Yes, we put him back in after the pictures. He was cleanly hooked in the mouth. Later that day I caught a 4 lb fish making it the best big bass day for that pond. The 4lb fish had swallowed the hook and I cut the line. I hope that it survived, because it was also a beautiful and fat fish. I have read that gill hooked fish rarely survive but that swallowed hook fish can make it. is that so?
Here is another angle.
