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Posted

I've accidentally gut hooked and killed bass. This mostly happens when fishing a Senko (for me anyhow). Now when I fish finesse plastics, I fish them fairly fast. When a fish is truly gut hooked, I cut my line close to the hook and hope for the best.

 

As far as pliers go...I buy used medical pliers on ebay. You can buy a German made work of art for about $10-$20. They'll last a lifetime if you don't lose them. The quality isn't even close to "fishing pliers".

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Posted

It happens. When it happens to me, they get released to the grease. 😋

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Posted

I must be hard hearted, killing a fish is the last thing in this world that I fret over or feel some kinda way about, it's going to happen. I take all the precautions that I possibly can, but in the big picture it's a fish.

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Posted
49 minutes ago, volzfan59 said:

I must be hard hearted, killing a fish is the last thing in this world that I fret over or feel some kinda way about, it's going to happen. I take all the precautions that I possibly can, but in the big picture it's a fish.

Same here.  I try my best to release them unharmed,  especially the big ones.  When I kill one I celebrate with the turtles that get an easy meal.  I celebrate that the lake’s limited resources will be a little less limited,  which will benefit other fish.
 

One day I’ll get gut hooked.  I’ll be food for the worms and someone else will take my tackle and go fishing.  It’s the circle of life.

 

 

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Posted

I've watched weigh ins on my lake where fish obviously have the bends and are released belly up with no attempts to fizz them;  makes me very angry.  It is also my observation that tournament participants who do not call this lake Home, care much less about needlessly killing fish than do the locals.

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Posted
1 hour ago, Tackleholic said:

I've watched weigh ins on my lake where fish obviously have the bends and are released belly up with no attempts to fizz them;  makes me very angry.  It is also my observation that tournament participants who do not call this lake Home, care much less about needlessly killing fish than do the locals.

I agree.  It's 2024.  Why are we still doing this?  Could you imagine if a basketball game was played where no one kept score, and then, after the end of the fourth quarter, someone tallied up all of the points?  It's creating a worse product and sending a bad message.  I mean, I get that at one time that was the only option to determine a winner.  But we can do better now.  And we should! 

 

To me, it would be a lot more exciting to go to a fishing tournament and have a camera on every boat.  And then, back at the dock with the crowd, every angler was being broadcast live onto a different TV.  Then you could follow any angler you wanted.  And then have a main tent where the top 10 anglers were being broadcast on bigger TVs and an MC announced changes to the leader board in real time, which was also displayed.  You could have a main screen that showed what was broadcasted, where it's nothing but hookset, reel in, weigh, and release.  That would be fun, to me.  And you could still have an awards ceremony at the end, without a weigh in.  And get the remaining members of Foghat to play there, in between State Fairs, to get the crowd excited. 

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Posted
31 minutes ago, Bankc said:

And get the remaining members of Foghat to play there, in between State Fairs, to get the crowd excited. 

Or BOC

 

Still have the ball-cap I bought at the BOC/Foghat concert I went to back in '82.

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Posted

Back in the 60’s early 70’s I was advocating Catch & Release of large female bass. Back then everyone believed bass were hardy prolific fish and couldn’t be over harvested, including Ray Scott!

Fast forward to today’s bass anglers who believe bass should always be released.

C & R has become a cult like belief that doesn’t balance the ecosystem. Killing a fish isn’t the end of the world. Keeping and eating injured bass or over populated year class bass is good for the overall bass population.

Tom

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Posted
1 hour ago, Bankc said:

To me, it would be a lot more exciting to go to a fishing tournament and have a camera on every boat.

 

Obviously that's not necessarily feasible given the size of some of these events and the lack of resources.  But why are we so hell bent out of shape with weight?  Why not use C & R length like kayak, walleye, muskie, and ice fishing tournmaments do?  Its like they're so obsessed with putting them in a livewell and weighing them for a glory photo on stage that its more important than the health of the fishery.  Some circuits and tournaments need to just get over this already, especially fish pulled from deep water, warm water, or during the spawn.  There's no exucse for that anymore.

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Posted
1 hour ago, WRB said:

Keeping and eating injured bass or over populated gear class bass is good for the overall bass population.

I've always followed Al Lindner's mantra of "Selective Harvest"...the 'C&R Only cult' gives me a headache.

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Posted

I’ve killed two that I know of this year.

 

First one was on a pre rigged Storm WildEye swimbait. Really chunky 14” bass, felt bad of course. First cast of the day, I knew that dang lure would work! Worked too well I guess.

 

Second was just a couple of weeks ago, similar to others on an unweighted wacky worm. It was my fault because it was pretty dark and obviously he chomped on it too long. Wasn’t big, maybe 12”.

 

PS I guess there’s a chance the first one is still alive, I cut the line and let him go. Second guy is definitely in fish heaven.

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Posted
12 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I've always followed Al Lindner's mantra of "Selective Harvest"...the 'C&R Only cult' gives me a headache.

 

I have no problem with catching and eating fish. I just wish I liked to eat bass. I invite people to fish my pond and keep some fish, albeit the smaller ones.

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Posted

It happens.

I throw a ton of wacky worms on 1/16 VMC heads and where I get in trouble is trying to manage this technique in wind.

 

Can usually save a deep hooked fish with wire cutters, cut off the barb and twist the hook out with long nose pliers.

Both tools are a must.

 

If the fish can't be saved it goes to the frying pan 🥘 

Posted

$hit happens. I'm with the "cold-hearted" group of members, lol, on this forum that feel nothing when a situation like this arises. Isn't the mortality rate of all fish caught and released ~20%? If so, whether you witness it or not, it's happening.

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Posted
On 9/18/2024 at 11:11 AM, MN Fisher said:

Or BOC

 

Still have the ball-cap I bought at the BOC/Foghat concert I went to back in '82.

 

BOC played on the shores of Castaic Lagoon. The show was very poorly promoted and as a result, only a few hundred people were there in a venue that could hold 20,000. They said they got paid so they were gonna play in spite of hardly anyone showing up. 

 

As for gut hooking wacky rig Senko's (assuming small hooks), I don't really set the hook, but simply reel in until I feel pressure, and lift firmly while continuing to reel. I find setting the hook like I would with a larger hook, will pull the hook out before it has a chance to find purchase inside the bass' mouth. Once the fish has the bait, I can go ahead reeling, with no need to wait, thus minimizing gut hooking.

 

If a small hook does get stuck further down, it is easier to remove than a larger hook.

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