Good day! Wish I had the catch on video.

Very nice fish! Hope that you kept it. Probably won't survive if released.

Pretty sure she'll survive. If I mount one, I get a replica made anyway.

Holding a LMB that large by just the lip generally kills them after release. Best to just keep them after that.

About 95% sure she lived.

Possibly, but studies show they often die days later.

Important to support the belly of a lunker. Also, I've heard it's best to get hands wet before handling, as otherwise the protective slime might be stripped away and they are vulnerable to infection.

I've caught the same fish once before, with similar post catch activities. Maybe she was lucky, idk. I live next to the pond, so I'll monitor to see if she floats up. I think I'm ok though.

Most dead fish never float. What is the name of your pet fish? Does she have distinctive markings? Nothing personal, I am a scientist and routinely push back on anecdotal evidence that conflicts with documented evidence. That said, we all can learn new things. A friend caught a 6.4lb LMB out of my pond in hot weather. He kept it and ate it because I knew it had a poor chance of survival after the fight in hot water. He caught another a year later and I did the same thing. Don't think it was the same fish.

The fish has a distinctive' "crooked" back. I can show you pics if you want from the first time I caught it. What are your credentials besides being an online smart-ass? I caught the fish, I weighed it because I wanted to know, and I released it. No interest in eating one that size, and if I had wanted a mount, it would be a replica so as not to needlessly take those genes out of my pond. There was no negative to releasing the fish.

You know, that's 7.9 lb post spawn. I'll bet she was pushing 9 when full of eggs! Do you have Florida genes in your pond?

Now I do, bit it's a nonfactor. Added f1's (2 inch) in June. Hopefully some survive.

Same fish

Gorgeous. My pond record is around 7 lb, and I have a lot of Florida genetics. Hybrid stripers have done better than LMB for me, to be honest.

I've fished this pond for 26 years. Caught a fish that big 4 times, a handful of 4.5lber, the rest are TINY! I've finally gotten serious and tried to start harvesting, adding a little structure, f1's, golden shiners, and crawfish. Hopefully, I get some decent bass in the next 4 to 5 years. I'd love to catch a 10lber. They're not common in NC.

Just 40 years as a biologist. It's your pond so do what you want.

I get it. There's a good chance the fish could die. I should have had scales handy, and got him back I'm the water faster. However, after that, there are no negative consequences of turning him back. There are replicas I couldd make had he been bigger, and I didn't want to eat her. Whether the survival chance is 10% or 90%, why not take it?

You guys are killin' me..
I had to make a few calls to some of our Hatchery techs and see what data we actually had available and I'll share the consensus on that, but there is another "huge" issue, the time that fish was out of the water. Per the video, nearly 3 minutes coming out of the bag.
I have no dog in this fight but without any other consideration, I would not have returned that fish without a soak in salt, electrolytes and a sedative for 30 minutes with a slow drop of 5 degs in that 30 min just due to high surface temps this time of year and the fact the fish was laid on the ground and then see how her color and attitude were.
Data shows water temp affects mortality more than any other factor but is made much worse with increased time hooked and played, doesn't matter if 1lb or 10lbs, there are still chemical changes in the fish's blood that dictate rate of recovery.
2 of the bios I talked with found the same document that had the same findings of a 12lb bass having the same survival rate as a 4lb bass if exposed to the same amount of time hooked and played.
The only thing we could find on survival % post release tied back to water temp, not size of bass, and the length of time the fish was fought.
I have to agree with RAH on this, I think that fish has a very low chance of survival, but I hope I'm wrong.
15-20 sec out of water is all it takes for brain damage to start. Following up with salt/electrolytes and sedatives is a must for fish handling and increasing the chance of survival significantly.

I also noticed the time out of the water, but if it was not going to the fryer, then its worth a shot trying to release. My neighbor sticks to spring and fall fishing in my ponds so that the cooler water minimizes ill effects on released fish. He also prefers the fish that he eats caught out of cool water. When I was a kid, I certainly fished during the hot weather, but that was stream/creek fishing.

Great fish, and great thread! I'm constantly learning stuff on this site. I don't keep release fish out of the water long but now I'm going to be much more critical of my methods and more observant of the amount of time I goof with one.


General consensus is that barbless hooks are healthier for release fish, but does it really matter? If fight time, water temp, time out of water, lip holds, etc all add up to dead fish does the barbless even factor in much?

IMO, a barbless hook is easily removed with obviously less damage than a barbed hook, so less time to remove the hook and less physical damage to the fish all appear on the plus side of the equation.

We do the same.

Lighten up, bro. We're all friends here. This is one of the few places to go on the interwebs and not be drowned in fighting and arguments.

It's not necessary to agree with everything posted, but there's no need for personal attacks.

Can you clarify, please? Is it the duration of the hold, or any lip hold? Vertical or at an angle? Out of the water, or partially in the water?

Nearly every bass caught by anglers is landed and held by the lip for at least a few moments.

Fish was out of water for 2min and 15 seconds consecutively. Too long, but it wasn't 3 minutes.

Everything about the handling of the fish after the first 6-7 posts is just beating a dead horse. Would I have handled a fish like that? No. But the message has been sent, so let's move on. Bottom line is the OP was proud of his fish, and he should be.

Clarifying how to properly display a fish is fine, so let's stop targeting from both sides of the isle.

In reply to a question posted above: Caught when hot outside, out of water too long in warm weather, and too much angle on the lip hold even though for only a short time. We all have done it, but the science says many of these fish die over the next few days, and many never float, so we don't see them die. Just one of the many things that I learned later in life. Hopefully, this thread will lead others to investigate this. I certainly did my share of Googling when I first heard this. Of course, as with all online searches, it's important to look at the credibility of the source.

RAH:

You clearly can't take a hint when told it's time to shut up.

That is simply rude and a competent moderator would not behave this way.

Potential to break the hinge point of jaw when holding solely by the jaw. Best to use two hands with one on the jaw and one under the fish where the belly ends to fully support the fish.