Beware of dinks 2025
Ratherbfishing reply :
If a bass is going to impale you with hooks, it is most likely going to be a dink. They get a big old set of trebles in that tiny mouth-forcing you to either hold them by the body or to squeeze your fingers in right next to the hooks. Invariably, they will shake like mad as soon as you do the latter. Had two dinks impale me this evening.
Bluebasser86 reply :
That always sucks. I think the other thing with dinks, other than the fact there's not as much to hold onto, they always seem to have the most energy because they get cranked in so fast. So then you have a fish that's still very green and hard to get a grip on with lots of exposed trebles swinging around, it's a bad deal waiting to happen.
Ratherbfishing reply :
On 8/17/2016 at 3:39 PM, Bluebasser86 said:That always sucks. I think the other thing with dinks, other than the fact there's not as much to hold onto, they always seem to have the most energy because they get cranked in so fast. So then you have a fish that's still very green and hard to get a grip on with lots of exposed trebles swinging around, it's a bad deal waiting to happen.
Lately I've been letting them swim around awhile so they wear themselves down a bit. Doesn't always work, though.
Fun4Me reply :
Pliers. I learned my lesson long ago.
Turtle135 reply :
here is a handy tip for removing those trebles, I was glad I had watched this video a few times cause the guy I was fishing with over the weekend had a smallie bury a treble into his finger (the technique worked like a charm)
blckshirt98 reply :
If double trebles are hooked I'll always unhook the "lower" treble by grabbing it with pliers and shaking the fish. The remaining treble I'll either do the same if the fish is going crazy, or I'll grab the treble with the pliers and then grab the lip of the fish with a Vader death grip to make sure it doesn't thrash around too much. I've been lucky so far!
OCdockskipper reply :
On 8/18/2016 at 12:43 AM, blckshirt98 said:then grab the lip of the fish with a Vader death grip to make sure it doesn't thrash around too much...
Exactly. And don't kind of just reach in, once you go, commit and lock on.
Plus you end up changing how you hold the dink about 4 times while unhooking them. I'll shift from pressing on their belly to immobilize them, to grabbing them by the head, to sliding in a thumb on their tongue, basically working around wherever the hooks are. I bet those poor dinks are sore all over by the time they are released 
CybrSlydr reply :
Newbie question - what about swapping the treble hooks out for single hooks?
Does that negatively affect the way the lure moves?
MassYak85 reply :
For dinks that can't seem to calm down I usually get the pliers and grab a hold of the hook and (hopefully) use the fish's weight to dislodge it. Next step is to grab them by the body, which (knock on wood) hasn't failed me yet.
fishwizzard reply :
I rarely fish treble hooked lures and when I do I pinch the barbs, having had all manner of screws, nails, and staples stuck in me at work, I am pretty ok with loosing fish if it mean avoiding another infected puncture wound.
Bankbeater reply :
It's always fun when a dink falls off the hook into the boat, and then flops around on two or three other rigs, tangling them up before you can get him back in the water.
Sam reply :
On 8/18/2016 at 6:54 AM, CybrSlydr said:Newbie question - what about swapping the treble hooks out for single hooks?
Does that negatively affect the way the lure moves?
Yes.
Catt reply :
On 8/17/2016 at 10:30 AM, Ratherbfishing said:If a bass is going to impale you with hooks, it is most likely going to be a dink. They get a big old set of trebles in that tiny mouth-forcing you to either hold them by the body or to squeeze your fingers in right next to the hooks. Invariably, they will shake like mad as soon as you do the latter. Had two dinks impale me this evening.
Inspite of how prepared we are it's going to happen!
What I hate more is when 3-4# bass does it, they have the weight behind them to make it hurt!
blckshirt98 reply :
I always see the Elites grab bass on the body by gripping it from the top/back and pressing in on the sides near the gills to keep it from thrashing - I tried this and felt it just took off too much of the fish slime. I've also seen the Elites cradle the fish from the bottom like a baby but haven't tried this because this looks like it even takes off more slime.
OCdockskipper reply :
On 8/19/2016 at 1:54 AM, blckshirt98 said:I've also seen the Elites cradle the fish from the bottom like a baby but haven't tried this because this looks like it even takes off more slime.
The trick with this is to press one of your fingers on their stomach. It immobilizes them similar to pressing on their tongue.
Ratherbfishing reply :
On 8/19/2016 at 2:26 AM, OCdockskipper said:The trick with this is to press one of your fingers on their stomach.
Unless it's the Pillsbury dough bass. ; )
blckshirt98 reply :
On 8/19/2016 at 2:26 AM, OCdockskipper said:The trick with this is to press one of your fingers on their stomach. It immobilizes them similar to pressing on their tongue.
Wait, when you grab a fish by the lip you're supposed to press down on the tongue? I've NEVER done this, does it really work? Does this apply to all fisH?
Torn Thumb reply :
On 8/19/2016 at 2:32 AM, blckshirt98 said:Wait, when you grab a fish by the lip you're supposed to press down on the tongue? I've NEVER done this, does it really work? Does this apply to all fisH?
Yes. Especially pike.
WIGuide reply :
On 8/19/2016 at 3:50 AM, Torn Thumb said:Yes. Especially pike.
^ 
That one got me!
MassYak85 reply :
On 8/19/2016 at 4:21 AM, WIGuide said:^
That one got me!
Should have seen my dad's face the first (and only) timer he caught a walleye.
"This is an odd looking smallmouth"....He then proceeded to try and lip it and realized just in time that this was no cuddly little smallmouth haha.
OCdockskipper reply :
On 8/19/2016 at 2:32 AM, blckshirt98 said:Wait, when you grab a fish by the lip you're supposed to press down on the tongue? I've NEVER done this, does it really work? Does this apply to all fisH?
It works with largemouth, smallmouth & spotted bass. I have never tried to lip any other fish, they usually have teeth or their mouth is too small.
BassB8Caster reply :
Very interesting comments regarding pressing on the tongue and stomach. I have noticed that pros grab them over the top by the sides. I have been leary of this in fear of getting one of the dorsal spikes into the hand. Basically every fish i catch now i use the net, then remove the lure and lip them.
As far as dinks having more energy, im not sure i go by that. Im not saying its not true, but i have seen it vary body of water to body of water. I have caught small fish that freeze up and you just haul them across the water. They stay still until thrown back in the water. One pond i fish at the fish have crazy energy and strength. Its consistent at all sizes, even the 2-3.5lbers. When you grab ahold of them you need to really hold on. Im far from the strongest guy in the world, but some of those 2.5-3.5lbers make me feel kinda weak when they get thrashing. Usually i just let them go if i dont have them good, as to minimize stress and injury to them. My wild guess is there is some sort of correlation to fishing pressure to energy shown in these fish. Some seem to just know the drill when getting caught.
blckshirt98 reply :
Usually the larger fish spaz out just once or twice once they're out of the water. It's a healthy strong spaz but not a crazy manic flopping one. The smaller fish definitely spaz out more, usually several times where I sometimes talk to the fish "chill out I'm trying to help you dude", and it's very manic full body flipping around in the air. Lot of times I'll just unhook them with pliers right over the water and let them flop in.
Further North reply :
On 8/19/2016 at 2:32 AM, blckshirt98 said:Wait, when you grab a fish by the lip you're supposed to press down on the tongue? I've NEVER done this, does it really work? Does this apply to all fisH?
On 8/19/2016 at 3:50 AM, Torn Thumb said:Yes. Especially pike.
Works on muskies too.
That's what my friend "Lefty" says anyway...
Torn Thumb reply :
That's a flipping dinosaur!
Further North reply :
On 8/21/2016 at 10:04 AM, Torn Thumb said:That's a flipping dinosaur!
That's what about a third of the folks who see that picture say...
ClackerBuzz reply :
yup i let them bounces off the kayak 5-10 seconds to calm themselves down. kinda like those old paddles with a rubberband and pink ball
Rhino68W reply :
Fish grips are a blessing when it comes to trebles lol
I have yet (knock on wood) to be hooked.
On 8/21/2016 at 8:52 AM, Further North said:
Works on muskies too.
That's what my friend "Lefty" says anyway...
Nope
GORDO reply :
On 8/20/2016 at 3:06 AM, blckshirt98 said:I sometimes talk to the fish "chill out I'm trying to help you dude"
LOL I thought I was the only one who did this!
Avery reply :
On 8/19/2016 at 3:37 PM, OCdockskipper said:It works with largemouth, smallmouth & spotted bass. I have never tried to lip any other fish, they usually have teeth or their mouth is too small.
I can lip the catfish in my pond but if I do it at the lake, them suckers will hurt like hell
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