If this is the case someone needs to get in touch with Bill Dance and let him know this! He's always holding those big bass with one hand and really putting pressure on their jaws...

Oh billy boy, quit abusin them fish, dang boy!!

Yessir, you see it on tv ALL the time. Especially tournament shows where people like to scream , hold their fish like that and literally shake it. That usually = broken or dislocated jaw. Kudo's to folks who use two hands to support the body and not cause this damage.

I agree, we need to take care of our fish, but I have asked before with no responses....have any of ya'll actually seen a fish with it's jaw dislocated from holding it by the bottom lip? I haven't!

Would you even be able to tell if it was dislocated by looking at it? I have no idea what a dislocated jaw on a bass looks like.

Yes. We had 7 come in during our fizzing/fish care/tournament study that we did here at Amistad. One fish actually couldn't close it's mouth, even with help. Another had it's mouth so out of wack it was blatently (spelling) obvious. I have found that if you hold them in that manner and you feel or audibly hear a pop, then it has happened. Of'course, we haven't xray'd one yet, but maybe that would be a good way to get a pic of what it actually looks like.......

ive seen many, but then again i had a job for many years excepting bass donations and had to try to bring back many to good health. most of us will never witness the negative effects we can possibly cause to our fish because it takes time and weve already gone home. i was lucky to have spent 8,000 hours+ living with some of the biggest bass on display at one time anywhere in the world.

I caught a fish with a broken jaw bone. Its real easy to tell, I felt it seperating inside when I picked the fish up out of the water. It was in a small high pressure lake. By the looks of the fish's lip, it had been caught multiple times.

Where did You work, I would love that

Live Exhibits Mgr for Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine and then worked for and with Surelife for a few years... kinda cool to have a 15 pounder in your office...

that beats a day in the oilpatch!

until payday...

Thanks for the information guys I will make sure from now on to always treat em the best with least possible chance for injury

I've caught a few with a dislocated or broken jaw, but never felt one break in my hand. I have poked some holes with my index finger while holding them as small as 4# though. It seems to me like they couldn't move water nearly as well with big old holes through the lower membranes of their mouths.

+1