Whether you’re releasing every bass, collecting a limit
for a club weigh-in or handling a fish-of-a-lifetime for
photographs, proper care will help you return every fish to the
water in the best possible condition.
By Jeff Samsel
“Let me know when you’re ready,” Mark Davis said, as he held
a 9-pound largemouth, using both hands to firmly grasp the big
bass’ lower jaw. We had already discussed how I wanted Davis to
position himself and the fish, and the boat was facing in the
proper direction.
When I called out, “ready,” Davis released his left-hand grip
and moved through a few quick poses as I snapped photos. The
last few shots were a pre-scripted release series, with Davis
cradling the bass half in the water before actually letting it
go. The fish swam away in great shape, and my mission was
accomplished.
As public relations manager for Pflueger reels and All Star
rods, Davis spends a lot of time handling fish for magazine
photographers and television cameramen. An outstanding angler,
Davis always seems to come up with the big fish for the camera,
and he has learned how to treat those fish with extra care to
keep them in the best possible condition.
LESS IS BEST
“The best thing to do is to never touch a bass and to keep the
fish in the water,” Davis said.
If an angler is just fishing for fun or a tournament-caught
bass is obviously sub-legal sized or smaller than a limit of
fish already in the livewell, there’s no reason to pull the fish
from the water, Davis explained. He keeps pliers on a lanyard—so
they will be handy but don’t end up falling in the water—and
when he gets a fish boat-side, he simply twists the hook out of
the fish’s mouth.
Davis won’t use a net, even if he does need to bring such a
fish into the boat to unhook it. Instead, he’ll lip-land the
fish, use his pliers to get the hooks out as quickly and
efficiently as possible and slip the fish back into the water.
TOURNAMENT BASS
Davis recognizes that tournament fishing creates a different set
of needs and that anglers often will want to use nets to bring
fish aboard. He strongly encouraged that any angler who has an
old-fashioned, nylon, mesh net invest in a more fish-friendly
version—either one made with string that has been coated to make
it less abrasive or one made of rubber.
“If you get a rubber net, you need to practice a bit and relearn
fish netting,” Davis warned. “They create more resistance in the
water and handle differently when you go to net a fish.”
If the livewell isn’t filled when an angler hooks a bass, his
partner should hit the button even before he reaches for the
net. Fish get oxygen from water, so the less time a bass is out
of the water, the better. Davis also recommended adding
fish-calming chemicals. Bass use far less oxygen and avoid
injuring themselves in the livewell when they are calm.
Temperature is another important variable, he noted. Fish use
up oxygen much faster and are more apt to become stressed in
warm water, so he adds ice periodically during the warm part of
the year to keep his livewell temperature a little cooler than
the lake temperature. Davis only adds ice a cup at a time, not
wanting to alter the temperature too much or too quickly.
Davis runs the recirculator from time to time, and he noted
that the more fish (and the bigger the fish) that are in a
livewell, the more often the recirculator is needed. He also
pointed out that anglers who are shopping for a new boat should
consider a boat that comes with an oxygen-injection system for
the livewell.
Another critical aspect of fish care that many anglers don’t
give much attention to is the process of getting the fish out of
the livewell and into a weigh-in bag, Davis noted. Bass beat
themselves up badly when anglers do a faulty job of catching
them and getting them out of the well and when the bass shake
free and fall on the boat carpeting.
“Always use both hands,” Davis stressed. “Use your weaker
hand to pin the fish while at the same time grabbing its jaw
with your dominant hand. As soon as you get ahold of the jaw,
grab the jaw with your weaker hand as well and use both hands to
pull out the fish. The weigh-in bag should already have water in
it, and someone should be waiting with the bag open.”
PICTURE FISH
As mentioned, Davis must often handle very large bass and has to
keep them out of the water long enough to pose photos for
catalogs or magazine pages or to show the fish to television
viewers. Photo needs also sometimes call for holding the fish in
the livewell until the light is best or the setting suits a
photographer’s needs. The general principles for keeping fish
are the same, and careful handling is extra important with
trophy bass, which use more oxygen and are more difficult to
handle.
Davis ALWAYS uses two hands to hold a large bass until he
knows without question that he has the fish under control, and
he limits the time he uses only a single hand. “When you grab
any fresh bass that’s more than about 4 pounds with one hand and
he tries to shake, I don’t care who you are, you’re going to
have trouble hanging on,” Davis said. “And if you drop a fish,
it beats itself up.”
He noted that if an angler only wants to take a couple quick
photos of a memorable fish, a good time to do so is immediately
after landing the fish. The fish is less apt to buck and battle
itself when it’s worn out from the fight.
“You can’t keep one out very long at that point, though,”
Davis stressed. “If you need a little more time to get just the
right picture of a memorable fish, it’s better to put the fish
into the livewell. Just be aware that it’s going to be green
again when you go to get it again.”
When he does need to pull a fish back out to set up photos,
he and the photographer always talks through the entire sequence
before he goes in after the fish. He wants the photographer
ready with his equipment, the boat positioned properly, and a
shared understanding of where he should be standing or kneeling
and how he should hold the fish.
Finally, Davis wants to know whether the fish goes back in
the livewell or back in the lake after the shots are complete.
The more he understands, the faster the work can be accomplished
and the less time the fish needs to spend out of the water.
SAVED IN A PHOTO
One of the best ways to hang onto the moment when you land a
hefty bass is to capture the fish on film (or on a memory card,
as tends to be the case these days). It’s MUCH cheaper than a
reproduction mount, and if you take a few moments to set up the
shot nicely, you can capture an image that you’ll want to have
blown up to hang on your office wall. Consider these photo tips
next time you bring in a big one.
1) Eyes on the fish—look at the fish, not at the camera, when
someone takes your photo. This puts the focus on the trophy,
shows your excitement and creates a flow within the photo.
2) Shades off—Speaking of eyes, people like to see them. Take
off your sunglasses.
3) Consider the sun—If the sun is out, the best photo light
occurs early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Sometimes
you have to shoot photos while you can, but if you’re holding a
fish for a while anyway, try to take you photos when the light
is best. If you have to shoot in the middle of the day, use a
flash. Doing so helps eliminate nose and hat shadows. Also,
position the boat so the sun is behind the photographer, which
means it will be shining on your face and on the fish.
4) Two are better than one—If your buddy helped you land your
fish or you want a better depiction of the whole day, get
someone in a nearby boat to take a shot or the two of you
together, standing side by side and looking at the fish.
5) Watch the background—The man with the camera should be
aware of things like fishing rods that look like they are coming
out of your head, passing boats that will be gone in a moment
and drink cans lying on the boat deck. A little clean-up makes a
big difference. Also, try to show the bank the fish came from or
something else about the lake’s character that helps set the
scene and capture the moment.
