This has only happened maybe 5 times in the last 2 years and the most recent just a few minutes ago. I caught a 7 1/2in. cnbg and when I got the single hook out of its lip it flopped out of my hand and onto the carpeted floor of my pontoon boat. This was about a 3 foot drop. It killed the fish instantly!! This has happened before and 2 times I can remember when I tossed them back in the pond they instantly died from impact on the water. I really take care of my babies but accident happen. My question is...Are cnbg that sensitive to being dropped normally. I have caught many hundreds of fish out of my pond and I always just toss them right back in the water with no problem. This last one was extremely healthy looking and to me it just seems strange that it would have died like that. Is there a certain part of their body or head that would do that if dropped or do I maybe have something else going on?? Just trying to learn all I can about them.

Wow James that is a first for me.... never had that happen to me

Sorry about your fish. I can't remember that ever happening. You must have scared the life out of him.

I have known this to happen with tropical fish (for aquariums) although very rare. I suspect that the stress of jumping out of the tank or falling out of a net onto the floor along with the impact is enough for some fish to call it quits. More of a stress/shock related death rather than physical trauma.

Is it possible that the fish were merely knocked out?

I have tossed a few pan fish pack into ponds that have died over my lifetime, but always contributed the death to deep hooking or the stress of being caught.

I'm so clumsy mine expect to be dropped as part the the release process! if they all died from that, I would be out of fish. Bounce off dock, foot, ground, etc.... If they would quit poking me with those fins, I wouldn't drop nearly as many.

Never had that happen to me that I recall with any sunfish in over 56 years of fishing. I dropped several that were moved to my pond from another pond, and it appears they all survived.

I thought I was the only one that did that!

One thing I started doing is to wear a glove on my left hand. That has cut fish drops and fin pokes down about 90%.

I first did that when I blew my left hand up with a piece of metal that flew out of a press. Once the open wound healed enough so I thought it was safe to get it wet I wanted to fish. But the last thing I wanted was fin pokes and the chance of getting infection in a hand that was still far from being completely healed.

I started off with a plain brown jersey type glove. I would dip it in clean water before handling the fish so it would be wet. It worked so well I just kept using a glove and fish all the time with one on my left hand.

I bought some regular fishing gloves, but I don't like them as good as some freebee gloves I got at a farm show. They are thin and very stretchy so they fit tight on my hand and they are made such that left or right doesn't make much difference so I can use them all for left hand. I think they may be some type of gardening glove. They remind me of those orange stretchy gloves with the rubber strips on the palm that are made to get wet. Only these are thinner with no rubber strips.

Maybe it is a bad idea for the fish slime coat, I don't know. But I have to believe it is better than dropping them in the dirt and it sure almost eliminates getting poked by the fins. I keep a gallon can of pond water that I dip my gloved hand in before handling the fish.

Here is a picture of the type glove I am using.
gloved handling fish

If it landed just right on it's head, they will stun, and or die instantly...

The only ones that I have had die, ever.....are the ones that got stuck too deep in the soft tissue and bled....and many of those seemed to recover.

Commotio cordis is a blow that disrupts the rhythm of the heart and causes cardiac arrest in mammals. Maybe the same thin can happen in some fish.

I've killed three HBG by dropping them from waist height, onto the grass. A popping noise, spasms, and death.

Thank you everyone. I know fish nerves can be sensitive and no more times that it has happened I guess I will call it a accident. I had a man show me on catfish if you grab them and sqeeze tight around the tail just in front of the "V" the fish will stand straight out like a 2x4 board. Release him and goes limp and right back to normall. Dambdest thing I have ever seen. I used to sell live catfish and have tested this many times. Has anyone else ever done it? Just curious.

I have had guest drop two CNBG on the dock.

Killed them dead as a hammer.....didn't even flop.

Blue gill seem to be head heavy, especially males. Ice fishing I have to be carefull, if they spit the hook after they are out of the hole but before I grab them, they always hit head first and ussuLy don't do to well. I have never iced a copper nose though, Flame, be great full you don't have to worry about that.