Recently my brother caught a 7.25 lb. largemouth while jig fishing.  The fish was hooked in the top lip making it very easy to get the hook out and no damage was done to the inside of her mouth. He said it took him a few minutes to land the fish and once in the boat and unhooked he quickly weighed and measured the fish and had his wife snap a few pics and got her back in the water. 2 to 4 minutes tops. He said he gently laid her in the water and could see her gills and fins moving and a few times she showed signs of swimming away but to his dismay she bellied up and didn't make it. He was absolutely sick at the sight and that was a few weeks ago and he still gets nauseated at the thought. He was shocked that she died seeing as how he was so quick to get her back in the water and there was no damage to her mouth etc...

My opinion is that maybe her heart gave out from the exertion after being hooked. What love to hear what you guys think. Thanks fellas.

 

I think 2 to 4 minutes is a long time, but what do I know.

9 minutes ago, padlin said:

I think 2 to 4 minutes is a long time, but what do I know.

This.^^^ A livewell or deep net is a good thing for both you and the fish. 

The next time hold her by the tail and gently move her back and forth after you put her in the water. 

By doin that you’re forcing water through her gills which will help to revive her. 
Sometimes just a gentle push a few times is enough and others you may need to be more forceful especially as you push forward. 
 

Watch her gills, when you feel her pushing back against you a little let her go. 
If she’s not to far gone it will help. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

2 hours ago, T-Billy said:

This.^^^ A livewell or deep net is a good thing for both you and the fish. 

Yeah a big net, or even just holding the fish in the water with one hand while you get things ready with your other hand makes a big difference.

 

I'm still surprised to hear this fish died especially since you didn't bring it out of bathtub temp waters.

 

Tell your brother he's a good human, stuff happens.   I know the exact feeling, after I hurt or potentially kill a Bass I wasn't meaning to, I feel absolutely gutted for a few days.    

 

This is the tough part of the sport for me personally.   We all want these fish to swim away as healthy as when they were hooked.  

That really a bummer.  I like to keep water in my livewell, full, and pumps running with please release me. When I get one I can set her in quick, get my camera ready, set it up on my rear chair, gently grab the fish, hit the 10 sec timer, and snap the shot or two. 30 sec max. 
 

I think tournaments are a big one. I’ve had big fish die in the livewell but not in a long time. When it happened it was in the heat of the summer. I got to thinking of this recently. I think I’m going to avoid summer tournaments in the future. Our club started doing fall only tournaments and not only were there less people on the water but the fishing is better and I think the livewells have less of an effect on fish when the water is cool and everything is working correctly. 
 

Stuff happens, the fact that it eats at your brother that the big fish died is ok. He will be a better conservationist than most in the future. The amount of big bass that are kept through the ice in my neck of the woods far outweighs that one incident, and would make any of us sick.

Sorry to hear this - - Any idea how deep he was jigging?  When I am not bass fishing I go for walleye and have to keep an eye on depth - bringing them up from over 20-30 feet too fast leads to “baratrauma” - bladder expands too fast due to the lower water pressure and then they cannot get right in the water when you return them - - -Some recommend “fizzing” the fish when this happens but there is controversy even about that as a solution . . . 

I think duration was too long.  Hard to estimate time. 

That fish could easily be 15 years old and it might just have been it's time.  Her body was not wasted and to be sure her genetics are thriving in that body of water by this point.

 

Your friend got to hold that majestic creature while it breathed it's last breath and hopefully the end was peaceful for her.

 

Sad when that happens but it's just part of the game.

 

For what it's worth, I try to keep fish in the water breathing and only lift them out for a quick snap.  I don't hold them out of the water.  That can easily suffocate an old tired fish.

23 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I think duration was too long.  Hard to estimate time. 

^

Take a deep breath and hold it as you pull the bass from the water.  That bass should be back in the lake before your next breath...

2-4 minutes is a considerable amount of time to be out opf the water. Also I promise you many fish we have all caught later died even though they appeared to be ok.  It comes with the territory and if that keeps you awake at night and sick to your stomach, you shoudl probably pic a different sport.

 

Sometimes a fish just dies on you. I strive to weigh, photograph, and have them back in the water inside a minute.

3 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

^

Take a deep breath and hold it as you pull the bass from the water.  That bass should be back in the lake before your next breath...

kinda mixing apples and oranges.  we have lungs with a capacity.  fish have gills.  no capacity.  

4 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

^

Take a deep breath and hold it as you pull the bass from the water.  That bass should be back in the lake before your next breath...

 

Bass and humans are very different.  Studies have shown that the average bass can survive 10 minutes out of the water.  Of course that doesn't mean keep them out of the water that long.   A 7+ pound Bass was probably near the end of it's natural life span.   

No, that old fish didn't have to die.  Learn to gently drag the fish open-mouthed through the water to move water over the gills and do this for as long as it takes before she fights away.  I cringe watching videos of guys who sit there for minutes celebrating a catch taking videos pictures monologuing and think lowering & holding the fish still in the water is ok.  You need to keep water flowing over the gills!  .. better yet stop playing the fish til its dead-exhausted.. great fun for you, bad for the fish!

2 to 4 minutes is way too long.  I don't know what the water temps were, but warm water also holds less oxygen than cooler water and often results in higher mortality rate.

 

30 seconds tops.  Try holding your breath for 2 to 4 minutes.  You'd suffocate.

It happens. I ate a 9 # largemouth this summer. 

7 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

^

Take a deep breath and hold it as you pull the bass from the water.  That bass should be back in the lake before your next breath...

This here is a good answer. 2-4 minutes is an eternity to have a fish out of water. Shouldn't really be more than about 15-30 seconds at a time, then dip it back in and either drag it slowly or open/close the mouth repeatedly to get water flowing through the gills

21 minutes ago, Skunkmaster-k said:

It happens. I ate a 9 # largemouth this summer. 

Waste not, want not. Would rather see someone eating a giant than leaving it for the birds 

8 hours ago, Dreamer56 said:

Sorry to hear this - - Any idea how deep he was jigging?  When I am not bass fishing I go for walleye and have to keep an eye on depth - bringing them up from over 20-30 feet too fast leads to “baratrauma” - bladder expands too fast due to the lower water pressure and then they cannot get right in the water when you return them - - -Some recommend “fizzing” the fish when this happens but there is controversy even about that as a solution . . . 

Fizzing should be a last resort sort of thing, weight clips are gentler on the fish but time spent in livewell can be just as detrimental. Best to just not fish that deep unless one intends to keep IMO

10 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

Waste not, want not. Would rather see someone eating a giant than leaving it for the birds 

8 hours ago, Dreamer56 said:

If I remember correctly that fish died on him.

2 to 4 minutes out of water is way too long. 30 seconds to 1 minute tops, especially if temps are on the warmer side. Keep your camera at the ready for that memory, but unhook, snap photo, release.

43 minutes ago, gimruis said:

If I remember correctly that fish died on him.

Yes I gathered that, the tournament guys at my lake have a tendency to just leave the fish floating instead of eating it. Would rather see it eaten by the people responsible for it floating 

35 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

the tournament guys at my lake have a tendency to just leave the fish floating instead of eating it. Would rather see it eaten by the people responsible for it floating

I'm guessing that tournament rules prohibit them from keeping any fish.  Its also possible that some of those floaters succumbed to delayed mortality.

 

Either way, this is partly why I support immediate catch and release formats instead of live weigh ins.

Nothing a little Zataran's and hot oil won't fix.

2-4 minutes will kill fish, and your friend learned that lesson. If that's "fast," I'd hate to see what slow means.

14 minutes ago, slonezp said:

Nothing a little Zataran's and hot oil won't fix.

Butter, salt, pepper....maybe a sprinkle of crushed rosemary - then broil.