well ive been watching quite a few fishing shows lately and it seemed that whenever jimmy houston or someone caught a bass they grabbed the bass by the lip the bass hardly flopped at all...whenever i grab a bass by the lip the bass are just constantly flipping around and its difficult to grab them until they tire...i was just wondering if there is any certain secret... and also another question is ive never caught a smallie but im going to a river soon and there are smallies in there..and is there mouth the same as a large mouth or similar? thanks

I'd try just a tighter grip, it seems to paralyze them, but if your already holding them tight i dont know if you should squeeze really hard.

you need to grab fast and sure because they will usually give a couple pretty good shakes and then sit still. you probably don't notice this in the shows because they are on the other side of the boat from the camera or you arn't looking for it. hope that helps.

oh those rapala sure grips with the built in scales are nice too because you don't have to worry about hooking your thumb only problem is $$$

Instead of holding the fish with the jaw in line with the rest of the body (straight up and down) angle the bottom jaw where it is slightly pointing toward you. Pay attention to the word "slightly". If you over extend the bottom jaw you take the chance of injuring the fish, especially heavier fish...

                            As Ever,

                             skillet

so what your all saying is that as soon as i can grab the bass grab it quick and firm ? does it matter if im above or under that little tongue ? thank you

When you grab the bass, just grab it real firm.  It's going to try and flop around a couple times right when you grab it, then it will sit still.  Keep firm pressure on its lip.  Don't worry about it's tongue, just grab its lip with your thumb inside its mouth and the side of your index finger on the outside.

When most people make a mistake lipping a bass its because they are too timid to just grab it.

Don't be scared just grip it with a firm grip. I wouldn't grip it too tight but do it just hard enough so that you have control over it.

BTW be mindful of the hook and where in the bass' mouth it is... It could cost you your whole fishing trip.

thank you all

if you have the fish lipped and it still feels a little antsy just dip the fish into the water (not the whole fish probably 2-3 inches below the gills). always seems to work for me

Yeh be careful when treble hooks are involved especially lol

After you lip a fish you can also place your other hand under it's belly, this helps to keep it calm.

A smallmouths mouth is the same except for it's SMALLER ;D