Do you look at the fish you catch?

[Bazoo]

I watch Roland Martin and Bill Dance videos sometimes, and I noticed something. Roland will catch a 3 or 4 pound bass and (while he gets excited during the catch) he gives it a quick look and throws it back; like most of us would throw back a dink.

 

Bill takes a bit more time to look over the big ones, but he throws the dinks back like... dinks.

 

I can't blame them, granted the amount of fish they have caught in their lives. I've been trying to get in a routine of looking each one over, big or small. Sometimes I thank them for participating. I often tell the little ones to go back and get big.

[WackyWormNedRig]

I take pics of all the bass I catch. Unless really small , then I just toss em back!

[A-Jay]

Decent fish, I almost always look them over and thank them on the release.

Admittedly, total dinks, not so much.

A-Jay

[gimruis]

I don't weigh or measure anything under 17 inches.  I am pretty good at judging whether its that big or not.  I consider a 17 incher to be a decent-sized fish in the northern tier (largemouth).

 

Everything smaller immediately goes back.  I don't toss them back like you see some people do.  I gently lower them back to the water.  The quicker they get back to the water, the better.

[Craig P]

My routine is to photo the first catch and any big one after that, thinking it may be the fish of the day.  If a larger one tops that, I’ll photo that.

 

I use the map feature in photos to see where I have caught and it helps me to create patterns where I fish.

[GRiver]

I slip back n the water, most time I tell them I’ll be back when they get bigger, the dinks that is. Bigger ones, I take quick pics, slip them back in the water. Sometimes I say go have lots of little ones. I try a be respectful as possible, after all they are the reason I’m there. 

[Catt]

I've never taken a selfie with a bass. 

 

If it ain't 6#+ it doesn't get a second look. 

[Bazoo]

Interesting replies. Thanks all.

[geo g]

A bass will have to be in the 3 to 4 pound range before it is Kodak worthy.  The only reason I do that is the wife wants to see my catch at the end of a trip.  Anything over 5 pounds is always in the photo line up and  include them in a fishing report for others and friends.  I do try to return them quickly to the water, smaller ones will depart quickly without ceremony.  The quicker the better.  Lol!

[Bird]

I'm very inconsistent, sometimes I take pics and other times my phone is left in the truck so no pics.

I can't help but see the fish that I catch but don't stare them down after caught. 😂

Big ones, small ones, both released fairly quickly.

 

 

[TnRiver46]

Depends on how many I’ve held that day. I like looking inside their stomach 

 

found a perch in a pike last week

 

[MIbassyaker]

I don't take pictures of every fish (it's inconvenient in a kayak, and it consumes time out of water), but I do look at every fish.  You never know when you might get a clue from body condition, scars, sores, recent meals, parasites, etc. 

 

6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Depends on how many I’ve held that day. I like looking inside their stomach 

 

found a perch in a pike last week

 

 

Perch Eater = Gold-bladed spinnerbait.

 

There: I just broke your spinnerbait block.

[GreenPig]

I've taken a pic of every fish I've caught for the last 9 years, no matter the size or species. I'm fishing on borrowed time with my back and everyone will be more special when I'm not able to fish. It also helps me figure out on what, when, and where I caught them last year.

[casts_by_fly]

I'm with Catt and Ajay.  'Dinks' just go straight back.  'mid range' fish will get a once over look and on the way back in I'll hold them up to the measuring tape on my paddle which is 2" above the water and I have to pass it anyway.  If they flop out of my hand before I get a rough length so be it.  Bigger fish will get an extra minute in the net (in the water) while I collect my thoughts, grab my phone and tare the scale.  Then it's a quick picture, quick weight, and a length on the way back into the water.  But the time out of the water is maybe 30 seconds in total.

 

The shows where you see them lip a bass, unhook it, talk for a bit to the camera while swinging the bass around in their hand, hold the bass up for a view, maybe point out something of note on the basses color, and 2 minutes later throw it back?  Not my preference.

[Steveo-1969]

15 hours ago, WackyWormNedRig said:

I take pics of all the bass I catch. Unless really small , then I just toss em back!

Same!!

 

And I say thank you to every fish before I release it. 

[king fisher]

I have marks on my kayak for a quick length measurement.  The first mark is 23 inches.  Anything over 24 inches I will weigh.  If it is over 7 pounds I will take a picture.  Any bass under 24 inches gets released immediately. I don't get to fish very often, and there is only so many hours in a day.  I try to not waste as little time as possible.  I even fish while eating my lunch.  When I do catch a big bass I immediately put it on a lip gripper, attached to a line.  I put the bass in the water while I get my camera and scale ready.  If the scale hits over 7 pounds, I take a quick picture, then release the bass.         I believe as many fish die from a camera, as die from a frying pan.  In the past I have been guilty of letting a bass go that may not survive because of my efforts to get a better picture.  I have learned from my mistakes, and am confident that the bass I release have a good chance of surviving. 

[gimruis]

3 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

The shows where you see them lip a bass, unhook it, talk for a bit to the camera while swinging the bass around in their hand, hold the bass up for a view, maybe point out something of note on the basses color, and 2 minutes later throw it back?  Not my preference.

 

30 seconds should be the max if you intend to release it.  Get your stuff ready ahead of time so you don't have to dig around for a pliers, the camera, or a scale/measuring board.

[JackstrawIII]

16 hours ago, Bazoo said:

I've been trying to get in a routine of looking each one over, big or small. Sometimes I thank them for participating. I often tell the little ones to go back and get big.

 

I do the same thing. I always try to take a minute to appreciate the moment. Part of that is holding the fish out so I can look it over. I look at how healthy it is, the unique coloring of that particular fish, and take a deep breath before returning it to the water. 

[Bazoo]

The pictures I take are generally quick. I always feel compelled to get the fish back quickly. 

 

This picture, which is one of my favorites, I happened to have a buddy that was close. Several other buddies were halfway down the reservoir. I put it back right after this picture before my other buddies could make it back to see.

 

I estimate that I if it's a long one, I don't keep a fish out more than a minute. Usually I'd say less than 30 seconds for me to unhook, and take a picture and return.

 

I've seen a lot of people say 30 seconds, and I try to get them back in as quick as I can. I'm interested in the effects of keeping a fish out for periods of time longer than that. Does anyone know, or can point me to an article/study that shows what percentages of fish won't make it as the time increases?

[Aaron_H]

18 hours ago, Bazoo said:

I watch Roland Martin and Bill Dance videos sometimes, and I noticed something. Roland will catch a 3 or 4 pound bass and (while he gets excited during the catch) he gives it a quick look and throws it back; like most of us would throw back a dink.

 

Bill takes a bit more time to look over the big ones, but he throws the dinks back like... dinks.

 

I can't blame them, granted the amount of fish they have caught in their lives. I've been trying to get in a routine of looking each one over, big or small. Sometimes I thank them for participating. I often tell the little ones to go back and get big.

 

I don't weigh any bass unless I think it's 3lb or better, and I take a picture if it does break that mark. But I'm not careless with the dinks, still grateful for them especially on those tough days.

[Choporoz]

They all get a quick once over, especially tail and inside the mouth.

 

[Bankbeater]

I'll take a picture and then add text to the pic so I can remember the time, bait and conditions.  When I get home I use the picture to update my fishing log.  Afterward, the picture gets deleted unless the bass was a hawg.

[fin]

Three pounds is where I draw the line for pics and weighing, but unhooking is the first thing I do, and if that takes too long, I skip both and just release the fish.

 

I recently caught a fish that weighed exactly the same as a fish caught the day before in the same area on the same bait. It was only after studying the two pics that I was able to determine it was two different fish. Without the pics, I would have sworn it was the same one.

 

I talk to most of my fish. I cannot disclose information contained in client discussions due to confidentiality agreements.

[WRB]

Look at a few to determine health, hook damage and what the bass is eating looking down its throat and odor. 
If the are beat up in that area move and look for another area less pressured

Tom

[txchaser]

Always a look in the throat, and at the coloration. Throat can be great clues on cues that might matter. This year I've started looking for mud/clay on the belly. 

 

And coloration can tell me if I caught a fish that is usually shallow or deep vs where I actually caught them. Dark fish in 10fow that's 2' vis tells me (maybe) the shallow fish pulled off the bank. Pale fish up shallow, I probably caught her moving up to feed but she doesn't live there. 

Regular light exposure is a combo of depth and water visibility, and regular light exposure will definitely make a difference in the color of the bass. Doesn't do much when the lake is usually 1ft of vis and all the bass are white-ish though.