As avid bass anglers, we all strive to be good conservationists while minimizing our impact on fisheries. At the same time, however, we also want to show off our catches to our friends and family. This leads us to a prominent question that has been at the center of many spirited debates: What, if any, physical impact does holding a bass have on its jaw?
There isn’t much scientific research on this topic, which currently leaves anglers and biologists very little basis for making recommendations. We want to begin to change that.
To gain a better understanding of this issue and learn exactly what’s happening to the jaw when held at various angles, we teamed up with Steven Bardin, a leading fisheries biologist and owner of Texas Pro Lake Management. Bardin, along with two veterinarians, Dr. Casey Locklear and Dr. Steven Mapel, designed and conducted an experiment to help shed some light on things.
The results and correlating imagery were nothing short of fascinating.
