

Most likely the hook hit a blood vessel that runs down the tongue.

[scaleface]

The bass died while it was under your wife's watch . Hmmm.  Dont leave bass alone with her anymore . Bass lives matter .

[Jonathan Ellingwood]

Go the bass didn't die while she had it in water it was alive, I just want to make sure I can release fish as healthy as possible.

[roadwarrior]

You did your best, but these things happen. On a brighter note, just remember how many bass you have released successfully.

 

[Bluebasser86]

Fishing is a blood sport. I don't eat any fish I catch, yet I'm sure I'm responsible for the deaths of dozens of fish. I know I had one die on me fishing a small lake in my kayak 2 weeks ago. Wasn't hooked deep, wasn't bleeding, hook came out like normal and it swam off fine. 5 minutes later it was on it's side doing the death dance. The only bass I ever got mounted didn't make it because it was hooked deep. It happens from time to time, nothing you can do about it. Best thing is to have someone on standby to take a fish when they don't make it, at least they don't go to waste then. 

[CNYBassin]

Hooking fish in the tongue lowers their chances of survival versus hooking them in the mouth or lips. Although I'm not sure exactly by how much BUT: Their tongue has major blood vessels run through it, and the heart is not very far back behind the tongue. If it gets punctured, there's not much you can do other than remove the hook as quickly as possible, and release the fish as quickly as possible. You can also buy some Please Release Me or Catch & Release, rub a bit on your finger, and then rub your finger on the puncture in the tongue. It's a coagulant and it may help prevent any more trauma.  All you can do at that point is release him and hope for the best.

You didn't do anything wrong though. This is just the chance we take when catch & release fishing. Nothing to be ashamed of. The point is you tried. Clean him up and make a meal out of him. 

[Red Bear]

2 hours ago, Jonathan Ellingwood said:

Hi guys , I'm a 100 percent catch and release!! Last night I caught a bass and it was hooked through tongue. Tried to get it out with my hands no success.  So I put fish back in water had my wife hold pole while I ran inside to get pliers .  I was just fishing my back yard.  I finally got hook out and he didn't make it !! I am disgusted with my self! What did I do wrong ?  I never want this to happen again. 

First thing i would say is, if you dont want to potentially injure or kill a fish, then dont fish at all. It happens to everyone for various reasons at some point in time. There is no need to be disgusted with yourself or feel bad about it. No one wants it to happen while catching and releasing, but at times its going to. Also, always have your pliers with you, even if the house is a few steps away. It may not have saved the fish to get the hook out quicker, but you never know...

[golfrnut]

I went to smashing my barbs down about 3 months ago.  May I lose a fish or two every now and again?  Most probably.  But less stress on me and the fish when I get them to the boat.  If one breaks off, I don't worry quite as much about them being able to eventually throw the hook either.

[Jonathan Ellingwood]

Thanks for the info guys I'm new to fishing and have not run into this before, first fish I have lost and want to do what ever I can to not let it happen again! What a great sport .  I never fished or hunted growing up. 

[Bass Turd]

Don't worry. Your bass's distant cousin on his mother's side twice removed will get even with you by shaking a trebble hook bait and burrying it deep in your finger. When that happens look at the bass eye to eye smile a bit and wink. Balance is restored. 

[Josh Smith]

I lost one for years ago. I gut hooked it on a Mann's Jelly Worm Texas rig. I tried to remove the hook and killed the fish. Now, I leave the hook I'd it's not in the lip.

Josh

[WRB]

Catch & release has become a cult. I am all for releasing big bass because these fish are rare compared to the overall bass population and should be handled with care.

Bass, largemouth, spotted and smallmouth are a renewable resource and should be harvested within state regulations to keep the fishery healthy. 

Tournament bass fishing promotes catch & release more for image than practical purposes and this image has become common practice with recreational bass anglers. Small lakes and ponds can be over harvested and under harvested, balance or selective harvest is the key to healthy bass populations.

I will get off my soap box and simply ask every bass angler handle their catch with respeact. If you severely injure or kill a bass take it home and eat it, don't waste it.

Tom

[fishballer06]

It happens. Next time, keep some pliers with you so that you don't have to leave the fish. 

Hook removal is easier if you pinch off the barb on your hooks. You might lose a few more fish during the fight, but it will make hook removal easier. 

[Rhino68W]

14 minutes ago, Josh Smith said:

I lost one for years ago. I gut hooked it on a Mann's Jelly Worm Texas rig. I tried to remove the hook and killed the fish. Now, I leave the hook I'd it's not in the lip.

Josh

Try to learn how to get those out. There is a good thread and video about this somewhere else on this forum. 

[Catt]

OK take his man card & ban him for life

[Choporoz]

2 minutes ago, Catt said:

OK take his man card & ban him for life

Pretty harsh....and not necessary...I already forwarded his info to PETA

[Bass Turd]

4 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Pretty harsh....and not necessary...I already forwarded his info to PETA

PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals

[Fun4Me]

I know it sucks to kill a fish one wants to release back, but it's just a part of fishing. 

If you catch and kill a fish, take it home, give it to somebody or just let it be, The turtles, birds, and others need to eat too. I don't like the taste of bass generally speaking, so if I can't find someone to give it to, I leave it for nature to take care of.  

 

[J Francho]

I think too many blame the hook removal on the death of a fish, and therefore believe they should leave the hook in, and cut it off.  I've removed enough of these cutoff hooks to see the effects: skinny fish that are able and willing to eat (they bit my lure, duh!), but cannot due to a hook blocking their esophagus.  The real culprit in my opinion is time out of the water.  You spend so much time trying to get the deep hook out that the fish suffocates.  Be prepared!

 

[geo g]

All of us dedicated to releasing big bass sometimes lose a bass especially smaller ones that are harder to remove from the hook.  Its not that big a deal, but just practice all the best techniques of hook removal.  The quarry is in better shape then it was 30 years ago thanks to catch and release efforts.  It is just something that occasionally happens to everyone that fishes.

[blckshirt98]

I've lost a few fish as well after unhooking them, it's just a part of the deal.  I felt bad after seeing the guys floating belly up but I didn't feel bad enough where I'll stop fishing.  Just take solace in the fact that a bird will probably swoop down and eat it, or, it'll sink to the bottom and some crawdads or other creatures will feed off of it, so it's not really going to waste, just going back into the food chain.

[WRB]

There are several studies that indicate barbless hooks do more damage than barb hooks do to deeper penetration into vital organs. I agree that time out of water is a major stress for fish and the general rule of about 1 minute seems to work most of the time.

We have had this debate many times. IF you put a bass in your livewell the servival rate drops due to poor DO levels, warmer water temps and water contamination in the livewell. If you don't tournament fish no reason to put bass in a livewell. The livewell can harm them lowering the servival rate anywhere from 3% to 30% of the bass will die after being released.

Tom

 

[J Francho]

I don't think you can make generalizations about live well systems. Not all are created equal. Many use a water conditioner as well.  I'd argue that water in my live well was better suited to holding fish than the lake.  I've used it as a recovery area for injured fish.  Sure Life makes Catch and Release - great product for anyone that tournament fishes.  So good the Share-A-Lunker program in Texas recommends it. No one that uses a live well should be without it, along with things to control high temps, thermometer, and some hydrogen peroxide.
You can find plenty of video on how to improve survival rates if you look at their site.

http://www.sure-life.com/pro_CATCH_AND_RELEASE.html

[WRB]

John a good managed livewell with water temps no greater than 10 degrees from the water temps the bass live in 70 being ideal,  DO level maintained at around 7 to 10 mg/L will keep bass healthy with Please Release Me and Catch & Release additives. 1/2 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide to 15 gallons of water is a good emergency treatment.

How many weekend tournament or recreational bass fisherman maintain their livewell.....very few!

Most bass anglers believe bass are tough fish like catfish that can be mishandled and servive and that isn't true. Bass can take more punishment than trout, still can't breath oxygen O2, it must be dissolved DO between 3 to 12 mg/L.

Get off my soap box again.

Tom