bass grip

[tycomps]

Just watched a KVD clip and I'm wondering why he appears to be lippping his
bass incorrectly as do many pros. they crank the lower jaw open to the point
of flaring the gills in an attempt to hold the fish horizontally rather than holding
it vertically.

as far as I know the only time a bass should be held horizontally is when it's too large to hold vertically in which case the belly should be supported as well. opinions?

[Eskimo]

Unfortunately, bass are often mishandled and over-stressed by tournament fishing.

This is important stuff.

The preservation of any bass fishery depends on how well skilled bass anglers release their catch. The "bucket brigade" may kill every bass they catch, but most of them are lousy fishermen who just get lucky every once in a while. Now skilled bass anglers who mishandle all their bass, even if they are eventually released, can have a tremendous impact on a fishery.

As an avid angler, you should want to safely release all your bass so that another skilled (or lucky) angler can also experience the thrill of landing a trophy bass. You also always want the bass to be there for the next time you fish that body of water.

If it's okay, I would like to cut-and-paste some excerpts on bass handling I read on the kayakbassfishing forum that I found very interesting:

Time

The pivotal factor to a successful release is time. Everything else is secondary to this. Time on the end of the hook fighting to get away, time out of the water unhooking, getting measurements and photographs, time handling the fish. Minimize the time involved by being prepared, and you can be sure you aren't impacting the fishery. This comes down to using the right tackle, the right line, the right tools. Its foolish to go out fishing for big bass with an ultra light panfish rig. It might be fun, but really its abusive in my eyes.

Handling

The next thing is handling. I personally prefer a picture while holding the fish horizontally. Big fish have a certain head shape that is featured best this way. Some guys like the gaping jaw look. Either hold id acceptable, for bass of any size, as long as its done right. I've heard the stories of fish with "broken jaws" and that this is from lipping the fish. I disagree. In fact there isn't one iota of evidence, research or anecdotal, that properly lipping a bass, and holding them vertically does any damage to the fish. Now, "tweak," or flexing the jaw unnaturally, as I see MANY pros do, and you are asking for trouble.

Holding a bass vertically is about the only way to ensure both the safety of the fish and angler when removing hooks. It is much preferable than laying the fish on its side, subjecting the fish to excessive slime removal. It gets a little trickier when treble hooked baits are involved, especially with smallmouth. For this a rubber net and/or a Boga Grip or Fish Grip will save the day. I try to unbutton trebles in the water, boat side.

The article also has some pictures:

This is how I hold a big bass (as you can see in my avatar)


This is the standard horizontal hold:


Trying to hold the bass out horizontally by it's lower jaw is WRONG.
Using the fishes weight and legnth to torque his spinal cord and twist his mouth open wider than it should open is completely wrong. If you find yourself doing this - stop it.

and this:

[Eskimo]

double post

[AndyS]

................

[tycomps]

my rule is proper tackle= minimal play time, vertical lipping= minimal contact, quick picture= back in the water asap. I want to catch them again every time they put a pound on!

[Gatto1227]

I'll be sure to work on that for ya pal but idk about comparing it to a guy holding a 20lb bass. I'm sure my 1 LBer made it tho

[Moz]

Originally Posted by Eskimo

LOL, Maybe it's just me but there just seems to be more wrong about that photo than just the way they're holding those lunkers.

[Gatto1227]

Originally Posted by Moz

LOL, Maybe it's just me but there just seems to be more wrong about that photo than just the way they're holding those lunkers.

Oh ya Like what??

[Moz]

Originally Posted by Gatto1227

Oh ya Like what??

Matching hats, sunglasses and tank-tops. Incredibly fashion-coordinated on the water.

Don't mind me, my sense of humor tends to be out there.