Professional anglers really need to stop doing the horizontal lip-hold.

[ACGOG]

Call me a bleeding-heart type or whatever, but when I see a professional angler do the horizontal lip hold where it looks like the bass' jaw is about to snap off it irritates me. Hell, right on the front page of BR is a decent example (though it's not as bad as some of the others I've seen) and it was done repeatedly at the Bassmaster Chickamauga and St. Johns tournaments. I personally think it looks ridiculous, but somehow it became the "cool" way to show off a catch even though it's been proven that holding a fish horizontally greater than 10* without a second hand to support it can dislocate or even break a fish's jaw. I know I watch tournaments where it's done all the time and I think it sets a bad precedence for people who might not know better.

 

I don't know how absurd this ask is, but I don't see anything in tournament rules anywhere about proper handling of bass. Is there a way to get one implemented or get some eyes on the subject?

 

I don't know if I'm the only one who feels this way. If I'm missing some info out there that steps are being taken that'd be great to know too but I figured trying to talk about it here would be a good place to start.

 

 

[Finessegenics]

It makes me cringe every time I see it 

[islandbass]

You aren’t alone. If one has to go horizontal for the photo at least place your other hand on its belly for support since it removes all negative pressure on the bass’ jaw. 

[gim]

Its also dependent on how big the bass is.  Obviously in the tournaments, they love to hold up plus sized bass and not 13 inchers.  I do agree that its a bad practice though and you should be doing it properly with every single one to get in the habit of doing it that way.

[Choporoz]

Reasonable to assume it isn't good.  Would like to hear from a fish biologist what their recommended thresholds are, by weight, for this and even for vertical. --- I assume that lipping a six pound fish probably isn't great for the fish, either, but i have no expertise or data.

  I always thought two-hand horizontal holds of larger fish make better pictures anyway.

[Darth-Baiter]

Agreed.  
 

I also cringe when I see a fisherman fling a bass back into the water from a standing position.  Not sure it hurts a bass doing a belly flop.  But since the bass was caught for my entertainment I kinda like releasing them more gentle.   Most guys gently release bigger bass and fling the runts.   

[BayouSlide]

IMO, pros should know better, and be a good model for the non-pros.

[WRB]

Monkey see monkey do.

Not sure which cover photo your are looking at? The bass being held on this sites home page isn’t held incorrectly with thumb in mouth dislocating the jaw hinge.

Tom

[Mat_ski]

37 minutes ago, WRB said:

Monkey see monkey do.

Not sure which cover photo your are looking at? The bass being held on this sites home page isn’t held incorrectly with thumb in mouth dislocating the jaw hinge.

Tom

I think this is the one he was referring to. Bothers me too. Crappy way to hold a fish regardless of weight imo. 

[Deleted account]

I blame Bill Dance. Can we nip the whole selfie with the elbow above your head while holding the fish up to your temple Carnac The Magnificent style thing while we're at it?...

[WRB]

1 hour ago, Mat_ski said:

I think this is the one he was referring to. Bothers me too. Crappy way to hold a fish regardless of weight imo. 

That angle means nothing. The anglers 4 finger finger holding this bass outside the mouth thumb pointing upwards.

What dislocates the jaw hinge would be thumb inside the mouth and finger forcing the mouth open under the jaw.

That looks to be a bass under 2 lbs to me.

I understand the concern, it’s always better to hold bass hanging down vertically, but not always possible hand landing them.

Tom

[ACGOG]

22 minutes ago, WRB said:

That angle means nothing. The anglers 4 finger finger holding this bass outside the mouth thumb pointing upwards.

What dislocates the jaw hinge would be thumb inside the mouth and finger forcing the mouth open under the jaw.

That looks to be a bass under 2 lbs to me.

I understand the concern, it’s always better to hold bass hanging down vertically, but not always possible hand landing them.

Tom

Yes, this is the pic I was talking about and was definitely careful to say it's not as bad as some of the other examples out there. It's a smaller fish so you're right, but again, a newer angler or someone visiting the site for the first time might not understand all the nuances behind it. Same with pro-tour anglers. That's why it'd be nice to see if a best practice could be implemented, or at the very least recommended.

[Glenn]

It's not such a major deal with smaller fish, just keep the angle down.  No need to hold a fish sideways by his jaw even if they are small.  Bigger fish = no angle at all (keep them vertical).

 

I think there's a misconception between holding a fish at an angle vs. holding a fish by it's jaw vertically.  I see some people go ballistic over photos like this, claiming the jaw is broken:

 

It's fine to hold them this way - especially smaller fish.  It's when you start to pull back on the jaw and apply pressure is when you get into trouble, or when a fish approaches/exceeds double-digits.  That said, it's good practice to hold any fish over say, 4lbs, by both hands.

[A-Jay]

2 hours ago, Mat_ski said:

 

There is no way I'm carrying a protractor . . . 

A-Jay

[Jigfishn10]

3 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

There is no way I'm carrying a protractor . . . 

A-Jay

A little trigonometry on the water never hurt anyone A-Jay.

 

People just need to get a grip...oh, wait.  

[J Francho]

6 minutes ago, Jigfishn10 said:

A little trigonometry on the water never hurt anyone A-Jay.

 

People just need to get a grip...oh, wait.  

 

[Jigfishn10]

PERFECT, J!

[Mat_ski]

I don’t know what angle at what weight is right, but I am already giving the fish an unwanted piercing so if I can spare it from accidental broken jaw by holding it straight down or with two hands, why would I not do it. 

[J Francho]

This looks so much better, and not just because of the handsome guy holding the fish....

[Jigfishn10]

6 minutes ago, J Francho said:

This looks so much better, and just because of the handsome guy holding the fish....

We’re not gonna do the Brad Pitt thread again, are we?  

[WRB]

You all have a protractor on your hand; spread between index and middle finger = 30 degrees.

Tom

 

[schplurg]

4 hours ago, BayouSlide said:

IMO, pros should know better, and be a good model for the non-pros.

 

I agree, except that I don't see anything in major bass tournaments that promotes gentle handling of fish. Come to think of it, I don't see many good examples of anything at all in tournaments, including boater safety, handling of fish, and often fishing etiquette.

[ACGOG]

23 minutes ago, schplurg said:

 

I agree, except that I don't see anything in major bass tournaments that promotes gentle handling of fish. Come to think of it, I don't see many good examples of anything at all in tournaments, including boater safety, handling of fish, and often fishing etiquette.

 

I very explicitly looked at the Bass Pro Tour rules and guidelines and there's nothing in there about the proper way to handle a fish. That's a big reason I wanted to bring this up as BR is the absolute biggest bass forum on the internet. Maybe someone will see this? I don't know but I'm glad to see others here are in the same boat, and lots of good fish pics holding them the right way too ?.

[Chris Catignani]

One solution is to quit taking selfies of every fish you catch...especially if its small.

Trow it back ASAP and get on with the next cast.

[cyclops2]

my post was to painful for the bass pros to do..