Holding bass for pics
 

Just wanted to thank all the sponsors, party boat and charter operators, as well as private boats for the way these large migrating female stripers are being held for pictures. Almost every picture the lucky angler is holding the fish by the mouth, supporting the fishes weight from underneath it's stomach and not using Boga grips. Haven't seen one picture with a fish being held by the gills without supporting the entire body weight.

These fish are the future of the stock, you're doing your part educating your fares and assuring significantly lower mortality rates releasing these trophies. Kudos to all involved! We often discuss the negatives, it's important to balance that with what I consider very positive change reflecting our commitment and regard for the longevity of the stock simply by doing what we can do and using common sense in the process. Great stuff!

Re: Holding bass for pics
 

Well said but also time out of water is just as important. I also prefer to swim the fish and make sure it pulls away before the release. Unfortunately that is not possible on high rail boats.

Also when fish live bunker - you must have a long hook extractor. These circle hooks do not always catch lip I have seen some down deep and a good extractor can get it out (or quickly cut line).

Re: Holding bass for pics
 

Long needle nose pliers and a spring loaded hook extractor can work wonders for deeply hooked fish. You can turn a hook around by going under the gill plate CAREFULLY, grabbing the leader line with the extractor and pulling it downward. It'll turn the hook. With the long nose pliers, you can grab and pop the hook out.

We do it when musky fishing in freshwater, but with musky a strong jaw spreader is needed to combat the razor sharp teeth! We get fish out of the water, dehooked, taped, weighed in a sling and back in the drink in about 2 to 2.5 minutes.