Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass BG, male or female?

snrub, ewest posted a good guide (Thanks eric). BG are pretty hardy if they are in water 60 deg and up. They can take handling etc. I think it's worse to let them flop around on the ground and get covered with grass, dirt, etc.

You can invest in a smallish landing net, one with 1/2" holes and a "rubber" net vs. knotted nylon. A bit easier on the fish, easier to hold the fish in the net for pictures, etc.

Especially RBT. Those things flop around so much that netting them to remove the hook is 50x easier than trying to grab the slippery, floppy things in the pond.