Pond Boss Forums PHOTO GALLERY Image Gallery Really hungry bass

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Laxbro,

Cool picture. I've seen lots of pics with fish hanging out of a LMB's mouth but this is the first one I've seen where the head of decent sized fish is pointed outward. All the rest of the pics I've seen are like the other fish in your pic with the tail pointed out. Never did make sense to me. Big fish chasing littler fish makes me think it should always be the head facing out. Maybe LMB turn their bigger prey around once they catch them for easier swallowing? Did you happen to notice if the BG facing out was maybe stuck in the LMB's mouth so it could not swallow it?

Bill D,
This is the same LMB with images from two different directions. Looks like this baitfish got turned a little sideways and it's head was poking out of the LMB gills. My guess is that this interfeared with gill function and the bass died. We found him floating on the lake. Bummer - nice fish !

Yep, I understand it was two fish in the same LMB. Maybe you answered my question anyway. If I understand correctly the dead LMB in the pic had a sizable BG head facing out that was stuck. Makes me think LMB typically catch larger prey and somehow reposition them before swallowing.

The tail was facing out partially and the head was caught in the LMB gills. I'm guessing that the LMB adjusts the prey in its' mouth to get the head down first, maybe to get the fins pointing in the right direction as it passes into the gullet? Sounds like a good research project for somebody.

I have a video of a bass crushing a trout sideways, swimming forward a couple of feet and then "adjusting" the trout to swallow it head first. I filmed this in our bath water clear pond two years back.

The LMB hit the 6" trout hard sideways and kept swimming forward. There was a pause when the LMB "released" the trout - the trout didn't swim away or try to, it just stayed suspended but it turned at an angle to face the LMB head first, and the LMB just sucked it in.

The manner in which the LMB released the trout seemed to me that it pushed the trout and moved it so it went from perpendicular to the LMB mouth to almost parallel. I saw this only once so in this instance where the trout seemed stunned I don't know if that is typical or unusual.

I realized a number of my misses especially on live bait was due to my setting the hook too soon. If I hooked the baitfish through the nostrils and set the hook when the fish struck straight away - if the LMB had hit the fish sideways all I did was rip the hook from nostrils. And this also then gave me insight as to why a number of my LMBs have been foul hooked on treble hook surface lures - the hooks set into the side of the mouth or face of the LMB as it hit the lure sideways like a "T".

You should post that video. I'd love to see it.

Yup! Me too.

basslover, I set the hook when I feel the bite. She has no hands and feeling the bite tells me she has it in her mouth. I also don't want the fish to swallow the hook and giving her that longer time may cause a deep hook setting. To each his own on hook setting but that's just the way I do it. I have also seen a large lmb suck in a 1/2 oz bass jig 8 to 10" from her face. Moving the bait 8 to 10" into her mouth without her charging the bait (jig). I also miss a bite every once in a while.