The right way to release that big bass after a good fight
Bass is one of the most popular species among anglers because of the fierceness with which they attack lures and live bait and for the battle they put up once hooked. In recent years the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission was working hard to improve this resource and has implemented new programs under which creel limits are reduced and allowable size of keepers increased from a standard of 12 inches to 15 and even 18 inches.
We, as bass fishermen, can also help protect this valuable resource.
Fishermen pay for a license and have the right to keep and eat all or any fish they catch within the legal limit.
Personally, I feel the value of freshwater bass is much greater as sporting asset than table fare.
Therefore, I, along with millions of other bass anglers, practice catch-and-release so that the one-pound bass I catch this year may weigh three pounds or even five pounds when hooked again at some future date.
Use barbless hooks for catch-and-release fishing. Barbs on most hooks can be flattened with a pair of needle-nose pliers. Barbless hooks can be found in many tackle shops, but catch-and-release anglers often use circle hooks, as they are not usually deeply swallowed.
Use of barbless hooks helps greatly in the catch and release process, but even more important is how an angler plays, nets and releases the fish.
Keep the fight to a minimum, but don’t lose your fish either. When the fish wants to go, let him go, especially if you think it is a big one. Unless you are fishing with extremely heavy line, let him go and maintain pressure on the line.
In order to do this, your drag must be adjusted correctly, but it is better to have a drag too loose than too tight.
The rule of thumb is that the drag should be set so that the fish does not pull out line when it hits but allows line to be taken off freely when he runs. If your drag is set too lightly, you can tighten it while fighting the fish, a practice many of us do quite often, especially with ultralight rigs, which we set up for trout and then take bass fishing.
Tournament anglers “horse” bass in, but that is not necessary as long as you land the fish as quickly as possible, especially if you plan to release it.
Keep your camera close at hand to take photos to show family and friends, and keep a scale and measuring board handy to take quick measurements for the purpose of pursing a record or having a duplicate mount made of your catch.
Commercial measuring boards make the measuring process quick and easy, but a measuring tape attached to a seat of your boat also works well. A digital scale also aids in the measuring process as it instantly shows the exact weight of the fish.
Once a bass has been landed, keep it in the water as much as possible. Remove the hook with a pair of long-nosed pliers or forceps.
If the hook has been swallowed, cut the leader just inside the fish’s mouth. Hooks rust away very quickly in a fish’s mouth.
If you must handle the fish, be sure to keep your hands wet and grasp it by the tail and cradle its body so as not to injure it.
If you pick a bass up by the lip, let it hang vertically so you don’t damage the jaw cartilage and make it difficult for its mouth to function properly.
Remember … a fish suffocates out of water, so it must be released as quickly as possible. Keep it in the water as much as possible for it can injure itself flopping on shore or in a boat.
The warmer the water temperature, the more strain that is put on the fish.
If possible, keep a bottle of anti-fungal and bacterial solution on board to add to the livewell when you are fishing in a tournament or feel you must keep a fish at least long enough to show your buddies on shore or across the lake that you really did catch the biggest bass ever.
After a good fight, revive the tired fish by moving it slowly forward and backward to move water through the gills in still water or point the fish into the current in moving water.
If you find you are catching many fish that are swallowing the hook, try switching to a larger hook.
Swallowed hooks are more of a problem when fishing with live bait.
When fishing with plastics, crankbaits, spoons, buzzbaits, and spinner baits, swallowing usually a problem as the majority of the bass are hooked in the lips and do not deeply ingest the lure as they do live bait.
Use of a net is not recommended when landing a fish you intend to release anyway. If you must use a net, get a knotless one especially designed for catch-and-release fishing.
A few years ago I purchased a rubber net and found that it works great, as neither fish nor lures become tangled.
Herald-Standard Outdoors Editor Rod Schoener can be reached online at rschoener@heraldstandard.com.