Sorry if you took my suggestions personal, but just two points and I will keep quiet:
1.) My comments were not just an opinion but based on personal observation of trophy fish that I've mounted for other anglers going on 29 years now. I've also been growing out trophy bass, bluegill, yellow perch, and brook and brown trout since 1994 in ponds and can see them close up and personal. My main method of harvest is hook and line before they are sold and shipped whole frozen as far away as Hawaii.
2.). These celebrity anglers typically fish large bodies of water and probably will never catch the same fish again to know what effects they had on the fish they release.
Next time you fish a body of water that gets a lot of catch and release bass take a close look at the maxillary bone on each side of the mouth. You'll start noticing one side will be malformed. That 's most likely from a treble hook. And check the lower lip. You may find the two bones that come together in the center of the lip are seperated.
You have to understand that I have only one photo on here of me holding maybe a 2 1/2lb bass by the lip, just for that one photo, I'm lectured. Again this is all based on assumption that basic lip holding "ruins" the fish. You don't know how that fish you mounted was handled by the angler.
I have the privilege of fishing 3 small bodies of water, largest being about 3-4 acres. There has been several occasions where I've caught the same fish twice...if not more, which shows they weren't damaged and is alive and feeding well. Out of the many years of fishing our ponds, I have never seen a mouth deformity or a skinny bass from all that I've caught.
I do fish public high pressured areas often and do notice mouth deformities there. There are many uneducated people who fish these areas that don't know how to properly handle fish (or to fish in general). You can't compare that to private areas that are managed and probably only fished by yourself only.
For what it's worth, I have become convinced.In the past I would carelessly handle fish in a fashion that I witnessed the experts on television do. Now after educating myself, I cringe when I see the way I used to do it.
I learned here on PB,( and many other priceless tidbits) that a high percentage of fish, that are "caught and released" end up dieing unbeknownst to the releaser. And most of the time survivability are issues that the angler could have prevented.
Recently some friends were at my pond, and one strung a treble hook on his line. You should have seen his face when I told him treble hooks and stainless hooks are not allowed in my pond. I politely explained to him why. He said "Wow, I guess I never thought of it that way."
It takes on a whole new meaning when it's your money and labor at stake. But all that aside it's good animal husbandry.
I now even go the route of removing the barbs also.Maybe some now may get away, but they were never hooked that good anyway if they do.
To each their own,but when you think about how a fishes face becomes distorted when removing a hook,or lipping one, it cant be good.
IMO a fishes mouth was not designed by nature to be a handle.It never supports the weight of a fish until it's landed.
Not trying to be argumentative or bossy, just giving my 2 cents worth.
I would have an expression myself if I wasn't told about the hook restrictions before-hand, but kudos to you by going barbless. I haven't gone that route but I should. I do at least like to cut the barbs off my Texas rigs, where it has the danger of being swallowed.
Still have to disagree about the lip holding. The lip/jaw is just as much as a handle as the back of the neck of a cat or the legs of a chicken. Holding them by the mouth calms the fish and allows you to get the hook out and quickly returning the fish to the water. I found that the first grab on the lip will make the fish shake once, then he'll calm down and let you do your thing. If you try wrestling with him by trying to hold his body, he'll keep shaking and you're risking losing grip or getting spiked and having him fall to the ground which CAN kill him. Not to mention, you're taking off their slime with your hands, gloves, or net.
There is no question in my mind that holding a fish like that causes broken jaws. I have seen it a few times in my pond. A friend caught a four pound bass a few years ago and carried it by the jaw for about 100 yards or so to where I and my camera were. When he got there the jaw was broken and bleeding. I did not think the fish would survive and suggested it be cleaned. My friend insisted on releasing it. For the next couple of years I caught a fish with a mended broken jaw in about the same place as where my friend caught the four pounder. I think it might have been the same fish, but not sure, and each time I caught the fish it weighed less than before. i believe the broken jaw hindered the fishes ability to feed.
I was even holding a 14 incher by the jaw once and felt the jaw break. I had really put an angle on the way it was being held.
However what gets me even more is when anglers lay the fish down on the grass, the dock or the carpet in the boat. Professionsals do this all of the time. When you see the slime on the dock or carpet you know that you have removed some of it's protective slime.
Ok so you're talking about someone who caught a big fish and swung it by the mouth walking at least a hundred yards, still keeping it by the mouth for a photo opportunity. He mistreated the fish so of course it was harmed in some way.
