Handling BIG bass

The time is upon us to have the opportunity to handle BIG largemouth bass.
That would be about 6-7 pounds Northern strain and 13+ pounds Florida strain
or interbred hybrid, although the techniques should apply equally well to
smaller bass and other species.

As bass these sizes approach their species maximums, if you choose for them
to survive, special precautions should probably be taken. The people
probably with the most experience in proper care and handling of BIG bass is
the ShareLunker program of Texas' Freshwater Fisheries Center. Here is a
link to their 9 key points.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/inf...harelunker.htm


However their list is not complete. It is missing several related but very
import items that must be done.

1. As soon as your BIG bass is secured in an aerated environment and before
any pictures are taken, immediately proceed to the nearest lavatory, head,
restroom or facility and take care of business. The offensive odor will
eventually subside but teletale water marks in the crotch of your pants will
remain in the pictures forever!

2, Call your brother-in-law or close friend and tell them to immediately
purchase in your name just one lottery ticket - that's all you'll need.

3. Call your stock broker tell him to purchase in your account today every
stock he recommended.

No doubt this list needs additional refinement. Good luck!
John

It surprises me that they don't tell you to put your fingers in their gills
to lift them. They do it on all of the bass fishing shows, even Roland
Martin and his competitors.

Putting your fingers in a trout's gills is just about the worst thing that
you can do if you're going to release the fish. I suspect that it's not
all that healthy for any fish.


"bassrecord" wrote in message
...
The time is upon us to have the opportunity to handle BIG largemouth bass.
That would be about 6-7 pounds Northern strain and 13+ pounds Florida
strain
or interbred hybrid, although the techniques should apply equally well to
smaller bass and other species.

As bass these sizes approach their species maximums, if you choose for
them
to survive, special precautions should probably be taken. The people
probably with the most experience in proper care and handling of BIG bass
is
the ShareLunker program of Texas' Freshwater Fisheries Center. Here is a
link to their 9 key points.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/inf...harelunker.htm


However their list is not complete. It is missing several related but
very
import items that must be done.

1. As soon as your BIG bass is secured in an aerated environment and
before
any pictures are taken, immediately proceed to the nearest lavatory, head,
restroom or facility and take care of business. The offensive odor will
eventually subside but teletale water marks in the crotch of your pants
will
remain in the pictures forever!

2, Call your brother-in-law or close friend and tell them to immediately
purchase in your name just one lottery ticket - that's all you'll need.

3. Call your stock broker tell him to purchase in your account today every
stock he recommended.

No doubt this list needs additional refinement. Good luck!
John










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"Sierra fisher" wrote in message
...
It surprises me that they don't tell you to put your fingers in their
gills
to lift them. They do it on all of the bass fishing shows, even Roland
Martin and his competitors.

Putting your fingers in a trout's gills is just about the worst thing that
you can do if you're going to release the fish. I suspect that it's not
all that healthy for any fish.

There's a difference between putting your fingers in a fish's gills and
holding one by the gill plate. The former "Might" damage a fish, the latter
will not, be that trout, bass, pike, muskie or walleye.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

"Sierra fisher" wrote in message
...
It surprises me that they don't tell you to put your fingers in their
gills
to lift them. They do it on all of the bass fishing shows, even Roland
Martin and his competitors.

Putting your fingers in a trout's gills is just about the worst thing that
you can do if you're going to release the fish.

Well, actually, recent experiments conducted in vivo (as it were) suggest
that splitting them lengthwise with a rusty hatchet can be every bit as
deliterious as mucking about with the gills. Um......haven't done it
myself, so I can't confirm these findings.......but then, I've never exactly
drifted a continent or evolved any new species either.

I suspect that it's not
all that healthy for any fish.

Safe enough bet, I guess.

Wolfgang
and science marches ever onward.

I made the mistake of landing a 17 pound pike once by the gills - tore my
fingers to shreds! I sure as h-ll wasn't lipping that creature...

Warren
--
http://www.warrenwolk.com/



"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"Sierra fisher" wrote in message
...
It surprises me that they don't tell you to put your fingers in their
gills
to lift them. They do it on all of the bass fishing shows, even
Roland
Martin and his competitors.

Putting your fingers in a trout's gills is just about the worst thing
that
you can do if you're going to release the fish. I suspect that it's
not
all that healthy for any fish.

There's a difference between putting your fingers in a fish's gills and
holding one by the gill plate. The former "Might" damage a fish, the
latter
will not, be that trout, bass, pike, muskie or walleye.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
I made the mistake of landing a 17 pound pike once by the gills - tore my
fingers to shreds! I sure as h-ll wasn't lipping that creature...

You stuck your fingers in too far and either got caught by the gill rakers
or if waaay too far, the teeth in the back of the mouth.

Practice makes perfect, now you just have to do it a couple thousand more
times and you'll have caught up to me.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

How about just pouring the fish out of the net and onto a soaking wet towel?
I've checked local regulations (Rochester NY) and found that it is legal to
photograph a fish on a towel. Holding it up in the air by its gills is
ridiculous and unnecessary, unless your brother's name is Clevis and your
mom wore a backwards Caterpillar hat while she was giving birth, in which
case it's a tradition to hold a fish that way for 10 minutes while telling
anyone who'll listen that a fish should go back in the water ASAP if it's
expected to survive.

"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
I made the mistake of landing a 17 pound pike once by the gills - tore
my
fingers to shreds! I sure as h-ll wasn't lipping that creature...

You stuck your fingers in too far and either got caught by the gill rakers
or if waaay too far, the teeth in the back of the mouth.

Practice makes perfect, now you just have to do it a couple thousand more
times and you'll have caught up to me.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Holding a fish by its gill or its gill plate is stupid. Fish , at least
trout, are suposed to be held as horizontally as possible and their innards
are supposed to be supported. Fish live in a near zero gravity environment
and they have little to keep their organs in place. If you hold them
vertically, you are definitely not doing them any good, I do a lot of
volunteer work for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, and the California
Fish and Game, and they are unanimous is this. Even the Texas Budweiser
Lunker people say the fingers of one hand grabbing the lower lip, the other
near the anal fin. It's hard to do this except horizontally.


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
How about just pouring the fish out of the net and onto a soaking wet
towel?
I've checked local regulations (Rochester NY) and found that it is legal
to
photograph a fish on a towel. Holding it up in the air by its gills is
ridiculous and unnecessary, unless your brother's name is Clevis and your
mom wore a backwards Caterpillar hat while she was giving birth, in which
case it's a tradition to hold a fish that way for 10 minutes while telling
anyone who'll listen that a fish should go back in the water ASAP if it's
expected to survive.

"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
I made the mistake of landing a 17 pound pike once by the gills - tore
my
fingers to shreds! I sure as h-ll wasn't lipping that creature...

You stuck your fingers in too far and either got caught by the gill
rakers
or if waaay too far, the teeth in the back of the mouth.

Practice makes perfect, now you just have to do it a couple thousand
more
times and you'll have caught up to me.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com






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Agreed. I was making a sarcastic comment based on the vast majority of
yahoos I see on TV fishing shows. Admittedly, I only watch 11 minutes of TV
per month, but the only decent fish handler I've seen on TV is a guy named
Don Meisner, who used to do (and may still do) a fishing show from Watertown
NY. My local PBS station replaced him with re-runs of the Lawrence Welk
show. What putzes.

"Sierra fisher" wrote in message
...
Holding a fish by its gill or its gill plate is stupid. Fish , at least
trout, are suposed to be held as horizontally as possible and their
innards
are supposed to be supported. Fish live in a near zero gravity
environment
and they have little to keep their organs in place. If you hold them
vertically, you are definitely not doing them any good, I do a lot of
volunteer work for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, and the California
Fish and Game, and they are unanimous is this. Even the Texas Budweiser
Lunker people say the fingers of one hand grabbing the lower lip, the
other
near the anal fin. It's hard to do this except horizontally.


"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
How about just pouring the fish out of the net and onto a soaking wet
towel?
I've checked local regulations (Rochester NY) and found that it is legal
to
photograph a fish on a towel. Holding it up in the air by its gills is
ridiculous and unnecessary, unless your brother's name is Clevis and
your
mom wore a backwards Caterpillar hat while she was giving birth, in
which
case it's a tradition to hold a fish that way for 10 minutes while
telling
anyone who'll listen that a fish should go back in the water ASAP if
it's
expected to survive.

"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
I made the mistake of landing a 17 pound pike once by the gills -
tore
my
fingers to shreds! I sure as h-ll wasn't lipping that creature...

You stuck your fingers in too far and either got caught by the gill
rakers
or if waaay too far, the teeth in the back of the mouth.

Practice makes perfect, now you just have to do it a couple thousand
more
times and you'll have caught up to me.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com






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I caught the meaning of your previous post and agreed with it




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