psohnle

I need to jump into this topic in that I am the owner of FishGoFree and inventor of the device pictured and discussed above (the Catch and Release Stick). However, this item is relevant to muskie fishing and not really a good fit for bass. I wouldn't pay $30 for it either if I planned to use it for releasing bass. We have a second product (the FishGoFree Hookout) that I use all the time for releasing bass and all kinds of other fish caught on single hooks. The idea for both of these devices is to quickly and easily release fish that you don't want to keep or photograph. Good catches are worth handling like you usually do. The Stick works for fish caught on treble hooks (like muskie bucktails) and the Hookout works for fish caught on any kind of single hook. The Hookout costs $7.95 for a two-pack and is small enough to fit into a shirt pocket. For a decent bass you probably want to lip it and take a photo. But for small ones, or any kind of by-catch that you just want to get back into the water, this small device works great. You can shake the fish off quickly without needing to touch it at all. Saves damage to the slime layer of the fish, and prevents getting your hand slimed. In salt water we can get dangerous fish like sea catfish and stingrays off much more easily and safely. There are also some by-catch species with bass fishing (pike and gars come to mind) that can be dealt with in this way. Anyhow, I just wanted to clarify things. If you need more information you can look up FishGoFree. Our only products have to do with releasing fish, not catching them. We are always looking for better release methods and are presently developing a third product that is being tested now.