Liping a bass

[RuddyDuck]

for pike I just wack em in the head with a bat and hopefully they fall off the line at the same time kidding of course but sometimes would like to

Funny, but I remember when they sold those little clubs at Reed's in Walker for whacking Muskies on the head when landing them! Probably was 25+ years ago. They even had a special name. Also heard old stories about the 22 in the head thing. Just don't do it in the boat!

I don't use a net mostly cause my boat is small and a net just takes up space. I also think it is fun to lip them. If I touch it then I count it as a caught one for the day! I'm just extra careful with cranks on. Also since I don't have a bass boat, it is pretty easy to lip them. I laugh watching the pros roll around on the deck trying to get a big one lipped. Ike is the funniest at it.

[M1dwestF1sh]

You are the type of person I wish I could buy used things from! I wish I could be like that but my boats a mess!

[RumRiverRat]

I would like to hear arguments against having/using a net for bigger fish if you're not in a tournament that restricts it.

I use a rubber net which is less abrasive to the fish and will not snag my hooks. I guess I just don't see the point of laying on the deck to grab a nice fish and risk getting a handful of hooks.

RRR and I were having this discussion during our last night fishing outing in his boat. I had a 5 pounder hit about 6' feet out and it was going ballistic boat side. He tried to lip it several times and it kept diving and flipping away from him. Nothing against RRR's fishing lipping abilities as it was dark and the fish was still full of fight but, with a net, the fish would have likely been in the boat the second I had it at the surface.

I knew this would come up.

I am immensely satisfied that we put that fish in the boat without a net.

I have lipped or belly landed enough big fish that I feel preety calm during the process.

I fish alone a lot and have had to learn to land fish without a net.

The fish in question was hooked very well.

I had zero doubt that I would be able to lip it and get it in the boat.

It takes skill to lip a fish like that, nets make it too easy.

If I was alone I would have just flipped it in.

[Juan Grande]

Rum, your immense satisfaction is a good enough reason for me

[RumRiverRat]

Rum, your immense satisfaction is a good enough reason for me

It better be!

[cruiseforever]

I have always given nice bass a lip lock with my thumb to get them into the boat. But over the last couple years I have been using more crankbaits and have had way too many close calls with their hooks. Time to use a lip grabber. What do you do?

Well I got a lip grabber and it worked really well for me. What worked best for me was not to even bring the Bass out of the water. I would grab the lower lip and use a pliers to remove the hooks. If the some of the hooks were farther in the mouth, I would use the grabber by the hooks and grab the lip with my fingers on the other side the mouth.

I could see that it would be very easy to rip the Bass's mouth if you crank back on the gripper.

[Igor Drackenwolf]

Funny, but I remember when they sold those little clubs at Reed's in Walker for whacking Muskies on the head when landing them! Probably was 25+ years ago. They even had a special name...

That would be the "Fish Wacker". Little lead-filled wooden baseball bat-shaped club with a leather thong for securing it to your wrist. I had two of them under the front seat of my Plymouth Fury III, just in case.