1. If/when you do catch a fish, don't slam the fish down in the center of the boat and let it flop all over the floor (especially the carpet). Every Bass has a protective slime coat that wards off infection and keeps the bass healthy. You let em flop all over the carpet and that slime coat is gone..not to mention imbedded in your carpet. No big deal unless you don't clean your carpet when you get home and your boat starts smellin' like a tuna factory in a week.
2. If you're a tournament guy/gal and you have to put the Bass in the livewell until weigh-in, make sure your aerator/recirc pumps are working properly and your fish are getting plenty of water. Also, throw a release tablet in the livewell. These oversize pills/tablets contain a sedative for the fish as well as a slime coat preserver. You can buy them online. If the water temp is really warm, throw some ice in the livewells occasionally. The little bit of ice will keep the water temps from getting too hot.
3. If/when you do catch a fish..put em back as soon as possible. Don't hold the fish on the side of the boat for 5 minutes while you look for your camera. Don't laugh..I've seen it. Just because you release your fish at the boat and it swims away doesn't mean that it won't die a couple hours later.
4. If you gut-hook a bass, cut the line and release the fish. The Bass has a better chance of survival with the hook corroding than you trying to rip it out of its gut with needle nose pliers.
5. Don't throw the fish in the water (unless it's a dink) after you take the hook out of its mouth. Again, you're stressing the fish out when you do sh$t like that. Besides, you may think it looks cool..but it doesn't and it's not necessary. And, I never want to give the morons at PETA an excuse for trying to ban our tournaments. They already think we mishandle fish and hurt them when we hook them. How they know that is beyond me. I guess they were fish in a former life..ha
Moral of the story...take care of the fish you catch and ensure you release em back into their environment with care. You'll be happy you did in the future because you may catch that same fish again in a tournament..next time 4" longer and 1 lb. heavier. Tight Lines. Rob
BTW, I caught that LM last week in Lake Nockamixon (near my home) on a jerkbait in the weeds. It doesn't look very big but it went close to 3 lbs. You can see the weeds hangin' on the side of the boat.
