Texas Fishing Forum

Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond

Posted By: M. Putnam

Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 01:44 AM

Tonight I was fishing one of my usual little neighborhood ponds. It's a tiny little pond, less than an acre, right in the middle of our subdivision. It's a very popular spot for people to fish, particularly families with their kids.

I was using a T-rig 5" Senko. First catch was a 1.3 pounder. Second catch was a bigger one at 2.5 pounds. This second fish, unfortunately, got hooked through the gullet. The fight didn't last too long, and I lipped him out of the water right at the bank. I got the worm out of the way and approached the hook with my needle-nose pliers via the gill plate area on the side--a technique I've seen on YouTube many times when specifically studying what to do when hooking a bass in the gullet. I pushed the hook through the eye-end instead of the barb end. Worked like a champ, no tearing, no blood. The fish was still struggling. I did put it on my scale via the gill plate, got the measurement, snapped a pic on my phone then put him back in the water. All told he was probably out of the water for about 45 seconds. I held him for a bit while he slowly wiggled, and then I let him go. He went down toward the bottom of the bank.

I started tending to my rod and getting my bait situated again. When I turned back to the water, I saw the fish floating in the water. With the tip of my rod I nudged him back toward the bank, gently cradled him while still in the water and tried to move him so water would flow through his gills and maybe get him going (fish CPR?). He acted like he was coming back to life again so I backed away.

While he wriggled a bit ultimately he just stopped moving. By this time he was a good 15 or 20 feet from the bank, and I couldn't reach him.

So, now I feel like [censored]. It's a tiny pond, and that's a good-sized fish that I likely killed. On top of that I'm worried about neighbors or their kids seeing the dead bass in the pond. I guess my questions are, Should I have taken the fish out of the water when I had the chance so that it wasn't left there floating? But really was there anything else I could have done as far as how I approached landing the fish and removing the hook?

Thanks for hearing me out. Appreciate any guidance y'all might have.

-Mark
Posted By: rj74955

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 01:52 AM

popcorn
Posted By: UTDmiller

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 01:55 AM

Just a fish, you did more than most to try and revive it. I wouldnt worry about it
Posted By: RATZ

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 02:23 AM

Why didn’t you try mouth to mouth?
Posted By: M. Putnam

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 02:24 AM

Originally Posted by RATZ
Why didn’t you try mouth to mouth?


COVID.
Posted By: Cuervo Jones

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 02:31 AM

Crayfish and turtles gotta eat too.
Posted By: Hook'em79

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 02:32 AM

It will be fine, chances are something will run off with it tonight and take care of it for you. It happens.
Posted By: Minner Bucket

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 02:32 AM

Originally Posted by M. Putnam
Originally Posted by RATZ
Why didn’t you try mouth to mouth?


COVID.


clap
Posted By: SteezMacQueen

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 02:37 AM

Repent!
Posted By: Joel McBride

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 02:40 AM

If you're taking a pic of a 2.5 pounder you should probably be on the Red River!!
Posted By: TxBassSniper

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 02:46 AM

Why not just snag it with a topwater bait.
Posted By: Jons3825

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 02:57 AM

Originally Posted by Joel McBride
If you're taking a pic of a 2.5 pounder you should probably be on the Red River!!

roflmao
Posted By: Frank the Tank

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 03:51 AM

so how did it taste after you fried it? I hope you added a shot or 2 of the lady to your batter.
Posted By: banker-always fishing

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 03:59 AM

Originally Posted by UTDmiller
Just a fish, you did more than most to try and revive it. I wouldnt worry about it





Plus #1. thumb
Posted By: Ken A.

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by M. Putnam

So, now I feel like [censored]. It's a tiny pond, and that's a good-sized fish that I likely killed. On top of that I'm worried about neighbors or their kids seeing the dead bass in the pond. I guess my questions are, Should I have taken the fish out of the water when I had the chance so that it wasn't left there floating? But really was there anything else I could have done as far as how I approached landing the fish and removing the hook?

Thanks for hearing me out. Appreciate any guidance y'all might have.

-Mark


Your siggy doesn't say where you are so I will just assume you are in TX. When the water temp is 90 degrees there will be some fish you simply cannot revive that get hooked in the gullet. It's part of fishing. I've had fish die in my livewell that were not hooked in the gullet but tongue hooked. And that was with ice to cool the water & Sure Life treatment with the aerators running wide open.

If you are that concerned about folks seeing a dead fish in the tiny pond, run over there this morning and look around the shoreline. The fish should be floating against the leeward bank so you can remove him.
Posted By: wh2004

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 02:01 PM

Man you’re going to hell.
Posted By: coachallentca

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 03:10 PM

some fish are just going to die no matter how much you try. I caught one at Fork 3 weeks ago that was tongue hooked. Bled a little bit.. I released her and 5 minutes later she is floating. I did everything could to save her..
Posted By: COKEMAN

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 03:10 PM

You should have chopped it up into little pieces.
Posted By: Frank the Tank

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 03:27 PM

you should have made a catch and cook vidjuh
Posted By: Dubee

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by Joel McBride
If you're taking a pic of a 2.5 pounder you should probably be on the Red River!!


And weighing 1.3 lber. This has to be a joke post
Posted By: racing75

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 04:30 PM

It happens.
Posted By: GreaseMonkey

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 10:27 PM

Next time just cut the line and leave the hook, much better chance of surviving if hooked in gullet. I have caught over 15-20 bass with hooks in them or coming out of them. It's amazing how they can be just fine with hooks in them.
Posted By: Okie Poke

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/16/20 10:51 PM

I would prolly have to quit fishing for a while and do some hard and heavy "soul searching"
Posted By: DillonCan'tFish

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 01:43 AM

Originally Posted by COKEMAN
You should have chopped it up into little pieces.


Haha beat me to it. Surprised it took as long as it did. cheers
Posted By: BCBassCat

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 01:47 AM

You could’ve just mounted it.
Posted By: 603Country

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 01:48 AM

I hooked a couple of Bass in our pond and killed them. Hated it, but they tasted great.
Posted By: BigDozer66

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 01:51 AM

RIG! grill
Posted By: Greg W

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 03:27 AM

I always feel bad too. Silly but I do. If I can't get it, I just cut the line and hope the fish can throw it later.
Posted By: TxDanFishMan

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 03:33 AM

Originally Posted by Okie Poke
I would prolly have to quit fishing for a while and do some hard and heavy "soul searching"


roflmao
Posted By: LakeTylerMan

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 11:52 AM

Don't feel bad. As someone said, "it's a fish". Don't feel pressured to feel bad about a dead fish. Back in the day we used to clean and eat all of them. One way or another every live fish is going to end up dead.
Posted By: deucer02

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 12:06 PM

I can't believe you killed a black bass. Hundreds of school children will be forever traumatized gazing upon the dead floater this morning. Oh the humanity!
Posted By: Jpurdue

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 12:09 PM

Fishing is a blood sport. By it's very nature some of the fish are going to die. You have to mentally be okay with that before you cast. It happened this time and it will happen again. As sportsmen our obligation is to try and minimize suffering where we can. It certainly sounds like that was your aim here.

If it helps you at all, bass are murder machines. A 2.5lb fish has consumed thousands of other creatures. Virtually all of them were swallowed whole and slowly suffocated/dissolved in the gullet of that bass. That's about as terrible a way to go as I can think of. The bass never lost any sleep over it and you shouldn't either. Nature is red in tooth and claw, this earth is not a gentile place.
Posted By: Bass&More

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by deucer02
I can't believe you killed a black bass. Hundreds of school children will be forever traumatized gazing upon the dead floater this morning. Oh the humanity!


Were you wearing a mask ? and if so was it from Chiner ?
[Linked Image] violin peep
Posted By: H2O Seeker

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by Leealan33
Next time just cut the line and leave the hook, much better chance of surviving if hooked in gullet. I have caught over 15-20 bass with hooks in them or coming out of them. It's amazing how they can be just fine with hooks in them.

X2
Posted By: fivebites

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 01:20 PM

Ever heard of catch and regrease?
Posted By: Slide_R

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 05:36 PM

Neighborhood Scenario: Young boy catches a nice fish and wants to take it home to mom. Young boy takes said fish home to mom...still hanging by the hook. Mom sees said fish, praises child and tells him to take that stinky fish back to the pond and let it "live" another day. Said fish makes the trip back to the pond and gets released...oxygen deprivation has taken its toll but it will "live' another day as food in the cycle of nature. Luckily most of the area ponds have a pretty healthy population and they can survive and even flourish under the loss of a few fish. Respect the resource but understand that death on a pond is just as much a part of the cycle of life as it is for all of us fishermen.

The only step you could have eliminated is the picture taking step and the extra seconds that took.
Posted By: Matt Webb

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 09:26 PM

I feel you, it sucks. I just killed one a bit ago in a small neighborhood pond that doesn’t haven’t a ton of fish and while I know it’s part of it but still hate it. Largest ive caught out of there in years too. Just swallowed a pretty big lipless crankbait about all the way. I got it out as fast as I could. Almost didn’t snap this pic but honestly I figured at that point the writing was on the wall that the extra 15 secs didn’t matter.

Now I am curious what came up and sucked him down a few mins later. Just turned and saw the ripples from it.

[Linked Image]
Posted By: Cast

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 09:47 PM

Why didn’t you guys just keep those gut hooked base and fillet them? They’re delicious.
Posted By: Ken A.

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by Matt Webb
I feel you, it sucks. I just killed one a bit ago in a small neighborhood pond that doesn’t haven’t a ton of fish and while I know it’s part of it but still hate it. Largest ive caught out of there in years too. Just swallowed a pretty big lipless crankbait about all the way. I got it out as fast as I could. Almost didn’t snap this pic but honestly I figured at that point the writing was on the wall that the extra 15 secs didn’t matter.

Now I am curious what came up and sucked him down a few mins later. Just turned and saw the ripples from it.

[Linked Image]


Can't save them all. Most likely a big catfish.
Posted By: beartrap

Re: Kicking myself - Dead bass in neighborhood pond - 08/17/20 10:13 PM

we've got too many almost tree huggers on fishing forums when it comes to worrying about killing a bass....almost all lakes and most ponds are over populated due to catch and release.....our lakes have been subjected to intense tournament fishing pressure for almost 50 years and in most cases the fishing is as good as it ever was.....also keep in mind that between 2000 and 12,000 fry are produced by each spawning bass and the reason most do not survive is there is the lake will not support all the fish already in it....
we need to try to protect large fish for their ability to pass along their genes but worrying over a small fish doesn't make sense...
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