Foul hooking?

[billmac]

I didn't think any of the major tours allowed foul hooking, but I just saw Buddy Gross with a big foul hooked bass and he put it in the livewell.  I'm pretty sure BASS doesn't allow it.  I'd assumed MLF didn't but I don't think I've seen a rule.

 

Update: It looks like no foul hooking might be a state by state rule, not a tourny rule.

[12poundbass]

Interesting I always thought the hook had to be inside the mouth in BASS tournaments. 

[CroakHunter]

For the flw tour, I believe the rule is as long as you cant or didn't see the fish that you foul hooked its fair game. Seen a video of david dudley foul hook one on a c-rig in 20 feer of water, called tourney director and that is the information he relayed to him

[Jig Man]

Here in MO it is the law.  If the fish isn't caught in the mouth then you can not legally keep it.

[Russ E]

3 minutes ago, Jig Man said:

Here in MO it is the law.  If the fish isn't caught in the mouth then you can not legally keep it.

I fish eastern Kansas and western Missouri. 

I have always wondered how that rule works.

If a bass swipes at a jerkbait and hooks itself outside the mouth it is not a legal fish?

I have caught a lot of fish that way.

I don't keep bass anyway, but it seems that would be hard to enforce.

[WRB]

California has a snagged fish prohibited law, hooked outside it's mouth it's a illegal catch....remember Dottie? Snagged bed bass are usually illegal in most tournament trails everywhere. MLF you see a lot of snagged bass using jerk baits.

Tom

[12poundbass]

14 minutes ago, WRB said:

California has a snagged fish prohibited law, hooked outside it's mouth it's a illegal catch....remember Dottie? Snagged bed bass are usually illegal in most tournament trails everywhere. MLF you see a lot of snagged bass using jerk baits.

Tom

Completely forgot about Dottie! That had to have been a tough pill to swallow.

[j bab]

Here's an official BASS comment on this

[OCdockskipper]

As J Bab posted, it depends on the state the tournament is in & if you are sight fishing at the time.

 

For some states like Callifornia, any fish that comes on board without at least 1 hook in its mouth is deemed to be foul hooked & doesn't count (even if it initially was hooked legally and the foul hooking occurred during the fight).  Watch the video of Steve Kennedy in the 2007 Clear Lake Elite tournament, on the final day he had to release 2 5 lb fish and an 8 plus caught on swimbaits because when they came aboard, they were hooked outside the mouth (he still won the tournament).

 

BASS Elite series has a rule that if you are sight fishing, then foul hooked bass don't count.  This rule does not apply to fish caught when the fish is not visible during the fishing process.  This rule is an overlay of whatever state regulations apply.