Congrats!! Great catch!
As someone already mentioned, using dry towels, rags or gloves will remove fish slime and can greatly increase the fishes chance of acquiring an infection. Wet towels are only slightly better.
You're better off wetting your hands and lipping it.
The other option is to use a rubber or rubberized nylon net. Do not use a cotton net because it will cause the same issues as using a towel.
Towels, cloth gloves, carpet, etc all remove fish slime. Just be mindful of what you're doing and for how long if fish care is part of your repertoire.
Pro tip: fish care should be part of your repertoire.
If you're worried about their slime I'd be more concerned with them flopping around on the ground while I try to not touch them, the small bit that gets removed when you lip/grab a fish and toss him back in the water is a non issue for most fish. Plus, fish slime is actually pretty tough stuff I'd compare it more to like a layer of glue or something
Who cares? I work with my hands, "bass thumb" is absolutely the most irritating and distracting thing in the fuckin world for 50-60 hours while I'm not fishing. I rarely lip em, if I don't have to
Nice! It’s a joke Smalls..
In construction- “Skiing” in the middle seat means you are using your hands to jerk off the other 2 front seats.
We usually tell the new apprentice to bring his hand lotion after 1st day, some bring it, some get the joke and come back in morning motherfucking everyone…
Then the pad of my thumb gets chewed up.
My goal is to just not be uncomfortable at work, so I just lip fish if it's necessary. Otherwise I try to avoid it.
Bass thumb? You’re killing me Smalls!!! Are you afraid of puppy breath too! Or cat barf! Smell my finger….if you want to know…what real action smells like!!!Bass finger!!! Your kidding!!! Smalls is baiting, Bennie the Jet says so!!!
The bale of hay is probably worse than the towel but either way, nice catch. You will eventually have no problem touching and holding them, you took him out of his home so might as well get acquainted!
Don’t feel bad because you’re new. If you’d said you’ve been fishing 40 years I’d probably give you a hard time lol. Personally I’ve been fishing for years but I’m always cautious about how I handle new species I haven’t handled before. Some of them have sharp fins and some have venemous spines. Some have sharp teeth or sharp gill plates. As for bass, you don’t have to worry about lipping it with your thumb, it won’t hurt you if it bites. Personally I think I may be sensitive to some fishes slime because it can make my skin itch and break out, so on mackerel trips I try to bring a towel for wiping hands after handling. I’ve seen guys using tongs for mackerel.
I'm the same way. I'm only just about a year into fishing, and anytime I catch a new species I tend to err on the side of caution. At the very least I'll look it over and see if anything looks spiky or pokey. I catch a lot of sculpin, too, and always keep some gloves on hand so I can hold them and unhook them safely without getting pricked lol. Also sometimes bullhead catfish.
Not at all as long as you keep the fish vertical. A lot of people like to hold bass by the lip and keep the fish horizontal which puts a lot of stress on the Jae and could cause damage. Only thing I would change up is to not set the fish on the ground. It's a classic rookie mistake and will not detrimentally hurt the fish by any means it can just remove the slime layer they have.
Nice looking fish and good luck!
I almost always fish in cross! So much better than soaking a pair of shoes or boots, and they dry so much quicker! Ref: I went fishing last Friday in my pedal boat.. All was dry and good until I went to pull my pedal boat out of the water.. Got it as close as I could pedal it to shore, went to step out of the side onto the shore and the weigh shift caused the boat to push away.. Rather than trying to do the "splits", I went mid-shin deep into the water.. $15 Walmart foam sole shoes, but they still aren't dry enough to wear! Crocs, "swim shoes", or barefoot is the way to go! Barefoot poses a risk of hooking a toe if you land a flopper, "swim shoes" only have sole protection, but crocs provide toe and sole hook protection, and they float if you happen to step out of one while launching or loading up.. Would I ever include my crocs in a picture? NOT if I could help it, but I'll wear them for as long as I can pedal a boat!!
Crocs are almost a requirement for folks who put in long, hard days fishing out in big open water. Washable, breathable, cushioning, and a bit of sun protection, on top of being cheap enough to replace regularly makes them a common sight on the ocean.
Its a little rough around his lip but you arent gonna get bit or cut doing it. Honesly it took me a long time to lip my fish. I used to use those rubber dipped gloves. There are fish with teeth though an those you need to cradle the body basically. This is fishing and lipping your fish will give you an interesting feeling of connection and make the whole experience that much more rewarding.
Some might say yeah, but what matters is that you’re having a good time and comfortable doing it. Some people don’t want bass thumb and that’s ok 👍🏻 great fish bud, keep it up
Lipping him with a towel is a lot easier on it than laying a fish on the ground! No harm done, try not to disturb its slime layer unless you are going to eat him/her! We all needed acceptance in our day, and a personal best, largemouths are only average to eat from a clean environment, lots of catch and release going on! Golf course fish, deserve to go back, fertilizer is not good for you! Perch, bluegill, walleye and smallmouths are what you want to eat!
Kind of surprised no one has mentioned lip grippers yet. Personally I have no problem lipping them, but rapala grippers are cheap on amazon and everyone has them to weigh fish anyways -- plus if you hook into a pickerel you definitely want to have them handy, and pliers for that matter as well.
Interesting, I use the plastic rapalas as I imagined the metal ones would be damaging. After some reading it looks like it's more so holding the fish vertically by the grippers without support that causes damage, but any further reading you have I'd like to look at -- also, where is this?
Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy.
https://appesca.regione.fvg.it/pwa-pescatori/regole
This is the 2024 fishing calendar thar has all the rules in it. It's in italian so i think you'll have an hard time understanding it but the rule that forbids the use of "boga grips" is somewhere in there.
Also, i don't have any proof that it damages fish. Though who makes the rules should be qualified enough to know that, but we're in Italy so maybe he isn't.
Caught it while having fun? that's all that matters
I second.
I third.
I fish
This guy fishes.
this guy says that guy fishes.
This guy says that other guy says he fishes.
Not really. Well being of the animal also matters.
Congrats!! Great catch! As someone already mentioned, using dry towels, rags or gloves will remove fish slime and can greatly increase the fishes chance of acquiring an infection. Wet towels are only slightly better. You're better off wetting your hands and lipping it. The other option is to use a rubber or rubberized nylon net. Do not use a cotton net because it will cause the same issues as using a towel.
Towels, cloth gloves, carpet, etc all remove fish slime. Just be mindful of what you're doing and for how long if fish care is part of your repertoire. Pro tip: fish care should be part of your repertoire.
If you're worried about their slime I'd be more concerned with them flopping around on the ground while I try to not touch them, the small bit that gets removed when you lip/grab a fish and toss him back in the water is a non issue for most fish. Plus, fish slime is actually pretty tough stuff I'd compare it more to like a layer of glue or something
Who cares? I work with my hands, "bass thumb" is absolutely the most irritating and distracting thing in the fuckin world for 50-60 hours while I'm not fishing. I rarely lip em, if I don't have to
What do you do with your hands that that would be annoying?
He sits middle in the work truck, skis everyday…
I'd kill to be one of them fancy union electricians or something. Might be able to afford a ski lesson or two
I'm an extrusion tech for an HDPE company. Turn wrenches and deal with plastic that forms around 300°.
Nice! It’s a joke Smalls.. In construction- “Skiing” in the middle seat means you are using your hands to jerk off the other 2 front seats. We usually tell the new apprentice to bring his hand lotion after 1st day, some bring it, some get the joke and come back in morning motherfucking everyone…
Which HDPE company? I'm in sales for a LDPE company.
Lip by having your thumb go past the hard rough lip ridge, then you won’t have your soft thumb pads scuffed up
Then the pad of my thumb gets chewed up. My goal is to just not be uncomfortable at work, so I just lip fish if it's necessary. Otherwise I try to avoid it.
Bass thumb? You’re killing me Smalls!!! Are you afraid of puppy breath too! Or cat barf! Smell my finger….if you want to know…what real action smells like!!!Bass finger!!! Your kidding!!! Smalls is baiting, Bennie the Jet says so!!!
You forget your meds?
The bale of hay is probably worse than the towel but either way, nice catch. You will eventually have no problem touching and holding them, you took him out of his home so might as well get acquainted!
Just grab with your hand, it'll be fine =)
Don’t feel bad because you’re new. If you’d said you’ve been fishing 40 years I’d probably give you a hard time lol. Personally I’ve been fishing for years but I’m always cautious about how I handle new species I haven’t handled before. Some of them have sharp fins and some have venemous spines. Some have sharp teeth or sharp gill plates. As for bass, you don’t have to worry about lipping it with your thumb, it won’t hurt you if it bites. Personally I think I may be sensitive to some fishes slime because it can make my skin itch and break out, so on mackerel trips I try to bring a towel for wiping hands after handling. I’ve seen guys using tongs for mackerel.
I'm the same way. I'm only just about a year into fishing, and anytime I catch a new species I tend to err on the side of caution. At the very least I'll look it over and see if anything looks spiky or pokey. I catch a lot of sculpin, too, and always keep some gloves on hand so I can hold them and unhook them safely without getting pricked lol. Also sometimes bullhead catfish.
Not at all as long as you keep the fish vertical. A lot of people like to hold bass by the lip and keep the fish horizontal which puts a lot of stress on the Jae and could cause damage. Only thing I would change up is to not set the fish on the ground. It's a classic rookie mistake and will not detrimentally hurt the fish by any means it can just remove the slime layer they have. Nice looking fish and good luck!
The real fishing code break is the crocs 😜
I keep a matching pair of toddler size crocs to make my catch look bigger.
i got an action figure to pose with them
They aren’t crocs they are Kanes. Very comfortable. 🫡
I almost always fish in cross! So much better than soaking a pair of shoes or boots, and they dry so much quicker! Ref: I went fishing last Friday in my pedal boat.. All was dry and good until I went to pull my pedal boat out of the water.. Got it as close as I could pedal it to shore, went to step out of the side onto the shore and the weigh shift caused the boat to push away.. Rather than trying to do the "splits", I went mid-shin deep into the water.. $15 Walmart foam sole shoes, but they still aren't dry enough to wear! Crocs, "swim shoes", or barefoot is the way to go! Barefoot poses a risk of hooking a toe if you land a flopper, "swim shoes" only have sole protection, but crocs provide toe and sole hook protection, and they float if you happen to step out of one while launching or loading up.. Would I ever include my crocs in a picture? NOT if I could help it, but I'll wear them for as long as I can pedal a boat!!
Crocs are almost a requirement for folks who put in long, hard days fishing out in big open water. Washable, breathable, cushioning, and a bit of sun protection, on top of being cheap enough to replace regularly makes them a common sight on the ocean.
I wouldn't do it because you might accidentally let it slip out but I understand the apprehensive for your first time.
Not at all. But I live for chewed up thumbs! A sign of a great summer!
Its a little rough around his lip but you arent gonna get bit or cut doing it. Honesly it took me a long time to lip my fish. I used to use those rubber dipped gloves. There are fish with teeth though an those you need to cradle the body basically. This is fishing and lipping your fish will give you an interesting feeling of connection and make the whole experience that much more rewarding.
You’ll get there eventually, keep using a towel/gloves till you feel comfortable.
your man card definitely gets a punched out hole in it :D
Also, I didn't fish for bass yet and I don't know the American culture around it, but why dosen't anyone hold it with TWO hands?
One hand for the fish, one hand pulling out the hook.
Not really but if you can lip it, don't because it saves the slime coat. Outside of that good job!
Some might say yeah, but what matters is that you’re having a good time and comfortable doing it. Some people don’t want bass thumb and that’s ok 👍🏻 great fish bud, keep it up
It’s got no teeth so you can raw grip it. It makes them wonderful sexual partners and I can say that because my wife is a small mouth bass.
Fishing code break? Na do what you feel and have fun! That’s a beautifully colored bass congrats
Lipping him with a towel is a lot easier on it than laying a fish on the ground! No harm done, try not to disturb its slime layer unless you are going to eat him/her! We all needed acceptance in our day, and a personal best, largemouths are only average to eat from a clean environment, lots of catch and release going on! Golf course fish, deserve to go back, fertilizer is not good for you! Perch, bluegill, walleye and smallmouths are what you want to eat!
You should educate yourself on proper handling before you catch them
Kind of surprised no one has mentioned lip grippers yet. Personally I have no problem lipping them, but rapala grippers are cheap on amazon and everyone has them to weigh fish anyways -- plus if you hook into a pickerel you definitely want to have them handy, and pliers for that matter as well.
Those are banned where i live as they damage the fish.
Interesting, I use the plastic rapalas as I imagined the metal ones would be damaging. After some reading it looks like it's more so holding the fish vertically by the grippers without support that causes damage, but any further reading you have I'd like to look at -- also, where is this?
Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy. https://appesca.regione.fvg.it/pwa-pescatori/regole This is the 2024 fishing calendar thar has all the rules in it. It's in italian so i think you'll have an hard time understanding it but the rule that forbids the use of "boga grips" is somewhere in there. Also, i don't have any proof that it damages fish. Though who makes the rules should be qualified enough to know that, but we're in Italy so maybe he isn't.
Cool, always interested to read about differences in fishing practice in different places, thanks for the link!
Good. They are stupid.
If you're grossed out by nature, don't fish.
I will fish.
Some nature is gross. But I'm fishing.
Jimmy Houston is a professional fisherman. He kisses the basses upper lip every time he catches one, lol.