Belly landing bass

[keithdog]

For 35 years I have lip landed bass and still do to this day. For landing without a net I believe that is the surest way to land your bass. However, I have noticed that many of the tournament pros are now landing their catch by grasping the bass by cupping the belly of the bass while still in the water and lifting it into the boat. Outside of a fear of getting a handfull of hooks, I don't understand why this mthod is catching on as it is. I have seen more than once, a pro fising a tournament attempting to land a bass this way end up with the bass flopping out of their hand. Any ideas why this method is gaing popularity? Curriosity is gettin the best of me.

[bothomas]

wondered the same thing. fishing for fun, I always lip 'em. In a tourny I will use a net a lot, even on small ones if I'm gonna be keeping it. I just trust a net a lot more when it counts ( I don't want to be at the weigh-in crying about the one that got off right at the boat!)

[Bob Smith]

Surprisingly enough, if you can get your hand under thier belly it will virtually paralyze them. They will literally lay perfectly still as soon as you assert pressure to thier belly.

[JB]

you really have to wait till the bass has given up and is spent IMO to pick up one like that, plus pulling it to the surface to the side of the boat may sound easier than you think if its a hawg...GET the net!

[Jigger]

Lip landing is preferrable but if they have a mouth full of crank bait or if they won't open their mouth or if they are laying on their side with their mouth shut, I'll belly land them. Like someone said, it paralyzes them. I'll land them with two hands with one under the belly and one on top if I'm landing a partner's fish.

[carolina-rig-01]

what bob said

[keithdog]

Just for fun I'm going to give it a try and see what happens.

[fishin' fool]

I think I'll stick to lipping my bass. Scoup'em up by the stomach may be alittle risky at times, but I have done it while fishin crankbaits.
good fishin

[jooleyen]

A lot of the time they are flappin and stuff right on the side of the boat and you want to get them in right away. Depending on how good you are at belly landing fish, you may lose a couple, but you can also land a lot more because you don't need to wait to get your finger in that fish's closed or open mouth. If it's not too big, I'll belly land it. I'd prefer to lip the bass if it's a giant.

[BigBassin144]

Since I don't catch many giants, I'll most lip them or pull them out of the water with my rod. I know that's not good, especially if your using light tine, but I never fish tournies or anything so it doesn't really matter to me if I loose a few fish,

BB

[lunker-lander]

Originally Posted by jooleyen

A lot of the time they are flappin and stuff right on the side of the boat and you want to get them in right away. Depending on how good you are at belly landing fish, you may lose a couple, but you can also land a lot more because you don't need to wait to get your finger in that fish's closed or open mouth. If it's not too big, I'll belly land it. I'd prefer to lip the bass if it's a giant.

Giants? What giants do you, (Have you), lipped?

-Lunk-

Peed myself laughing so hard!

[jooleyen]

Giants? What giants do you, (Have you), lipped?

-Lunk-

Peed myself laughing so hard!

I said "I'd prefer". I'd is the contraction for I would. It doesn't mean I have. Jeeze Mr. Grammar!

[3dkicker]

BASS does not allow nets in their Elite tournaments, hence lipping, belly landing, or swinging on tv. Any way you do it you are bound to lose a fish sooner or later. I prefer a net but sometimes partners get too anxious....my second choice is swinging the smaller bass and lipping the larger ones....don't have much success with the belly landing technique.

[basstech]

The reason they belly land them now is beyond not wanting a handfull of hooks. I got this scoop from Doug Hannon, for larger bass 3 or 4 lbs. and up when you pull them up by the lip or with just the rod, all their inards tend to slide backwards potentially damaging the internal organs of the fish since they are removed from their neutrally bouyant environment. They don't develope the skelltal and muscular structure like land based critters to keep the organs in place. Liplanding an 8lb. fish will cause some internall damage and can be severe enough that this fish won't live but a few days. I think they are doing it to minimize the impact they have on the health of the fish. I'm sure the liplanding plays a part in increasing the mortality rate of tournament caught fish. Just my guess that's why the pro's are finally doing it that way. But that info. about the internal organs I got from a Doug Hannon video I had.

[fishing man]

i think it has the same prinsiple as trout fishing, i was watching a tournament and noticed that they turn the bass upside dow, i know if you do that to trout they will lie perfectly still. just my guess thow

[Bob Smith]

Originally Posted by basstech

The reason they belly land them now is beyond not wanting a handfull of hooks. I got this scoop from Doug Hannon, for larger bass 3 or 4 lbs. and up when you pull them up by the lip or with just the rod, all their inards tend to slide backwards potentially damaging the internal organs of the fish since they are removed from their neutrally bouyant environment. They don't develope the skelltal and muscular structure like land based critters to keep the organs in place. Liplanding an 8lb. fish will cause some internall damage and can be severe enough that this fish won't live but a few days. I think they are doing it to minimize the impact they have on the health of the fish. I'm sure the liplanding plays a part in increasing the mortality rate of tournament caught fish. Just my guess that's why the pro's are finally doing it that way. But that info. about the internal organs I got from a Doug Hannon video I had.

You nailed it! That is something that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Biologists are advocating as well.

As far as the thrashing about at the boat goes. Notice that the pros will wear the fish down really well. Then they will slide thier hands down and grasp the line just above the bait. Then reach under the fish and scoop it up by the belly. Just reaching for the belly without doing the other could result in quite an exercise! My preference is still using the net, but I know there are folks who claim that the net removes more slime from the fish. I disagree as long as you can avoid laying the net and fish on the boat deck. If you can quickly remove the hook while your partner holds the net, the fish is supported better and tends to move less.

[keithdog]

Some very interresting information here. I never heard about the adverse affects of the bass's internal organs. I have heard about the poss damage to the fishes jaw on larger bass which are lip landed. I think the best thing to do if your praticing catch and release and not fishing a tournament, just work the bass to the boat, grab the lower jaw and unhook and release while the bass is still in the water alongside the boat.

[Texas_Justice85]

its quicker than lipping and safer than swinging. I still swing em in but if its a pretty big one i will belly them in

[bassnman30]

Any way you look at it, its increasing the stress factor of the fish. This "can" cause delayed mortality. Check out Bassmaster and see what it says about stress in the conservation section. It'll surprise you.