Feeling terrible and discouraged about accidentally killing a bass

[P4B]

I have always been a guy who is extremely sensitive toward any sorts of animals. Whether it’s a reptile, amphibian, mammal, you name it. Largemouth Bass to me are very special. They have been building me into a man as I am 17 years old right now finding myself. Bass have helped me find myself. This is why I am so discouraged.

Today I fished a small local neighborhood lake that I love very much. Has some toads of bass here in the Midwest. I was wacky rigging a YUM Dinger and was catching a few quality fish here and their enjoying my time along the bank catching fish as usual. So after catching some I had ended up hooking another bass and was reeling it in and it was by far the biggest of the few I had caught today. It was not big at all but it was probably 1 pound & about 5 to 10 ounces I’d say. When I reeled it up I noticed I had hooked the throat of this beautiful fish. I tried getting the hook out with pliers but didn’t pull hard at all because then I would of made the situation worse for the poor fish by tearing its throat out. I made the sad choice to cut the line and hope for that somehow he would swim away even though I very much so knew that this fish was most likely in serious trouble of death. Once I let him go I instantly felt so sorry for it. It was fighting so hard to just keep on living. With all of its energy it had tried so hard. I actually reached in and got it back again with my hand to maybe force myself to put it out of its misery. But I just couldn’t do stab it in the brain to make it brain dead. I couldn’t get myself to kill this bass for some reason. I was so discouraged and as embarrassing as this is to admit extremely sad about this today. I had made a promise a little while back to ALWAYS be vegan towards strictly Bass. I love bluegill and all other freshwater fish but I never will eat a bass. So if your wondering why I didn’t want to just eat it I don’t fillet bass unlike I do with all the other freshwater fish. I am very discouraged and I am well aware this bass went to good use for whatever has eaten it, it still makes me ache. Catching Bass isn’t just a sport to me, they are also apart of me. Did I do the wrong thing not killing it even though I just couldn’t seem to stab it? Should I be upset and discouraged?

 

 

Thanks for reading my post and look forward to hearing replies!

This is Passion 4 Bassin (P4B) and goodbye.

 

 

EDIT: After all these replies about how good bass are... I feel like I might as well try cook a nice largemouth Bass sometime?? Thanks everyone for all this feedback. I hope to read more. 

[WRB]

Remember bass live in a very harsh environment and encounter life and death situations everyday. Bass are also a renewable resource, it's not like it was the last bass that lives in your pond.

For future reference take a look at how to release gut hooked bass, several illustrations on how to remove hooks.

I believe Catch & Release has gone too far and influencing young anglers like yourself that harvesting a renewable food source like bass isn't ok. Harvesting within regulated limits is actually keeping the population in balance. Respecting living animals is good. When you kill do it quickly and take care of food source so it's not wasted. When animals over populate their food source they suffer and entire populations crash as a result.

Tom 

[schplurg]

I'm bummed when I inadvertently kill fish.

 

I can't tell you how to feel about it, but when your hobby is yanking fish out of the water with a sharp hook embedded in their face, this stuff is going to happen sometimes. If I cared that much for the fish I wouldn't fish at all.

 

You will kill less fish as time goes by. You probably should have just removed the hook, though I'm not 100% sure where it was. If I can remove a hook I always do it. In fact I have yet to let one go with a hook in it.

 

If you kill a fish see if an angler nearby wants it to eat. 

 

I personally do not hold bass in such high regard compared to other fish. If they tasted good and the fishery could handle it, I'd probably eat them sometimes. There is no shortage of bass in the world.

 

It is good to be a compassionate fisherman, I think. But I don't let it get to me to that extent. If that bass could eat me it would do so.

[geo g]

1 hour ago, P4B said:

I have always been a guy who is extremely sensitive toward any sorts of animals. Whether it’s a reptile, amphibian, mammal, you name it. Largemouth Bass to me are very special. They have been building me into a man as I am 17 years old right now finding myself. Bass have helped me find myself. This is why I am so discouraged.

Today I fished a small local neighborhood lake that I love very much. Has some toads of bass here in the Midwest. I was wacky rigging a YUM Dinger and was catching a few quality fish here and their enjoying my time along the bank catching fish as usual. So after catching some I had ended up hooking another bass and was reeling it in and it was by far the biggest of the few I had caught today. It was not big at all but it was probably 1 pound & about 5 to 10 ounces I’d say. When I reeled it up I noticed I had hooked the throat of this beautiful fish. I tried getting the hook out with pliers but didn’t pull hard at all because then I would of made the situation worse for the poor fish by tearing its throat out. I made the sad choice to cut the line and hope for that somehow he would swim away even though I very much so knew that this fish was most likely in serious trouble of death. Once I let him go I instantly felt so sorry for it. It was fighting so hard to just keep on living. With all of its energy it had tried so hard. I actually reached in and got it back again with my hand to maybe force myself to put it out of its misery. But I just couldn’t do stab it in the brain to make it brain dead. I couldn’t get myself to kill this bass for some reason. I was so discouraged and as embarrassing as this is to admit extremely sad about this today. I had made a promise a little while back to ALWAYS be vegan towards strictly Bass. I love bluegill and all other freshwater fish but I never will eat a bass. So if your wondering why I didn’t want to just eat it I don’t fillet bass unlike I do with all the other freshwater fish. I am very discouraged and I am well aware this bass went to good use for whatever has eaten it, it still makes me ache. Catching Bass isn’t just a sport to me, they are also apart of me. Did I do the wrong thing not killing it even though I just couldn’t seem to stab it? Should I be upset and discouraged?

 

 

Thanks for reading my post and look forward to hearing replies!

This is Passion 4 Bassin (P4B) and goodbye.

You have a great attitude for a young man.  I have been fishing over 50 years and this happens every once in a while.  Become familiar with all the videos on removing hooks in deep hooked fish.  You would be amazed how these fish can survive this situation, with the right removal technique.  If it does NOT go well don't feel too bad, your returning it to the food chain.  Turtles, gators, small fish, or fisherman will feast on the body.  It will not go to waste.

[Hammer 4]

I would just add to all the above. Is try to get good at detecting bites, you can't win them all, but you can tilt the odds in the bass's favor. Be a good line watcher, if you have a spinning rig, once the bait hits the water, have your index finger lightly under the line just after the spool, as bass will hit baits on the fall sometimes, and having slack line, you can't tell if you got bit or not. If something doesn't feel right, slightly lift your rod tip, if it feels heavy, set the hook. All this comes with time. You are still young yet, and by reading your post, I think you'll do just fine.

Tight lines young man..

[GreenPig]

I just can't feel bad about eating fish, deer, and hogs. Big ol pan of baked Largemouth and spotted bass.

[TnRiver46]

Please by all means don’t stab it! This will only make a bad experience worse. You could stab a fish in the brain several times and it would still be alive. Just thump them in the head if it comes to that. Stabbing is about useless , especially with fish reptiles and amphibians. A good way to learn this lesson is to go frog gigging. The first time I went we gigged a bunch and took them home. Every single one was still alive when we got there

[Deleted account]

If you fish, some fish are going to be injured or killed at some point (pun intended) it's inevitable. The only thing within your control if you choose to fish is to learn how to minimize the possibility of either. As far as your feelings about this, they are your feelings, and that's a personal thing that you need to work out. All this "you should just" advice isn't going to change how you feel, though time, and life experience certainly will.

Vegan bass fishing? That's a new one on me.

[BoatSquirrel]

Your heart is in the right place P4B.  Learn from this.  Arm yourself with the proper tools to remove deep hooks.  Long nose pliars, side cutters, and youtube.  As others have stated, not a thing wrong with eating bass. They are delicious!

Hey GreenPig- those fillets look great!

[NYWayfarer]

A Bass that doesn’t survive can be harvested. Even if it is not it will feed the local turtles and raptors.

 

Years ago I saw an Eagle swoop down and take a Smallmouth that had not survived a deep hooking.

 

I can only be so compassionate when fishing. If I think too deeply about it I will realize the hypocrisy of not wanting to hurt or kill an animal when I am targeting a Bass with sharp instruments and ripping it out of its natural environment for sport. ??

[NHBull]

Everything in the world kills. Heck, a tall tree kills smaller trees by depriving them from light.  It all comes down to intent.  Kids that grow up on farms get this at a very early age and have a great understanding on the balance.  If this continues to bother you, crushing the barb will help in prove the odds of a safe release.  Experience will do the same

[A-Jay]

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ 

I also love this sport and do try to handle what I catch carefully, with respect and with the intentions of releasing anything I've chosen not to keep.  But experience has proven that there is always going to be a certain percentage of carnage. Understand it, do what you can not to deliberately contribute to it, but know that it happens.

It's a lot like Life.

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

 

[Harold Scoggins]

@P4B Start carrying long, small-jawed needle nose pliers with you. Next time this happens, gently lift the gill plate and insert the needle nose in through the bottom of the gills. (Be careful around those gills.) Grab the hook shank and slowly turn the hook 180 degrees, the hook should come right out without hurting the fish. I wish I could personally show you how this is done, maybe you can find a video of this somewhere online. I've done this many times over the years and every one was released to be caught another day.

6 minutes ago, Harold Scoggins said:

@P4B Start carrying long, small-jawed needle nose pliers with you. Next time this happens, gently lift the gill plate and insert the needle nose in through the bottom of the gills. (Be careful around those gills.) Grab the hook shank and slowly turn the hook 180 degrees, the hook should come right out without hurting the fish. I wish I could personally show you how this is done, maybe you can find a video of this somewhere online. I've done this many times over the years and every one was released to be caught another day.

OK @P4B, I found one video that shows what I was trying to explain. There are a few videos on YT that show this method.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCjmBq5tFuE

 

[greentrout]

 

• Keep fish in water as much as possible. A good rule of thumb is not to keep it out longer than you can hold your breath.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/catchrelease/bassconserve.phtml

 

 

BassPro Shops ...

 

it happens to the best of us ... congrats on being a catch and release basser ...

 

good fishing ...

[813basstard]

12 hours ago, GreenPig said:

I just can't feel bad about eating fish, deer, and hogs. Big ol pan of baked Largemouth and spotted bass.

This...but fried

And a couple beers. 

But your to young for beer. That’s the only problem in this situation. 

[the reel ess]

I mean no disrespect. But if your hobby is sticking fish with sharp hooks, and ours is, sooner or later one will get hurt. I can tell you this is very common with the wacky rig. Of all the techniques I've used, this one is by far the worst for hooking fish deeply. You can cut down on that by rigging it Texas style. It still works. I don't know how much awareness a fish has. If it really bothers you, whack the fish with the heel of your flip-flop or club it. Take it home and eat it if it's not from badly polluted water. Native Americans used to thank the animal for sustaining them. It's no sin to eat one. It was not going to live forever anyway.

[P4B]

13 hours ago, GreenPig said:

I just can't feel bad about eating fish, deer, and hogs. Big ol pan of baked Largemouth and spotted bass.

Ok not gonna lie... this response was hilarious? 

6 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

I mean no disrespect. But if your hobby is sticking fish with sharp hooks, and ours is, sooner or later one will get hurt. I can tell you this is very common with the wacky rig. Of all the techniques I've used, this one is by far the worst for hooking fish deeply. You can cut down on that by rigging it Texas style. It still works. I don't know how much awareness a fish has. If it really bothers you, whack the fish with the heel of your flip-flop or club it. Take it home and eat it if it's not from badly polluted water. Native Americans used to thank the animal for sustaining them. It's no sin to eat one. It was not going to live forever anyway.

Hello sir! No disrespect taken from me! You are definitely right. I am not upset about this anymore because I just needed to remember that this happens. By the way when I mentioned I was vegan towards largemouth I didn’t expect people to think the way a lot of you are responding. I know very well eating fish is not a sin. I have cooked tons of fish in my 5 years fishing and will continue to do so. I should of said I’m more so vegan towards bass that are scarce rather than over populated

14 hours ago, WRB said:

Remember bass live in a very harsh environment and encounter life and death situations everyday. Bass are also a renewable resource, it's not like it was the last bass that lives in your pond.

For future reference take a look at how to release gut hooked bass, several illustrations on how to remove hooks.

I believe Catch & Release has gone too far and influencing young anglers like yourself that harvesting a renewable food source like bass isn't ok. Harvesting within regulated limits is actually keeping the population in balance. Respecting living animals is good. When you kill do it quickly and take care of food source so it's not wasted. When animals over populate their food source they suffer and entire populations crash as a result.

Tom 

I cannot begin to thank you enough for sharing some of your wisdom toward me. I need to look at the population thing as a key factor. I was well aware that over population of any fish was bad but completely forgot about this when it happened. You are right and I will learn to hopefully unhook gutted fish and if I can’t I’ll look at it completely different!??

[P4B]

6 hours ago, NYWayfarer said:

A Bass that doesn’t survive can be harvested. Even if it is not it will feed the local turtles and raptors.

 

Years ago I saw an Eagle swoop down and take a Smallmouth that had not survived a deep hooking.

 

I can only be so compassionate when fishing. If I think too deeply about it I will realize the hypocrisy of not wanting to hurt or kill an animal when I am targeting a Bass with sharp instruments and ripping it out of its natural environment for sport. ??

These replies have me thinking completely different about this now. This isn’t the first time I have accidentally killed a bass but this time it had bothered me. Thanks for this reply man! I’m sure a snapper had a good meal out of him.

[newriverfisherman1953]

Bass die every day. 

[The Bassman]

13 hours ago, GreenPig said:

I just can't feel bad about eating fish, deer, and hogs. Big ol pan of baked Largemouth and spotted bass.

Just saw this. Missed supper, didn't I?

[EGbassing]

I hate deep hooking them as much as you do, but there are a lot of ways to prevent it. First, always carry pliers. Also it's best to avoid senko/yum dinger style lures because they tend to get swallowed easily. Always press the barbs down on your hooks (this works wonders). And always be aware/set the hook quickly. 

[P4B]

35 minutes ago, The Bassman said:

Just saw this. Missed supper, didn't I?

?

[TriStateBassin106]

I can relate to this. A few weeks ago I was fishing with a texas rigged senko at a local park pond and managed to hook a bass in it's right gill. I tried to use my tools to work the hook out but the blood and the fact that I had like 5 kids watching me work the hook out of the fish was extremely unsettling so I cut the line and released it gently. I almost felt like crying, that's how much those fish mean to me. Everytime I catch one now I give it a Jimmy Houston and kiss it on the nose hahahaha. 

 

The fish don't know it but when they smoke my lures it makes me feel special inside

[Sam]

Will happen to all of us sooner or later.

 

Last one I helped I had to go through the gills to remove the hook and then cut the line to remove it safely.

 

I guess he made it.

 

All you can do is all you can do and all you can do is enough.

[DanielG]

We're some of the only hunters that catch and release. All others are shoot and die. (no issue with this. Just pointing out a difference). So, revel in the idea that we hunt but almost no killing is done.