[dickenscpa]

Took my son to Davis Corner Saturday afternoon about 4PM. We were getting skunked. At 6:30 I told him that if we didn't boat one by 7PM we were going home.

I changed over to a rattle trap, I had thrown everything else in the boat. At 6:37 I landed a 3lb'er. He absolutely swallowed it. First thing I noticed when I got it in the boat was a lot of blood coming from it's mouth.

It was sideways in his mouth a protruding both gills outward. Two treble hooks and all six hooks stuck in something. I kept pulling him thru the water to keep him aired up and I cut my line. All hooks that went completely thru, I cut the barbs off.

There was too much damage. He died. It was the first bass I've killed in probably the last 15 years. Wasn't gonna leave him floating so I put him on ice, took him home and fileted him. Don't like to eat bass, but hate wasting worse.

After fileting, I had to split his head to get the lure out. Since I don't fish for money, I think I might cut all barbs off my hooks. If I lose a fish, no biggie. Getting good bites is just as thrilling to me.

May leave the barbs on single hook lures only. Like T-rig or spinner bait. Lures with multiple trb hooks are just too much trouble and too dangerous for the fish for an ole recreational fisherman like me.

Brad