OK, here's the scenario. Your partner casts out over a tree and hooks a bass. it swims under the tree, past some branches and gets stuck on the surface. He can't pull it in and you can't reach it with the boat or the net.

The fish is on the surface with it's mouth open. You cast your lure in to the fish's mouth and hook it. He lets his line slack and you reel the fish in.

Can you keep it? :)

Dude, how do you think of these things?

I would say yes. Only because if, that exact situation ever presented itself, and you were ever able to land the fish in the manner you described, you deserve to be rewarded.

It happened! Not in a tournament. Nico and I were staring at this poor 5lber stuck in a tree and trying to figure a way to get it out. I reached my rod way out and managed to drop the bait in the fish's mouth and hook it. He slacked off and I reeled up the fish.

The funny part is, I think I foul hooked that bass. On a brush hog :)

Cool story is it legal?

My guess is you gotta release it... somewhere in some rule book it says the fish must voluntarily take the lure in its mouth... therefore you snagged that fish... and in the process have a really funny story to tell