Mishandling Bass 2024
guisingerevan reply :
I see all these pictures of people who lay a bass down on the ground and take a picture with it on the grass or whatever it is on. Do people not realize that the reason bass are "slimy" is because they have a protective layer on the outside that fights off bacteria and viruses in the water that without it could kill them, and when they lay it on the ground that rubs off? I know it sounds a little extreme but I've done a lot of research on this and it can be very harmful to their health. I don't know, maybe it's just me being over worried about bass populations. What do you guys think?
1234567 reply :
I think overall it may be somewhat harmful but not life threatening. If that were the case some local areas I fish all the fish would be dead.
geo g reply :
We just went through this type of post about 3 weeks ago. Not again! 
Raul reply :
I'm a veterinary surgeon, for several years I worked in Mexico's equivalent of the DNR at the aquaculture center breeding several species of carp, tilapia, catfish and bass, not only you are overworried, what you have researched is true to a certain point, the problem is the interpretation, exageration and mis interpretation of the information is the result.On 4/7/2014 at 2:42 AM, guisingerevan said:I see all these pictures of people who lay a bass down on the ground and take a picture with it on the grass or whatever it is on. Do people not realize that the reason bass are "slimy" is because they have a protective layer on the outside that fights off bacteria and viruses in the water that without it could kill them, and when they lay it on the ground that rubs off? I know it sounds a little extreme but I've done a lot of research on this and it can be very harmful to their health. I don't know, maybe it's just me being over worried about bass populations. What do you guys think?
Scott F reply :
Laying them on the ground may not be a huge problem but it certainly is not good for them either.
Hyrule Bass reply :
i believe we all agree fish should be treated with care, but in certain cases many people over worry about it. the fish is much tougher than people think.
AK-Jax86 reply :
Here we go again lol
buzzed bait reply :
more important i think the time spent on the ground (out of the water) vs. being on the ground itself
Mainebass1984 reply :
Laying them directly on the ground should be avoided. Laying them down on a wet towel prevents much of the slime coat from being removed. Removal of the slime coating does make them more susceptible to diseases until the slime coat is replenished. Luckily they start to replenish the slime coat as soon as it is lost. They also are continually replenishing, refreshing this slime coat for the duration of their lives.
hatrix reply :
I would think the carpet from a boat deck would be worse then grass. But I could be wrong. It just seems like it would remove more of the coating then grass. With that being the case many trophy fish end up flopping around on a boat deck and I am pretty sure they make it.
fishinthedacks reply :
One of the spillways I fish that I catch a ton on the fish tend to hit the concrete on the way up and and even if I try to set them on the wet towel they flop around before I can grab them and are covered with stones, dirt etc. Then as I unhook them they are touched by my hands. I think it's more of an issue in small fish than bigger fish. I notice the bigger fish tend to recover in an instance and I rarely see bigger dead fish on shore but the smaller fish tend to seem more dazed by it and I do see a lot of smaller dead fish on shore (under 7") Wether it's swallowing a hook, spending too much time out of water, losing slime etc it's part of our sport/hobby. It happens. But seriously most of us are hunters too. Why are we so worried about a fish dying (Rarely when we aren't eating them anyways) as opposed to my bullet exploding a grown bucks heart? Deer can be tamed, pet, hand fed, and are kind of cute when they aren't destroying our cars and trucks. But seriously.... It's part of our hobby/sport and if someone wants to get a good pic of their 11lb bass next to something for size comparison. So be it. We all pay for our license and do have the right to keep that fish, gut it, and eat it. A lot of people taking grass pics are doing just that from my experience.
I have a problem with people bowfishing. Especially fish they don't plan to eat. I know a guy who takes out 10-12 carp every few days via bow. Then lets them rot for the birds. That, I have a problem with. I may be not native american but if I kill a fish it's going to be dinner. I've even had smaller sun fish swallow a hook I couldn't save and I gut them, wrap them in aluminum foil throw them on the grill with salt, pepper, butter and eat the 3-4 forkfuls out of them because I'm not going to kill something for fun. I'm a fisherman and I respect nature, and the sport.
daiwaguy reply :
On 4/7/2014 at 9:14 AM, fishinthedacks said:One of the spillways I fish that I catch a ton on the fish tend to hit the concrete on the way up and and even if I try to set them on the wet towel they flop around before I can grab them and are covered with stones, dirt etc. Then as I unhook them they are touched by my hands. I think it's more of an issue in small fish than bigger fish. I notice the bigger fish tend to recover in an instance and I rarely see bigger dead fish on shore but the smaller fish tend to seem more dazed by it and I do see a lot of smaller dead fish on shore (under 7") Wether it's swallowing a hook, spending too much time out of water, losing slime etc it's part of our sport/hobby. It happens. But seriously most of us are hunters too. Why are we so worried about a fish dying (Rarely when we aren't eating them anyways) as opposed to my bullet exploding a grown bucks heart? Deer can be tamed, pet, hand fed, and are kind of cute when they aren't destroying our cars and trucks. But seriously.... It's part of our hobby/sport and if someone wants to get a good pic of their 11lb bass next to something for size comparison. So be it. We all pay for our license and do have the right to keep that fish, gut it, and eat it. A lot of people taking grass pics are doing just that from my experience.
I have a problem with people bowfishing. Especially fish they don't plan to eat. I know a guy who takes out 10-12 carp every few days via bow. Then lets them rot for the birds. That, I have a problem with. I may be not native american but if I kill a fish it's going to be dinner. I've even had smaller sun fish swallow a hook I couldn't save and I gut them, wrap them in aluminum foil throw them on the grill with salt, pepper, butter and eat the 3-4 forkfuls out of them because I'm not going to kill something for fun. I'm a fisherman and I respect nature, and the sport
I understand what you are saying in regards to native species. But around here our rivers are being overrun with Asain Carp and it is a huge problem for our native species. We cannot even drive boats down the river without being on the look out for one flying in and hitting you in the face. My Friends and I all Bow hunt these fish and though I cannot use al of them and some get wasted I try to cut htem up and us them as cut bait for trot lines. I would say on a day when we get 20 I cut two and throw the rest. But there are schools of hundreds that jump out of the water every 10 yards it seems.
guisingerevan reply :
On 4/7/2014 at 9:14 AM, fishinthedacks said:One of the spillways I fish that I catch a ton on the fish tend to hit the concrete on the way up and and even if I try to set them on the wet towel they flop around before I can grab them and are covered with stones, dirt etc. Then as I unhook them they are touched by my hands. I think it's more of an issue in small fish than bigger fish. I notice the bigger fish tend to recover in an instance and I rarely see bigger dead fish on shore but the smaller fish tend to seem more dazed by it and I do see a lot of smaller dead fish on shore (under 7") Wether it's swallowing a hook, spending too much time out of water, losing slime etc it's part of our sport/hobby. It happens. But seriously most of us are hunters too. Why are we so worried about a fish dying (Rarely when we aren't eating them anyways) as opposed to my bullet exploding a grown bucks heart? Deer can be tamed, pet, hand fed, and are kind of cute when they aren't destroying our cars and trucks. But seriously.... It's part of our hobby/sport and if someone wants to get a good pic of their 11lb bass next to something for size comparison. So be it. We all pay for our license and do have the right to keep that fish, gut it, and eat it. A lot of people taking grass pics are doing just that from my experience.
I have a problem with people bowfishing. Especially fish they don't plan to eat. I know a guy who takes out 10-12 carp every few days via bow. Then lets them rot for the birds. That, I have a problem with. I may be not native american but if I kill a fish it's going to be dinner. I've even had smaller sun fish swallow a hook I couldn't save and I gut them, wrap them in aluminum foil throw them on the grill with salt, pepper, butter and eat the 3-4 forkfuls out of them because I'm not going to kill something for fun. I'm a fisherman and I respect nature, and the sport.
It is actually in some states illegal to throw back asian carp
Bassguytom reply :
Hey was that a bass in the gassy knoll in Dallas? Sorry I just can't help myself sometimes.
gulfcaptain reply :
I don't mind the pictures of a fish on the grass. What bothers me is the fisherman that lays the fish on the grass, fumbles around in his tackle bag looking for his scale, runs to his car because he remembered where he put it with fish in tow, lays it back down after weighing it, takes a picture, then walks around to find someone to take a picture of him holding it up. Makes me want to hold him underwater as long as he has had the fish out of the water.
SirSnookalot reply :
On 4/8/2014 at 9:29 AM, gulfcaptain said:I don't mind the pictures of a fish on the grass. What bothers me is the fisherman that lays the fish on the grass, fumbles around in his tackle bag looking for his scale, runs to his car because he remembered where he put it with fish in tow, lays it back down after weighing it, takes a picture, then walks around to find someone to take a picture of him holding it up. Makes me want to hold him underwater as long as he has had the fish out of the water.
I agree.
It isn't my business what kind of pictures are taken by others, as far as picture worthy is concerned. If a fish has an unusual marking, blemish or a scar I may take a photo, or catching one on a new lure. I just don't see the point of taking a picture and weighing a 1 lb fish just because one is in possession of a camera and scale, unless a 1 pounder is your personal best.
Alonerankin2 reply :
Sounds like Treehugger stuff to me....
Smallmouth Hunter reply :
On 4/7/2014 at 3:05 AM, 1234567 said:I think overall it may be somewhat harmful but not life threatening. If that were the case some local areas I fish all the fish would be dead.
This is not true.. I have had two experiences where lack of slime coat has killed fish.
1. I had a albino cichlid of some kind which grew to about 7". One day the tank started leaking so I had to repair it and so I put the fish in a bucket which I filled with some tank water. I took the bucket outside and started to repair the tank with some caulk/glue. The fish jumps out of the bucket into the grass and flops about as I try and grab him and put him back in the bucket. He was on the grass for about 20 seconds, and within ONE DAY, he was dead. You could see the slime hanging off of him and the dirt that coated him as he swam around. Disease got to him and his mouth, nose, and gills had a mucus like substance coming out.
2. A neighbor's son came over to the landscape pond which had a pet bass in it. It was in the common space so it didn't belong to anyone. He caught the bass with a net and put it on the ground to look at it. It was there for probably 30 seconds flopping in the dirt and grass. He then put it back in and left. Later that day as I walked my dog I saw the fish floating on the surface, dead.
PLEASE do not mistreat bass. Support their body so you don't hurt their jaw, and DO NOT let them flop on the ground. The slime layer is very important. It does not always kill the fish, but it will kill some so why risk it? You can call me a tree hugger or whatever, but the truth is that it will hurt fish. I see all kinds of videos on YT of people skidding the bass up into the grass and I cringe every time.
1234567 reply :
On 4/9/2014 at 1:07 AM, aprw1 said:This is not true.. I have had two experiences where lack of slime coat has killed fish.
1. I had a albino cichlid of some kind which grew to about 7". One day the tank started leaking so I had to repair it and so I put the fish in a bucket which I filled with some tank water. I took the bucket outside and started to repair the tank with some caulk/glue. The fish jumps out of the bucket into the grass and flops about as I try and grab him and put him back in the bucket. He was on the grass for about 20 seconds, and within ONE DAY, he was dead. You could see the slime hanging off of him and the dirt that coated him as he swam around. Disease got to him and his mouth, nose, and gills had a mucus like substance coming out.
2. A neighbor's son came over to the landscape pond which had a pet bass in it. It was in the common space so it didn't belong to anyone. He caught the bass with a net and put it on the ground to look at it. It was there for probably 30 seconds flopping in the dirt and grass. He then put it back in and left. Later that day as I walked my dog I saw the fish floating on the surface, dead.
PLEASE do not mistreat bass. Support their body so you don't hurt their jaw, and DO NOT let them flop on the ground. The slime layer is very important. It does not always kill the fish, but it will kill some so why risk it? You can call me a tree hugger or whatever, but the truth is that it will hurt fish. I see all kinds of videos on YT of people skidding the bass up into the grass and I cringe every time.
Although I believe your experience with what you shared to be somewhat isolated incidents I don't believe this happens often. One area I fish when I've only a short time to fish, I've caught hundreds and hundreds of bass from over the years. Although not every bass I catch here touches the ground, but a good amount of them do. I rarely see a dead bass from here. I can't even remember the last time I saw a dead one from there. Now if people are going to attribute other variables along with what kills the fish, covered in dirt, out of the water too long, breaking there jaws, bounced of concrete walls or rocks, then I agree wholly that all are contributors to it's demise. Just laying it on the grass for a few seconds more times than not will not kill a bass. Is it potentially hazardous, sure, is it certain death, no, not even close.
The Commodore reply :
Unless it is a big or unusual fish, I like to put it right back in. I do not put fish on grass anymore or at least try to avoid it as much as possible.
What I think is worse is the way some people hold large mouth by the mouth and take photos with them.
gulfcaptain reply :
I like to wrap mine in a blanket or a towel before laying it down on the ground....makes it look as though the fish is on vaction, or it was just cold.....j/k proper handling of the fish is crucial, if the grass is wet/damp I'm sure it doesn't harm them as much as laying them in the dirt. I would rather hold them by there mouths kinda like how I am in the profile picture, get the pic and release them. IF I can't locate my scale right off the bat, I make sure to put them in the water as I hold them to give the fish a breather before weighing. Bottom line handle with care. And the story about the fishtank, well the bad thing there, IF you used a caulk/glue well there's the 1st problem. Needs to be aquarium safe silicone. If that wasn't used, sorry my friend you poisoned you fish and his 20 sec ordeal had nothing to do with his demise. I've have my fish jump out of the fish tank, flop around on the carpet, pick them up and put them back in and a minute later they were begging for food. Stress, water temp, and health of the fish will determine if they live or not. And ofcourse if you leave the fish out on the grass for like 5min that may play a role as well.
Smallmouth Hunter reply :
On 4/9/2014 at 4:05 AM, gulfcaptain said:And the story about the fishtank, well the bad thing there, IF you used a caulk/glue well there's the 1st problem.
It was aquarium sealant caulk... Made of silicon I believe.
Of course not every fish is going to die if you put it in the grass. Probably only a small fraction of them will, but why risk it?
1234567 reply :
Proper handling is very important. This below bothers me more personally more than a bass laying in the grass for a quick pic. Unfortunately this can be observed at the top level and examples far worse than this are seen.
Wbeadlescomb reply :
I guess putting a filet knife to them while they are still flipping is harmful to there health?
Brian Needham reply :
On 4/9/2014 at 6:31 AM, Wbeadlescomb said:I guess putting a filet knife to them while they are still flipping is harmful to there health?
actually quite tasty
boostr reply :
I bet those 2 fish that were flopping in the yard and by the pond were flopping on chemicaly treated grass. 
CDMeyer reply :
Fishing is a gift to us from GOD we should treat the fish with respect. Yes it does harm them, and it drives me crazy to see that as well.
It must be a pretty big deal because in MFL Tournaments they are penalized something around 2mins for a fish hitting any part of the boat (slim rubbing off, and visual damage)
macmichael reply :
I am guilty of placing them on the grass but not on gravel, dirt, or concrete. I agree that if this is harmful to the fish, it shouldn't be done. I have never had a bass die on me because of it flopping on grass or my boat carpet. I have respect for all fish and animals and most allways release bass to be caught again and again.
That being said I find it very diffcult when deer or turkey hunting to shoot and release. 
SirSnookalot reply :
Saying treating a fish with respect after one has taken it out of it's natural environment in the first place is total hypocrisy. If we cared that much about the fish we wouldn't fish for them at all, sell our gear and join PITA. We don't always know what happens to a fish after it swims off, personally I think most are ok but no real way to know about all of them. As a group of fishermen we handle fish as best as we can so we can keep catching them. Are we not really putting our priorities first? I'm not about to torture a fish, keep it out of the water longer than I need to in order to take a photo or weigh a tiny fish. I'm also not going to kiss or caress it, stroke it with more kindness than I would my wife. Fishing is a blood activity, some fish will be fine and others not, I don't take it to heart that much.
RipSomeLips reply :
On 4/10/2014 at 2:31 PM, SirSnookalot said:Saying treating a fish with respect after one has taken it out of it's natural environment in the first place is total hypocrisy. If we cared that much about the fish we wouldn't fish for them at all, sell our gear and join PITA. We don't always know what happens to a fish after it swims off, personally I think most are ok but no real way to know about all of them. As a group of fishermen we handle fish as best as we can so we can keep catching them. Are we not really putting our priorities first? I'm not about to torture a fish, keep it out of the water longer than I need to in order to take a photo or weigh a tiny fish. I'm also not going to kiss or caress it, stroke it with more kindness than I would my wife. Fishing is a blood activity, some fish will be fine and others not, I don't take it to heart that much.
You gave an emotional response to this topic and I understand that, but to me emotion doesn't play a role in how we should treat a fish, facts and common sense should. If the facts didn't tell us that fish often die days later from being mishandled, then I wouldn't be writing this right now, but guess what, the facts do say that.
What I would recommend is you taking some time to step away from peoples conjecture and opinion, and read a great In-Fisherman book about bass fishing that was written in the 1990's. They have a section of the book that deals with just what we are talking about here today, the proper way to handle a bass and what their studies have show you should and more importantly NOT do to take care of any fish you catch. A few of the rules from this book off the top of my head are as follows:
1) Wet your hands before holding the bass body to prevent the slime coating form breaking down.
2) 30 Sec. is the golden rule, keep a bass out longer and his chance of survival starts to go down, stay inside the 30 sec. and its a 99.9% chance the bass will live.
3) Never hold a bass anything buy vertically, meaning straight up and down, by holding the jaw/lip. You must support the basses full weight with your other hand if you want to hold it horizontally. (Please note this is my pet peeve and also something you see a lot of pros do on TV when they should know better. When holding a bass by its jaw and cranking on it the extra pressure or weight can tear the fabric of their jaw, oftentimes the angler doesn't even know they have done it and in severe cases the bass can no longer eat well and he slowy starves of the next few weeks. So just because you see the fish swim away doesn't mean he is just fine.
4) No face punches....haha. ok that one was just to see if your still reading.
All in all we owe it to mother nature, and we owe it to each other to learn the best way to handle and car for a beatiful creature like a bass, so that we can have better fisheries in the future.
SirSnookalot reply :
I would like to think most people already know how to properly handle fish, whether they choose to or not is up to them. The ones that won't handle them properly will not change what they do regardless of lecturing, people that handle the properly don't need the lecture. I never said I don't properly handle a fish, I said I don't take a fish's demise too much to heart, If I did I wouldn't be fishing at all. We have no control of what happens to a fish once we release it even giving it perfect care. In the case of a gut hooked fish the original intent was to release, with some the hook may be removed safely, again we don't know how they fair once they swim off. Some of those fish are going to die, it's part of fishing and I understand that. I just can't get too worked up over a fish that doesn't make it, doesn't mean I'm not doing my best to try and avoid it.
Lund Explorer reply :
On 4/10/2014 at 4:38 PM, RipSomeLips said:You gave an emotional response to this topic and I understand that, but to me emotion doesn't play a role in how we should treat a fish, facts and common sense should. If the facts didn't tell us that fish often die days later from being mishandled, then I wouldn't be writing this right now, but guess what, the facts do say that.
What I would recommend is you taking some time to step away from peoples conjecture and opinion, and read a great In-Fisherman book about bass fishing that was written in the 1990's. They have a section of the book that deals with just what we are talking about here today, the proper way to handle a bass and what their studies have show you should and more importantly NOT do to take care of any fish you catch. A few of the rules from this book off the top of my head are as follows:
1) Wet your hands before holding the bass body to prevent the slime coating form breaking down.
2) 30 Sec. is the golden rule, keep a bass out longer and his chance of survival starts to go down, stay inside the 30 sec. and its a 99.9% chance the bass will live.
3) Never hold a bass anything buy vertically, meaning straight up and down, by holding the jaw/lip. You must support the basses full weight with your other hand if you want to hold it horizontally. (Please note this is my pet peeve and also something you see a lot of pros do on TV when they should know better. When holding a bass by its jaw and cranking on it the extra pressure or weight can tear the fabric of their jaw, oftentimes the angler doesn't even know they have done it and in severe cases the bass can no longer eat well and he slowy starves of the next few weeks. So just because you see the fish swim away doesn't mean he is just fine.
4) No face punches....haha. ok that one was just to see if your still reading.
All in all we owe it to mother nature, and we owe it to each other to learn the best way to handle and car for a beatiful creature like a bass, so that we can have better fisheries in the future.
Prior to making any recommendations, I would suggest that you research the untold number of threads in the history of this forum. It isn't very hard to find them, nor is it hard to see that many of the members here are very emotional about it. Snook's post made complete sense to anyone who isn't emotionally involved in the subject.
My opinion on the subject?
You have to understand that are many of us that have lived long enough to remember the days before the idea of catch and release was even thought of. We fished in the days where you brought home for dinner whatever you caught. We witnessed tournament weigh ins when anglers brought their day's catch to the scales on a stringer.
Ray Scott had a great idea. You start a policy to keep those fish alive and you put them back into the lake where they were caught to swim away. But what many people don't understand that it wasn't just about saving the fish. You have to understand it was also about saving the sport. Locals didn't like to see the pros come onto "their" lakes and catching/killing hundreds of "their" fish. Not that many of these locals didn't kill their own catch, that was beside the point.
Every good deed do not go unpunished, and so it is with today's view of catch and release. You don't need any more proof than to read some of the posts on this forum. There are people who became so upset that they just couldn't fish anymore that day. Why? Because they hurt a fish! I have no idea how so many people came to the conclusion that the act of fishing could be accomplished without having an impact on the fish, but many feel that way. And they are wrong.
The same goes for today's crop of tournament fishermen. Take those bass for a boat ride, weigh them in, toss them back, and go home. They're aren't there when a portion of them float to the surface the next morning, and they don't see the locals fishing retreads they helped stock at the landing.
In short, for many fishermen, Reality Needs To Rear It's Ugly Head!
It's hard to reply to an emotional response without using emotion. The thing that's really missing from many of these original posters is logic.
Glenn reply :
Two things:
1. We have A TON of information on this site about proper handling for catch and release.
2. Too much catch and release is a bad thing, and will harm the fishery just as much as too much harvesting. Limits are there for a reason - as a management tool. They don't work if people don't harvest every now and then. Hunters understand this concept moreso than bass anglers. We also have a TON of information about pond and lake management using limits and harvesting.
McAlpine reply :
You all are worried about a fish laying on the grass, what about Zona playing a big bass like a guitar and rubbing him all over this pants and sweatshirt? Now that is completely uncalled for and irresponsible. Especially for a guy who outside of this type of idiocy is a great icon of our sport.
Ugh.
bigbill reply :
Relax don't do it.........
John G reply :
On 4/7/2014 at 2:42 AM, guisingerevan said:I see all these pictures of people who lay a bass down on the ground and take a picture with it on the grass or whatever it is on. Do people not realize that the reason bass are "slimy" is because they have a protective layer on the outside that fights off bacteria and viruses in the water that without it could kill them, and when they lay it on the ground that rubs off? I know it sounds a little extreme but I've done a lot of research on this and it can be very harmful to their health. I don't know, maybe it's just me being over worried about bass populations. What do you guys think?
OntarioFishingGuy reply :
I have seen people swing fish from the bank onto concrete and let them fall on it and sit there while they take their merry time taking a picture, and then put them back in the water and act surprised when they dont swim away. If you are going to release fish, please do it properly.
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