catmandoo...a great question with some excellent follow up stories. i dont see any dark tipped scales or lavendar coloration, what else did you use to determine he was male (earflap?)?
lepomids are about the toughest species out there, nevertheless i too have always wondered about when you have to cut the line and leave the hook....how do they (specifically BG) do?
i usually sample my fish using my old backpack fly rod and a cheap fly, crimped barb. the sensitivity of this method is excellent for lip hooking quickly and gently but for out of maybe 20 or 30 fish caught there's always one or two who inhale the fly in a nanosecond down into the gill or gullet. i've snipped the line, left the fly in, and never seen a floater, but wondered how and if they survived and continued to feed......
i agree......mmmmmmmmmm...BGBLT, its whats for lunch
