Question for tournament guys

If you catch a fish, whether its deep hooked or tongue hooked, and you know it’s not going to make it do you release it right then or keep monitoring it in the well till it’s close to dying or you can cull it?


I know If I have a fish that is going to die no matter what, I will release it unless its big enough to make up for the penalty. Same goes for culling fish, as long as the fish is moving a fin and breathing and I can cull I will. I know it sucks releasing a floater, but if its still alive and shows any motion its open to be culled in my opinion


Does anyone actually keep a fish that is still alive but you know it won’t make it?

Can't vote any of those options, to many other things would go into that decision for me personally. I have done all 3 before, but size of fish, time of day, weather conditions, lake, how prefishing was, and other variables go into that decision for me.

All valid points, and they do come into my own considerations as well typically.

Keep it, that's what peanut oil is for.

Yes, I keep it, weigh it and consume it. Recycle the resource.

i had a situation simular this year. my second smallest fish was struggling so when i caught #6 i culled the struggling fish instead of my smallest. the penalty was greater than the difference. but i ended up culling a few more times anyway.

If deep hooked fish are handled properly they will usually live. Most important thing is to not jack with it or tug on it cut the line and get it back in the water or live well. I have weighed a lot of fish with a gut hook in them.
After the event it is pretty easy to get the hook out if you know the process.

Depends on the fish size. It's all a gamble tournament fishing. When small fish die, they lock you into weighing them.

If I can cull it before it dies, I will... even if I know that it will inevitably die later.

X2!!!


One thing I will not put in my life well, unless its defiantly going to be part of the stringer and will make up for the deduction, is a tongue hooked fish

Those fish will die on you in an instant, with no signs of getting sick.

It really depends on the size of the fish. If it's barely a keeper and its bleeding out everywhere then its going back right away unless its our 5th keeper. Otherwise, we typically decide based on size and just how bad of shape the fish is in. I've seen a lot of fish that looked done for when caught that when put in a live well with some Sure Life and constant aeration and maybe a flip clip that turn out to be just fine. That being said, if a fish looks like its definitely going belly up but is still alive and the penalty would eat up most of its weight then it goes back as long as its within the rules.

Turtle fodder if I can cull it before it expires.

That's what rejuvinade is for if you put it on the tongue immediately it will stop and 95% of them will live.

Gotta disagree with that one. Most of the time tongue hooked fish don't even bleed, they just die.

Me personally am not a fan of Rejuvinade, I prefer SureLife products.. But that a whole different topic.

If the fish died and didn't bleed out then he probably died due to stress that's why 90% of them die is bleeding out and not handled correctly.

Too many variables. I have also done all 3.

We've thrown back a 2.5lbr that was tongue hooked before we even had 5 fish.

I'm also the fool that tossed back a 14" spot in a BFL earlier in the year only to get a check with only 4 fish. That one little spot cost me about $300!

I've had fish I would have bet money they were going to die that came out of the livewell active as a banshee and I've had perfectly fine fish just flat curl up and die. I've learned I can't tell if a fish will live or die just by eyeballing them. They need to ride around a bit in the livewell before I can tell if they'll make it.

The only way I would release a weak fish would be if they were the smallest of six and thus the logical "cull" fish. Wouldn't feel right tossing it back because it may die. If it does die I keep it.

X2!!!


One thing I will not put in my life well, unless its defiantly going to be part of the stringer and will make up for the deduction, is a tongue hooked fish

Those fish will die on you in an instant, with no signs of getting sick. [/quote]

It is weird ain't it. Just a little stick does it. I think I read how it shocks the fish so badly because of nerves in tongue. You would think it would be the same for humans that get their tongues pierced!

The only fish that gets an immediate release is a Tongue Hooked one.
I've become some what proficient in Deep Hook Removal,using the "Through the Gill technique."

Not in a tourney but a couple years ago I hooked a fish in the tongue with a 6xd and it was dead before I got it to the boat.

Cliff did the same thing a couple years ago at Ivie. Stone dead. It was weird he thought he had lost it and was bringing in some junk off the bottom.

Dang I guess I have to catch a fish before I have to decide that huh???

So if a guy catches a bass, weighs it, and it dies 2 days later he catches 7 pages of [censored]; but if it's in a tournament rip it out, chuck em back, turtle fodder on to the next one?

Got it.