Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dan:]

I had the same feeling when i started fishing. The best thing to do is what others have already said, just do it. I don't lip fish if they have treble hooks in their mouths because I got a pretty bad cut one time, but if you are using a regular hook, I usually use my non-dominant hand to lip them so that I can use my dominant hand to take the hook out. The best advice I can add is to just do it fast and grab hard. Not so hard as to hurt the fish, but they might wriggle when you put your thumb in there so if you grab fast and are determined to hold hard, they won't be able to wriggle free. That's basically the best advice i can give, just do it and grab firmly, once you do it once, you'll be fine.

Post a pic of yourself doing it and be proud!

[nboucher]

Good question. I find I often will lip the fish with my right hand and work the hook out with my left. If the hook is through some think cartlilage or the fish is gut-hooked, though, I find I transfer the fish to my left hand and get serious with my right (I'm right-handed). For an old guy like me, the actual sequence is often that I grab with right hand, and if the hook doesn't come out easily with my left hand, I switch the fish to my left hand, PUT MY READING GLASSES ON, and then get to work with my right hand. :-/

[flechero]

thanks guys i think ill be able to handle it now, i mean i dont want a "milwaukee's best light" can to fall on me, i think im gonna head down to the lake right now, thanks again!!

Yup get it down now because one of these days your partner will hook a big one and call for an "assist" if you miss it, your likely to get plunked in the head with a premium beer!

[Fish4FunInFl]

Good question. I find I often will lip the fish with my right hand and work the hook out with my left. If the hook is through some think cartlilage or the fish is gut-hooked, though, I find I transfer the fish to my left hand and get serious with my right (I'm right-handed). For an old guy like me, the actual sequence is often that I grab with right hand, and if the hook doesn't come out easily with my left hand, I switch the fish to my left hand, PUT MY READING GLASSES ON, and then get to work with my right hand. :-/

Im right handed and will lip with my right hand. Then transfer it to my left automaticaly to remove the hook .

For the original poster, I reckon you could always use something like ' boga grips '.

[Steve-O]

I think you're putting the bass' lip on a pedestal.

[Rebbasser]

adub, first off, welcome to the forum!

There is a phenomena we all eagerly seek:  It is called bass thumb.  Bass thumb is getting the skin on your thumb all roughed up like you used sandpaper on it due to scraping it on the bass's teeth.  It is a sign you had a great day and caught a LOT of fish!

Welcome it!

[Sam]

Be very careful when picking up a bass by the jaw if you have either a trailer hook or a treble hook in the fish's mouth.

Here is what Uncle Homer Circle says in his outstanding book, Bass Wisdom, pages 198-199:

Jaw Grip

This is probably the most popular and the surest method, the one used by mose experienced bass fishermen.  It's popular because when aptly done, it paralyzes a bass, making it both safe and easy to land.  However, there are some pointers to remember before using it.

NEVER reach for a bass's jaw with your bare hand if any treble hooks are hanging outside the jaw.  One powerful shake of its head and you could be caught instead of the bass.  This is a painful situation, especially if you are alone, so choose one of the other options below.

There is a right and a wrong way to grip a bass's lower jaw.  Grab only the jawbone and a big bass will flop around and lacerate your thumb.  The right way is to lay your thumb well over the center of the lower jawbone, curl your forefinger under the jaw, and grip tightly as you push upward on the tongue.

Pushing up on the tongue exerts pressure on the bass's central nervous system and paralyzes it.  You can feel it go limp, incapable of any movement, except for minor twitches of the fins.

Now you can safely hold the bass while you extract the hooks.

Get Uncle Homer's book and read it.  It is excellent.