Trophy Catch Research Highlights
What’s the best way to hold a bass? This is a question that TrophyCatch participants frequently discuss and genuinely care about. A study by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission conducted in coordination with the University of Florida revealed that there are some minor differences in recovery times based on how bass are held, but that none of the holds tested caused any permanent damage:
a Bass held with two hands and fully supported recovered fastest when released, in less than 10 seconds on average.
b Bass held vertically by the jaw with a grip device recovered within 33 seconds on average — a bit longer — but with no head shakes and jaw adjustments.
c Bass held by the jaw with one hand in a tilted, fully horizontal position recovered within 12 seconds on average but required major head shakes and multiple jaw adjustments in many cases in order for the fish to right itself.
The two-handed horizontal hold is clearly best, but the vertical jaw hold is acceptable. The FWC recommends against a horizontal one-hand jaw hold. Thanks go to the TrophyCatch citizen-scientist anglers and conservationists whose concerns and questions helped to initiate and guide this study. Repeat catches documented by TrophyCatch have shown that with proper handling trophy bass that are caught-and-released do survive, allowing these big fish to continue to reproduce as well as provide another exciting lifetime catch for other anglers.
