What is the proper way to lip a large bass for hook removal? Also, is it safe to weigh a large fish (or even a trophy BG) with a Boga-grip scale? (I want to keep accurate length/weight records when I finally have a finished pond to manage.)
I happened across an old thread,
Pulled one off the bottom. that didn't get clearly resolved because the fish handling discussion did not match the Subject line. (It also got a little heated.)
I have always lipped big bass with my thumb in the center of the lower jaw
and my right index finger running down the left side of the fish's jaw. It feels to me that I have very little pressure on the jaw, and the weight of the fish is hanging down the spine. Cecil said he frequently gets taxidermy fish with broken jaws. I wanted to re-open this topic in Q&O, since Mr. Baird has more knowledge in his pinkie toe than I have in my whole body.
I also know that we would all hate to damage a big fish that we were planning on returning to our pond - especially considering how much effort it took to raise that fish.
