| Let's Hold and Release Bass RIGHT! Last
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| | should no longer see distorted jaws and
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| year, David Campbell, of TP&WD's Tyler
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| | other bad examples.
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| Hatchery, announced anglers were breaking
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| | We can do better. From now on, all
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| the jaws of lunker bass brought to him
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| | published bass videos and photographs
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| under the Lone Star Lunker Program. Since
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| | should show lip landings in which bass
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| then, Honey Hole, In-Fisherman, and many
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| | stay vertical, hanging from jaws that
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| other fishing magazines have reported his
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| | aren't forced wide open. If a bass is
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| comments. By now, most bassers who
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| | rotated any amount toward the horizontal,
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| occasionally read fishing magazines have
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| | the lucky angler's other hand must
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| heard about jaw damage. But this doesn't
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| | support the weight of the body, not the
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| mean they understand it.
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| | bass' jaw.
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| We, and I mean just about everybody who
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| | It will take time and effort to learn
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| ever unhooked a bass or held one in one
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| | better lipping and holding procedures.
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| hand for a photograph, have been torquing
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| | Anglers need to experiment with alternate
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| the jaws of bass. A jaw, whether human or
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| | grips. One technique that seems to help
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| fish, is only meant to open so wide and
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| | is to keep fingers straight while
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| no more. Forcing it wider does damage.
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| | lip-landing and lip-holding bass. This
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| A few weeks ago I watched a popular
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| | grip doesn't feel as firm and secure as
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| television fisherman mention this jaw
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| | the old method and is awkward at first.
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| damage and claim it only applies to
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| | But straight fingers don't push in under
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| lunkers. He said lip-landing was the best
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| | the jaw and force it open as much as the
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| way to land and handle bass up to six
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| | harmful grip with fingers rolled in
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| pounds. If this expert thinks carelessly
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| | toward the thumb.
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| lip-holding small bass is harmless, it's
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| | Another option is to grip the bass' jaw
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| likely many other bassers think so too.
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| | from the side without a lure and hooks
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| The TV angler was partially right.
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| | rather than from the front. This grip is
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| Lip-landing does the least damage to
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| | also less apt to force a jaw too wide
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| small bass, and is often harmless IF
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| | open.
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| their jaws aren't distorted. Only the
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| | At least one bass angler I've seen in a
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| jaws of mishandled super-lunkers are
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| | video didn't land bass by the lip at all.
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| likely to actually break and cause a bass
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| | Instead, he put his hand under tired bass
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| to starve. But he was wrong if he thinks
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| | and lifted them straight up. They seemed
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| anglers should continue to hold smaller
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| | docile and didn't flip away.
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| bass as we have in the past.
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| | However, he still had the problem of how
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| By using jaws as levers to rotate hanging
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| | to hold the fish while unhooking it. For
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| bass away from vertical to a "more
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| | unhooking, it's hard to beat a lip lock
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| natural" horizontal position with one
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| | that doesn't force the jaw open too far.
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| hand; TV anglers, outdoor writers, and
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| | Proper release techniques also don't
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| average fishermen have unnecessarily
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| | include swishing a bass back and forth to
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| strained jaw tissues. Tissue damage
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| | "re-oxygenate" its gills. Gill filaments
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| occurs long before bones break. It may
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| | are attached at only one end and are
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| take 13 or more pounds to break a bass
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| | meant to stream like a flag in a flow
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| jaw completely, but strain occurs anytime
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| | from only one direction. Backward current
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| the jaw is distorted beyond the full-open
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| | can bend, bruise, or break fragile gill
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| position naturally used by bass. We don't
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| | filaments. In addition, too much forward
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| need to carelessly give every released
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| | movement can force excess water into the
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| bass a "jaw ache." My files and likely
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| | fish's stomach. Although fresh bass
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| those of most TV fishermen, advertisers,
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| | naturally jump and splash, fish that are
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| and other outdoor writers contain many
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| | tired and stressed from battle don't need
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| pictures that show improper handling
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| | more stress. Place them in the water
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| techniques. As we all have a moral
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| | rather than dropping or throwing them
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| responsibility to display good handling,
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| | back. If a fish is healthy enough to swim
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| these old videos, slides, and prints are
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| | slowly away, just let it go gently.
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| obsolete and should not be used, except
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| | Let's hold and release bass right from
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| to illustrate bad procedure. Anglers
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| | now on.
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