What would you do?

[senile1]

I was fishing today in an aluminum boat with no motor on a pond.  The wind was high and even with a drift sock and anchor I was pretty busy maneuvering the boat at times.  A large bass took my worm (***, BTW) while I was busy stashing the anchor rope out of the way.  Unfortunately, due to my delay in setting the hook, the fish was hooked in the gullet.  I worked for a few minutes and was able to work the hook out with no blood or damage to the fish.  I released her without weighing her because I had her out of the water for so long.  She swam away fine so I was relieved.  

This fish was not my personal best but it was probably the largest bass I've caught this year.  But what if she had been my personal best?  And that is my question to you.  If you gullet hooked a bass and it appeared to be the biggest you had ever caught, would you take the time to weigh and measure it after keeping it out of the water for a long time removing the hook?  

I believe I would at least weigh the fish if it was close to my personal best, but that would increase the chances of her death.  (Yeah, I know, guilty as charged.   :-?)  What would you do?

[5bass]

After removing the hook, I'd throw her in the livewell for a little while to perk back up, then a little later I'd do the pics and measurements.

[JayW]

After removing the hook, I'd throw her in the livewell for a little while to perk back up, then a little later I'd do the pics and measurements.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

[frogtog]

Fivebass would have made the right choice.

[Marty]

Not everybody has a livewell. I hate to kill a fish, but for a potential personal best, I'd have weighed it.

[midnight_madness]

Not everybody has a livewell. I hate to kill a fish, but for a potential personal best, I'd have weighed it.

My 1st choice would have been with fivebasslimit, but if it was a case where i had no livewell, and i thought it could have been a pesonal best, i would have taken the few extra seconds to weighted and measured it

[BassHunter69]

After removing the hook, I'd throw her in the livewell for a little while to perk back up, then a little later I'd do the pics and measurements.

fivebass has it right there for you

[Guest avid]

I assume as aluminum row boat does not have an aerated live well.

You can always run some line through the lower jaw  in the middle,  put it over for a little while to revive, then weigh and measure.

But no one here will fault you for what you did.

[senile1]

The aluminum boat I was in did not have a livewell.  The owner of this pond keeps it on the bank flipped over.  I'm lucky the old rickety thing even floats.  Anyway, while I was releasing the fish it got me to thinking.  Like most have stated, without a livewell, if it's possibly my personal best, I'm probably going to weigh and at least get a pic.  

[mattm]

With no livewell I would of put it in the water and pulled it around in circles for 30 seconds to 1 minute, and then quickly weighed the fish.  If it got to feeling perky and flopped around and got away oh well.  Nothing wrong with what you did though.

[Shad_Master]

Here's my story that is similar to yours - a couple of years ago I had been fishing in a pond at a local park - most of the guys laughed at me for telling what they called "fish stories" about the fish I was catching there.  I had just come from getting my hair cut and my barber was one of the guys who had been teasing me.  I headed over to the pond and within three casts, hooked a "pig".  There I was with no camera and no way to hold the fish.  So I ran to my truck, called home and told my son to put water in the cooler and rushed to the house (I decided that if he died, I would have him mounted).  When I arrived (maybe 5-6 minutes) he was still flopping and I immediately dunked him in the cooler.  He continued to flare his gills and I measured him (21.75" with a 14.5" girth).  My son and I loaded the cooler, with the fish, in the truck and headed back to the pond.  On the way, I stopped by the barber shop to show the guys what I had.  On arriving at the pond, we lowered him back in where he lay stunned for a while and then swam off.  I always suspected he was brain damaged and probably died from swimming head first into a stump, but at least he was alive when I left him.

[twors]

Out of the 33 bass I caught over the weekend I had 5 that were gut hooked :-[ I still haven't come to a conclusion on why this is happening but I think it because of the loose 1/8oz  bullet weight I use while t-rigging baby paca craws. I just can't feel the bite when they do this and all the sudden I have a fish on when I go to move the bait. I feel my equipment is sensitive enough...St.Croix Premier MF with 30lb powerpro/10lb floro leader. Anyway, after killing a couple fish I've learned to consistently keep dipping the fish back into the water about ever 30 seconds while working the hook out. Seems to work...all five fish swam away with good power. I pair of D-Barb cutters are I must IMO.

[Ghetto_Basser]

After removing the hook, I'd throw her in the livewell for a little while to perk back up, then a little later I'd do the pics and measurements.

That was a good question. Great answer and idea.  

[Needemp]

If I had no livewell, I would do Avids suggestion. I would use a stringer or a piece of line through the bottom lip and put her in the water. BTW, how big do you think she was, Senile?

[kybassangler]

Please thyself buddy.  Conservation is great and I'm big on catch and release, but for the big fish story you gotta snap the pic and get the stats and round up.  

[Alpster]

If the fish was healthy when you caught her and you didn't "play" her for a long time, bass are pretty tough. (This is one reason I use heavier gear than I need, to get em in the boat ASAP for several reasons.) If, as you said, there was little blood and a clean hook exit you should have been able to get a pic and a couple of measurements without much danger of losing the fish.  Fivebass described the optimal scenereo, but without a livewell, what choice did you have? I would have moved quickly and recorded the facts, then let her go. JMHO

Ronnie

[senile1]

If I had no livewell, I would do Avids suggestion. I would use a stringer or a piece of line through the bottom lip and put her in the water. BTW, how big do you think she was, Senile?

I believe she was over 5 but not close to 7 lbs.  My PB is 6 lbs 15 oz so she wasn't close.  She was just shy of the distance from the bottom of my shoe to the top of my knee which is approximately 23 inches so she was about 22 inches long but she didn't have a good pot belly.  It's been a bad year for me.  I had yet to catch one over 5 this year.  Work has not allowed me to have many days on the water.  At least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.  

[kybassangler]

If I had no livewell, I would do Avids suggestion. I would use a stringer or a piece of line through the bottom lip and put her in the water. BTW, how big do you think she was, Senile?

I believe she was over 5 but not close to 7 lbs. My PB is 6 lbs 15 oz so she wasn't close. She was just shy of the distance from the bottom of my shoe to the top of my knee which is approximately 23 inches so she was about 22 inches long but she didn't have a good pot belly. It's been a bad year for me. I had yet to catch one over 5 this year. Work has not allowed me to have many days on the water. At least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Priorities have to be in order Senile.