Marking fish without hurting it.

[Johnpenguin]

I have a private pond and I keep catching the same monster bass. I was hoping I could find a way to tag her. Anyone have a safe method?

[clh121787]

Small 1/4 inch hole punch. Mark her anal fin everytime you catch her

[Mainebass1984]

On 4/14/2019 at 2:30 AM, clh121787 said:

Small 1/4 inch hole punch. Mark her anal fin everytime you catch her

Careful where you do this. It is illegal to mark fish in some states.

[J Francho]

On 4/14/2019 at 2:30 AM, clh121787 said:

Small 1/4 inch hole punch. Mark her anal fin everytime you catch her

Two things, best case that will heal up in a month or so, and worst case you are introducing the risk of a fungus or bacterial infection. 

 

If it's a private pond, and you already can identify the fish, what is the purpose of marking it?

[Glenn]

Using tags to learn more about your ponds and lakes is common. It should be one of the best tools in your arsenal. We have several articles about how to track and study the bass you catch and release in private ponds:

https://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/tagging-fish.html

https://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/radion-tagging-fish.html

https://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/tagging-bass.html

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/fishtagger.html

 

Hope that helps!

[OCdockskipper]

I used those yellow tags as a teenager, I never felt comfortable putting a hole in their back.  Maybe I was doing it wrong, but I was always concerned it could lead to an infection at an area that could cause damage or death to the fish.  I had always wished there were some kind of marker or paint that you could dab on the underside of their jaw, so that you wouldn't be penetrating the body of the fish.

[Hower08]

Let's see a picture of this monster