Quote:
Originally Posted by SurfCaster413
The only fish I have had die on me where scoolies that inhaled the plug down so deep the second they are out of the water you see blood coming out of the gills. I know right then this isn't gonna be good
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By study, those fish have a >50% chance of surviving if released.
Striped bass eat spiny things. Their gills undoubtably suffer damage, and certainly they have evolved to deal with this. Also, just like us, they have a clotting system to keep them from bleeding to death. Water also dilutes blood and makes things look worse than they are.
Let the fish go, give it a chance. I have caught a healthy 14lb bluefish with an entire severed gill arch protruding from under its gill cover.....long ago scarred and healed. The fish fought like hell. I'm sure someone assumed that fish was a goner when they threw it back. They were wrong.