Best way to kill a fish?

[Brookie]

I keep alot of brookies I catch and I always kill them if I plan to keep them but what is really the best way to kill a bass you want to keep. With brookies I usually put them on a rock and hit them over the head with something or I break their neck but I think this would be harder to do with a bigger bass.

[KenDammit28]

chop the head off?  I dunno how long you're planning to "keep" them before taking them home, though.

[Dan:]

Bass don't taste all that great so I never keep them and I wouldn't recommend killing any large bass but if you decide to, I guess I would just take a cooler and throw them in the cooler-that way there is no smashing involved

[George Welcome]

laisser le de phase bas - tuer seulement la truite

[jaskoh]

Ok, I have a similiar question.  My girlfriend's lake is so over populated that I caught 25 bass all in the 10 inch range in about 30 minutes.  I am looking for a humane way to get rid of these bass.  I would really like to transport a lot of them to in my subdivision lake that has nothing but very very small bluegill in it.  But I have no way of doing this.

What is the best humane way to control populations of bass?  They are t0 small for eating even.

I strongly believe in catch and release but I feel that this lake is so over populated it might be unhealthy for the entire fishery.  Any ideas???      

[hank]

that is cruel :'(

[brian_82]

Put 'em on ice.

[GatorBK]

Ok, I have a similiar question. My girlfriend's lake is so over populated that I caught 25 bass all in the 10 inch range in about 30 minutes. I am looking for a humane way to get rid of these bass. I would really like to transport a lot of them to in my subdivision lake that has nothing but very very small bluegill in it. But I have no way of doing this.

What is the best humane way to control populations of bass? They are t0 small for eating even.

I strongly believe in catch and release but I feel that this lake is so over populated it might be unhealthy for the entire fishery. Any ideas???      

Good question , I have the same problem , my lake has a few big bass but the majority are starving to death , I am ready to have a fish killing spree and feed the skinny ones to the coons , My bass are suffering in my opinion .

Unless someone has a better idea than coon bait?

I love to eat fish but not when they look like the ones I have been catching lately

[jaskoh]

BK,  My bass look like they are healthy but only 10 inches long.  Yours is actually sick looking.  Is it a possibility that there are healthier, bigger, fish in my girlfriends lake but I just havent seen or caught any yet?  Ive only fished it once.  

Jason  

[KenDammit28]

you would definitely need to fish it more than once to decide the population status.

You can't get fooled by the rambunctious little guys who will hit anything in the water.  If you fish it over a period of time and notice that fish are all pretty much the same size/weight/ with no knowledge of bigger ones caught..then you should look into whats going on.

do you know how often it is fished or anything?

[GatorBK]

There are probably some big bass in there then if they are healthy looking mine are starving from over population , About one out of 5 has a belly the rest are skinny.

there are more pics on this topic

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1178544077

[jaskoh]

Ken, to my knowledge it has been fished only a handfull of times in the past 5 years.  When her grandpa died (who built the lake) he was the only one that ever fished it.  I guess I will try to get out there a couple times in June to see whats going on.  

Jason  

[KenDammit28]

in that scenario...you can pretty much bet that anything you thrown in will get attacked by the dinks as soon as they see it.  Bass that haven't been exposed to any lures really will very readily hit them.  You'll catch a lot of dinks because of this since they will be more apt to just jump out and grab something instead of "stalking" like most bigger bass will do.

Fish it for a pretty good while and keep note of what you catch and then go back and look at the size/weight of the fish over time..that'll indicate how the fish are growing and stuff.

[NJfishinGuy]

i got the best way to kill em, throw em in the water and tell them to come back to you before u go home. i swear they will come back and jump in the cooler  

[Fendercaster]

jaskoh -

How far is your girlfriend's lake from your subdivision lake? If it's not that far, take a couple five gallon buckets with you, keep your fish in aerated water and dump them in your lake when you get home. You can get a portable aerator pretty cheap, use one to keep the water oxygenated, this will help to keep the fish alive.  

[jaskoh]

It is about a 35 minute drive.  The only problem is I do not own a truck.  I really do need to figure out a way to get some bass in my subdivision lake because I can catch a 3-4 inch bluegill every cast.  They are really overpopulated in there too but I dont care about that.  

How many bass do you think I can put in each 5 gallon bucket safely?  

[Triton21]

Jaskoh, get a cooler, as big as you can haul in your trunk, a bilge pump, hose to fit it, and a piece of pvc pipe and cap, cap one end, put the hose on the other, and 12 volt battery. take a hack saw and cut small slits or a drill and drill holes all on the same side of the pipe, mount the pipe above the water line with the holes down. You can buy a kit from Bass Pro to do this if you don't want to do the leg work to collect the parts.(cooler livewell kit) If you don't want to get an extra 12 volt Battery you can run a long wire with a cigerette lighter from the trunk through your window to the lighter plug in your car. A 48 qt cooler should keep 15 to 20 10in bass alive for that 35 mile trip.

This also works as a livewell for a boat that doesn't have one. Will also keep bait alive.

Kelley

[Fendercaster]

"How many bass do you think I can put in each 5 gallon bucket safely?"

I'm no expert and maybe somebody can answer better than I, but I would guess no more than four or five in the ten inch range. That might even be too many. You can get a five gallon "Cool Bubbles" portable livewell with a lid, not too much water should slosh around in your car. They're kind of pricey ($52.99 at Bass Pro Shops), but if you're going to make multiple trips, it might be the ticket. You might be able to find one cheaper on Ebay or at a flea market.

[fishbear]

As far  as the original ? I have always stuck a fish in the gills with a knife, bled them out.   That is the way I was taught by my dad, and my uncles on salmon, steelhead, large trout, crappie, cod, sea bass, any and all fish you were gonna eat.

[Red]

i always just wack em right on top of the head with something hard. like a rock or my pliers...hit em hard enough and it will kill them instantly...or a knife through the skull into the brain works too

[IdahoLunkerHunter]

When I go out fishing for crappie and perch (the only fish I keep), I carry cooler with ice. They go into their deep sleep mode and then cut their heads off when I get home. Before making any decisions about what you think the lakes population stats are on any species talk to your local fish and game. They usually are pretty well informed on problems and actions that are being implemented.

[jaskoh]

Triton, I am definetly going to do that.  I will just make it myself.  Do you know what OD (outer diameter) the pvc pipe should be?  Or does it not matter.  

Thanks again for all the help, Jason  

[Guest avid]

I keep alot of brookies I catch and I always kill them if I plan to keep them but what is really the best way to kill a bass you want to keep. With brookies I usually put them on a rock and hit them over the head with something or I break their neck but I think this would be harder to do with a bigger bass.

Here's how I would do it.

Place fish on top of foot.  (keeps the dirt off)

Take a 5 lb or bigger rock.

Smash with maximum force.

Bass will die real quick.

[Pond Hopper]

I keep alot of brookies I catch and I always kill them if I plan to keep them but what is really the best way to kill a bass you want to keep. With brookies I usually put them on a rock and hit them over the head with something or I break their neck but I think this would be harder to do with a bigger bass.

Here's how I would do it.

Place fish on top of foot. (keeps the dirt off)

Take a 5 lb or bigger rock.

Smash with maximum force.

Bass will die real quick.

I agree, its the smartest and quickest, most humane way to put a fish out of its misery.

[Triton21]

Jaskoh, I used 1/2 inch.

Kelley