OK,

Cameron answered my question. Gonna go buy 8 dozen tomorrow and give them a try. Hook through the lip? What size hook?

Pass the Hush Puppies please

As long as someone is fishing legally they can fish with and for whatever they please. I tend to worry more about myself and what i fish with than others. Not a live bait fan but I have no problem with those that are.

I just get a kick out of this topic. You have flyfisherman that beleave that if you dont use barpless hooks you are a low life. Bassfishermen beleave if you filet a 6 pounder your crazy. Fishing guides that beleave if you happen onto a brush pile they had put down in a public lake you are pouching on their property. But here is the way I see it about fishing, dont pull in and start fishing right next to someone who maybe is catching a few fish, respect another mans troutline, fish legally be it with artifisal or live/dead bait, wait your turn at the ramp / dont block the ramp, take a kid fishing, and when it is to hot to fish take a nap.

Fishing for bass with live bait is not a good idea for the reasons KingwoodRanger states. Before you know the bass is on, the dog is deep and the fish will either need to be kept to eat, or thrown out to die a slow death. A bit of a torture for bass. I recommend you learn to use artificials for bass, then practice catch and release for conservation purposes.

Some of the worlds BEST conservationists are
the serious trophy bass hunters out in California, in quest of the world record largemouth. You can view pictures of bass caught
using live crawfish that were released and recaught by visiting http://www.trophybass.com/id50.htm
There have been several more recaptures after using livebait that Chris has not had time to
download onto the site. I have seen plenty of
deep hooked BIG bass using artificial lures.
The most important aspect of conservation, is
the recruitment of our youth at a young age.
Most kids start out with livebait, then work
up to using lures. The second important aspect
would be to release the ALL of the larger bass,
and harvest some of the 2lb class bass once in
awhile. There have been plenty of techniques and
tips posted on this thread to prevent mortality
due to deep hooked fish. Since waterdogs are legal bait, it is up to the individual as to whether he chooses to use it or not.

ChickenFoot, thank you for your wisdom. I couldn't have said it better myself. I don't remember who asked a couple of days ago, but I do know Trevor Knight. We're in Aggie Anglers together. Really nice guy. I'm going to close this topic

Hmm, I haven't noticed any more bass hooked deep with live bait versus lures. I know the dam things will swallow my little curly tails at times. And I've had them swallow minnows too. As for eating the bass, well, if they didn't want to be eaten they wouldn't eat my crappie bait.

I allways hear all these good things about how a bass fisherman can catch a fish, keep it for a few hours, have it weighed, then release it and it goes on with its happy life. Perhaps some can. But it must be a conicidence that I see many more dead or dying good size bass around the ramps a couple hours after weigh in than any other time.

Here is an interesting article on deep hooked fish. I think I got here on the TFF. Check it out:
http://www.rofb.net/faq/faq_deep_hooked.htm

So what if someone used a waterdog to catch a 5 lb bass that they kept and filleted? How many "real fishermen" would have their panties in a wad then?

It still isn't winter yet folks....go fishing! That is, unless, this beautiful weather is just too nippy for you Tim Allen types!

Well I have tried using waterdogs for fishing as well but my 95lb labrador is just to big for any freshwater species to swallow and he gets really angry when I try to put a hook in his mouth! And casting you can forget it. The best method of getting him on a Bass bed is throw a stick near the bed and turn him loose. The only problem is he usually scares the fish off the bed.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ChickenFoot:
[QB] I just get a kick out of this topic. You have flyfisherman that beleave that if you dont use barpless hooks you are a low life. Bassfishermen beleave if you filet a 6 pounder your crazy.

No, We just get ticked off people cutting 10 and 11 pounders open to put their Skin on the Wall. And the other so called Bass- Fisherman that go along with them. If You wanna throw a WaterDog up on a Bed- Who gives a **** ***

That "mewling" noise they make when you hook them is kind of creepy.

I never knew about these things! thanks for creating the topic, must try one sometime.
I'll be sure to leave it in for flavor too.