Brian,

When I got the legal seabass last Sunday I attached him to a stringer. When I got home and was cleaning it I noticed how strong and sharp the spines on the first dorsal are. It swam under my tube and stuff several times when it was on the stringer. I know they usually swim with that fin folded down but it freaked me out anyway. I had a largemouth pop a tube with it's fin one time when I was floating down a river in Virginia. I was trying to get the hook out when POP! I was instantly underwater (not a float tube - just an inner tube).

Anyway, I think if I catch and keep another legal in the tube I'm going to snip off the ends of those spines before letting it dangle.

You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.