"Punish" is a bit strong, but asking the pros to act a little more responsible wouldn't hurt.

If landing a fish by the bottom jaw is wrong, I dont wanna be right and beside that they would let the "Elites" use nets if that was the case.

You fly fishermen dang near gag me with all the hoopla thats goes with landing a fish. It irritates me about as much as a deer hunter whispering after he kills the dang deer. Hey have fun with the catch, take some pictures, Free Willy and move on.

Well, it's my understanding that trout studies indicate that they are especially sensitive to being caught. Fishable stream acreage, suitable for fly fishing, is miniscule compared to large freshwater impoundments and lakes.
If you take a trout out of a stream that the water temperature is getting near their limits for a picture, for instance, his chances of survival are poor compared to immediate release. Trout Unlimited has made major strides towards educating the masses though, and all have benefitted, especially the trout.

Well, I hate to get involved in these things, but....

When the big bass in question BELONGS TO ME......I'm not talkin' bout how somebody else should do when at the lake, or river, but IF you fish on MY place you WILL handle MY LARGE BASS the way I say or you WILL find another place to fish. Period.

So going back to some posts in this thread....

First, using a fish hook. Ever grab aholt of a big crawfish? How about a bluegill, or worse yet a tilapia? Or worst of all, a mudcat? You best watch out, these animals have sharp spines and can poke right through your skin. And yet, all these are on the menu for a large bass. So, the bass eats the mudcat, and guess what? The bass gets spines poked all through his (her) mouth. Just like a fish hook. While it does take a few days, these types of wounds heal very quickly on a bass or they'd die from eating spiny things. If the hook is in the mouth, its not hurting the fish all that bad, if at all. That's hooks not in the gut, gill, stomach, etc. Hooking mortality is another subject...

Beginning at the water's edge or boat side.....wet your hands before touching the bass. If a big bass, DO NOT pull it out of the water by the hook in its mouth, use a net (a rubberized one, or a knotless landing net, not a knotted catfish net)or reach down and put your thumb in its mouth, and GENTLY partially lift the fish out of the water. Rotate the fish 90 degrees so it is parallel to the water and slip your hand under its belly, supporting the weight of the body, horizontally, with your hand under the belly. Somebody else needs to take the pic. Remember to not hold the bass out of the water ANY LONGER than you can hold your breath.

Now, the physics of a bass in water is that it is entirely supported on all sides by the water and there are no stresses from hanging in an unnatural position. When out of the water, not only the bass, but its eggs and internal organs are now subject to gravity and the whole shebang is being subjected to a tremendous, unnatural stress. Hanging tail down for any time at all forces all the innards to move into a very unnatural position and can cause severe problems.

None of this matter much for bass, say under 8 pounds, but is important for large bass, and most especially for those heavy with eggs.

So toss that huge bass back with damaged internal organs, to get sick or die where nobody will see it, but DO NOT mishandle the big bass in MY lakes, as they are a valuable, rare, and finite resource that make up my livelihood and I cannot let them be handled in any way other than one that maximizes survival.

Brett Rowley (fishbreeder)
Fisheries Biologist
Brett's Fish Farm/The Good Luck Fishing and Hunting Club

I try to care for fish as much as anybody. However, I would like to see some evidence or pictures of fish that have been injured directly from holding them that way. If u r gonna tell me that I shouldnt do something, show me why!!!!!!!!! Prove it to me, and I will never do it again

This is Mike Long's take on it and I think he's probably handled more big fish than any of us probably ever will.

http://www.mikelongoutdoors.com/proper-bass-handling/

Always good to get a perspective on the subject whose livelihood depends on how fish are handled. Thanks.