Guys, I have a question for you, that Im actually sortof embarrased to ask, but Iv always wondered about.. Everyone knows that there are species of fish with sharp gill plates.. Do any species of our beloved bass have razor sharp gill plates? Thanks.

Not gill plates, but they do have sharp dorsal fins

No.

 

Bass are relatively safe to handle.

Thanks guys!! Anytime i grab a smaller one by the belly, i always wonder if imma brush against the gill plate and open my hand up.

You can lip them with your thumb or pick them up behind the head (between the upper gill plate and body)

Bass pose no real problems, I would suggest species like a bluegill that you "smoooth" the dorsal fin back so it lays flat on the body, the fins are spiny.  Fish with sharp gill plates (snook and tarpon) require only a bit more care as the sharp gill is usually the uppermost one.

never noticed it with any bass ive caught. but white perch have some sharp gills. i got cut by one this past weekend when it flopped and slipped in my hand. when removing white perch from a hook i always smooth the dorsal fin back down like sirsnookalot mentions above and be sure to push in their gills. theyre notorious for flaring out their gills when you grab them, i think they know theyre sharp and its a defense mechanism...

Grab them from the back and pinch the gill plates. Don't do a death grip, just enough so the fish holds still. This will usually make them open their mouths also. As long as you do not do a death grip it will not harm the fish at all.