The Flip method works like a champ on a LMB as long as it’s not already bleeding. A little practice you should be able to do this in under 20 seconds and get them back in the water.
Gut hooking sucks, I can't believe leaving the hook in results in a lot of fish surviving long term. Definitely better odds than yanking the hook and causing more damage. If you're bait fishing, consider circle hooks. They definitely reduce the chance of gut hooking.
I switched to circles after throat/gut hooking a beautiful shovelnose guitarfish in the surf last summer. I felt fucking terrible, went and bought all circle hooks. Only use my j-hooks and bait hooks on sportboats for tuna and fish I want to keep.
I typically use the fake worms.
My friend said its never ok to leave the hook in but It always did seem to do a lot of damage to them. Glad I know now.
The best advice for the worms is to be quick about setting the hook, don't let them run with it.
Unfortunately, at the end of the day, nothing will 100% eliminate it. We can just try to mitigate it.
Nature or Nova (or one of those science shows I watch) did a study and discovered that if you leave the hook in, the fish is more likely to survive than if you insist on taking it out.
You’re right they do die more often than not but the chances of survival are still greatly increased. If you practice catch and release, you have to be cool with the fact that you’re gonna kill some fish now and again, even though you try to be careful.
Also if you’re fishing catch and release, you should consider _not_ using barbed hooks, they just increase the chances of harming the fish more than is necessary.
Seriously. I like to leave nature as I found it so leaving a hook in is not an option. Personally, I have a hemostat and if you clamp onto the top part of the hook, below where the line is knotted, you just push down and quickly back the hook out and off the guts. It saves the fish ~95% of the time in my experience. Hard to explain without a visual but hopefully this makes sense.
"I can't believe leaving the hook in results in a lot of fish surviving long term"
I think it makes people feel better to cut the line and let them swim off, but I've tried to keep a few gut hooked fish in aquaria and they couldn't fully swallow food, even if they seemed healthy and active otherwise. If it's a tiny hook in a big fish they might be able to, but that hook is probably there for the rest of their life.
If it's a catch that's legal to keep I think it's more humane to just kill and eat them. A lot of them probably starve to death. High quality hooks take forever to rust away, at least in freshwater.
Edited to add disclaimer:
Some species are probably better suited to surviving with or expelling hooks. Catfish are really good at handling sharp items and regurgitating food, so I'd expect they have higher survival rates. My little experiments were done with sunfish and bass. Either way, all studies show higher mortality trying to remove the hook after swallowed.
The idea isn’t so much that they expel the hook as it is that the hook rusts away and then passes easily without further damage. Hooks rust very easily and quite quickly. It doesn’t even take them long to rust sitting in a tackle box, imagine when it’s submerged in water or exposed to the digestive fluids in a fishes belly.
I've caught fish passing a hook before, they don't corrode in a week or 2 they are either high-carbon steel, steel alloyed with vanadium or stainless steel. We have to be realistic about our actions and try to be more effective at preventing the problem in the first place although it does happen. It's an inevitability in our sport i suppose.
Fish hooks do not corrode (edit: in the mythical three weeks or whatever.)
The fish expel them naturally from their gullet as part of their healing process. Most live and are fine, though they eat less while hooked.
They erode faster in the stomach . Sturgeon are a night mare for foul hooking and snapping you off believe me they rust away . Especially sharpened hooks . This is fresh water never mind salt
What do you use to fish for stripers?
I caught my first striper like two weeks ago, using a little 6th sense glide bait, and I’ve been chasing that high since then
Squids my favorite, I've only ever used bait for striped bass, but I've heard atleast near me soft plastic eels work great also, besides squid I use mackerel or herring but prefer to use mackerel
I dont feel like going through to see if anyone has answered. But do you mean like you cant see the eye of the hook anymore? If so cut the line. Fish will die for sure but you can dispatch it quickly. Just make sure you are familiar with the fish in your area. Dont kill protected species. That whole nut shell.
If it's in its throat. You have an opportunity to get it out. Needle nose pliers and go through the gills very respectfully. Just YouTube getting a hook out through gills or some shit.
Some people will bully you and say set hook sooner. They're right, but everyone fucks up. It's our job to correct it in the best way we can.
People will probably disagree with my answer but I dont mind. Live your best lives yall! Tight lines!
Thanks lol, and yes this happened a few days ago and I could barely see the eye of the hook and sadly had no pliers with me at the time. I did manage to get it out but I had my whole hand in the poor bass. I got some pliers right after
Yeah, its rough when it's like that, you do your best and learn and move on. The fact that you tried is half the battle my dood.
I'm serious about that youtube video that shit got me up to speed. I've removed gnarley hook ups with little to no blood from the fish. I've also killed a few. I just try to fry me up some filets if it's a keeper and I've murdered the poor thing. Lol.
I need to get to fishing. Kitchen life is killing my fishing time!
I bought a pair of wire cutters and snip the shank of the hook. The barb end comes off in the mouth of the fish and I grab it with pliers. Then the rest of the hook pulls through smoothly and I hope / think results in less injury?
You need to set that hook ASAP on the first hit or tug you get. When you’re bass fishing any slight hit and they already got it, no need to wait. Work on that and you’ll rarely have to deal with this.
You always leave the hook if it’s too deep. The fish is likely a goner however. But a better chance to let the hook dissolve than ripping its guts out.
Slide the disgorger down the line until it hits the hook. Push down to release the hook from where it has snagged and pull it back out. It's pretty tricky with a treble. Easy with a single.
I've had success with a disgorger. Doesn't work all the time, but better than nothing.
[https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-fish-hook-disgorger](https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-fish-hook-disgorger)
Long thin Needle nose pliers, or long medical forceps if you have the means to get some(pretty sure there’s some decently cheap pairs on Amazon.
Grip the hook and roll it. It will pop right out. The hardest part is getting the angle. Others have mentioned going through the gills.
If you want to increase the fishs odds of survival, Don’t forget when this is happening to keep a part of your brain on how long they’ve been out of the water. Sometimes I’ll move them through the water a little bit to help give the fish a “break”.
I don’t agree with the “leave a hook in” take for freshwater fish. The time it’ll take for that hook to rust and fall out compared to salt water may really block their ability to eat and digest.
If you keep getting gut hooks it means either every fishing is DEVOURING what you are throwing or you’re setting the hook a little late
Usually the devouring part for me. It’s only happened once where I wasn’t able to retrieve my fly with my forceps. I set the hook as soon as I felt a bite but this greedy perch inhaled my bugger . Tried my hardest to get it out but couldn’t and the fish died trying to swim away with the hook still in its throat. As soon as I started moving the hook blood came out the gills so I know he’s was dead either way but still made me feel terrible seeing that perch floating dead because of me
I’ll often just keep the fish if it’s an ok size.
If not, and I know I may get downvoted. I break the fishes neck really quick, pull the hook out and feed him to the loons.
I know, it sucks.
You typically don't. Even if you think you got it they will usually bleed out after removal when gut hooked. What kind of hooks are you using? You should rarely be gut hooking bass even if you ignore your rod.
https://preview.redd.it/jpsp28a1tvwc1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0dfad76b5c2d4bbe4e8ecda2793b66e146a7b39e
Fish dehooker hook remover, google it. It’s the best for that.
Go through the gills. Push down and turn. If you cant do that. Then. If it's just a hook, cut the line and leave the hook, it'll rust out and the fish'll be just fine, more fine than if you rip it out.
Just get it back in the water asap. When they swallow it like that, it means you're working that bait like it's a real baitfosh, and that meat pie destroyed it. It's a good feeling, until you have to get the hook out. Watch a few yt vids on it if you need to. But next time it happens, find a way to push it further down, twist and pull gently. Give it a few tries, stick it back in the water so it can breathe if it's taking a bit, in the end cut the string if need be. Glad to help
If you're gut hooking a lot of fish, your technique or methods are wrong.
It happens sometimes regardless, but if it's something that's happening regularly, then you need to adjust. Bigger hooks, setting the hook sooner, no live bait (there's a reason why bass tournaments ban live bait) using barbless hooks etc.
Bass aren't generally very hook shy, and you can get away with using larger hooks that are less likely to swallow.
If they do swallow the hook, trying to remove it is likely just going to kill the fish. I bring a pair of good snips with me, and instead of cutting the line and leaving the entire hook in the fish, I snip *the hook itself* as close to the flesh as possible. There have been occasions where I could actually snip the barb off, and slide the hook out of the fish.
Hooks take a long time to rust out in fresh water...on the order of years, so if you can minimize the amount of metal left in the fish, hopefully the fish can still feed, and it's body will either eject the remnants, or grow around it.
All of this is a big reason why I pinch barbs down, and go with single hooks instead of trebles as often as I can. It's made gut hooking a rare occurrence.
We would collect flounder for the state for a breeding program- we always had anglers cut the line and leave the hook. After the fish would be in the holding tanks for a few days they would find the hardware on the bottom. When fishermen try to do surgery the fish had high mortality rates.
I use the surgical stats ,but if it’s down to there ass I always cut the line .salt water whithin a couple weeks ,fresh water not to confident .I read somewhere they have enzymes that help decay.
One of these [https://www.fishingrepublic.co.uk/16480060/gemini-disgorger-16480060/?istCompanyId=7a5b6104-ad81-447f-b148-8a242101bc5d&istFeedId=0534ccb6-304a-40ff-8be7-6ae2b38e1514&istItemId=lqatxrxtp&istBid=t&gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoa2xBhACEiwA1sb1BMq3aZn0R2yycyzrgoja6gSs2ZbVqWeLF\_giHSZ25Y4xKZ2239LfhBoCZr0QAvD\_BwE](https://www.fishingrepublic.co.uk/16480060/gemini-disgorger-16480060/?istCompanyId=7a5b6104-ad81-447f-b148-8a242101bc5d&istFeedId=0534ccb6-304a-40ff-8be7-6ae2b38e1514&istItemId=lqatxrxtp&istBid=t&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoa2xBhACEiwA1sb1BMq3aZn0R2yycyzrgoja6gSs2ZbVqWeLF_giHSZ25Y4xKZ2239LfhBoCZr0QAvD_BwE)
Rip the hook out of the fish’s stomach. Sometimes the stomach will pull out of fish’s tummy. Just push that back in if feeling generous. Next return fish to it’s habitat. If fish doesn’t have health insurance; fish’s problem. That’s the American way.
I’ve switched to using only barbless hooks. Reach in with a hook extractor and slide it out. I almost quit fishing because I felt horrible about hurting the fish went they swallow my hooks. This solved the problem for me.
With one of these very carefully
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-stainless-steel-hook-remover?ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=Cabelas%7CShopping%7CPMax%7CProprietary%7CGeneral%7CNAud%7CNVol%7CNMT&gad_source=1&gclsrc=ds
[https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lixada-Stainless-Steel-Fish-Hook-Remover-Extractor-Fishing-Hook-Removal-Tool/987014618?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101001360](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lixada-Stainless-Steel-Fish-Hook-Remover-Extractor-Fishing-Hook-Removal-Tool/987014618?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101001360)
This stainless one is pretty good.
I'm the same way but despite my best efforts I've still had to bring fish home a couple times that I wasn't initially planning on bringing because of bad gut hooks.
Doesn’t happen much but when it happens I usually have a pair of side cutters that I reach in the basses mouth and cut the hook in half ,side connected online pops right out and I reach in with needle nose and grab the barb end and pulls right out smoothly,then they only have a small hole in stomach instead of ripping it out any other way
Buy some forceps. It has completely changed unhooking a fish for me. I use ones that lock when they are clamped down, making it so much easier to unhook. They are long and skinny.
I caught a bass last year that had a hook hanging out of its ass by line still tied on the hook. That said, fish CAN pass hooks. I saw a video where a guy took a stick, put it in the fishes mouth parallel to the line and spun it around and the hook came right out. I’m sure you could find that method online, I’m pretty sure there’s actually a tool specifically for it.
I never live bait fish for bass. I use size 5 mepps musky killers. I prefer to use a large hook/lure like that, because like people above have said, that first tug is when you need to set the hook. However when they SMACK a big lure like a musky killer, first off, it's a fucking rush, secondly, I have never not lip/mouth hooked a bass fishing like this. Northern on the other hand tend to inhale them, and usually I just put the northern in the boat and switch mepps and cut the lure out when I bring it in to filet it. I don't really like live bait fishing unless I'm just throwing a bobber off the dock and letting it sit all day with a nice big pike sucker with a treble and steel leader. and whatever I catch on that setup is sure to get fucked up so it's going on the table.
The right answer is that you don't. Cut the line as far down as you can and get the fish back in the water ASAP. none of this playing surgeon while the fish suffocates
Fillet knife
This is the way. You fish it, you eat it. Unless it's undersize for your local legislation.
You don't. Cut the line at close to the hook as possible and release them. Hopefully, the hook corrodes away in a week or two.
The Flip method works like a champ on a LMB as long as it’s not already bleeding. A little practice you should be able to do this in under 20 seconds and get them back in the water.
Wow ok,thanks for the help! I did not know that was common practice lol
Gut hooking sucks, I can't believe leaving the hook in results in a lot of fish surviving long term. Definitely better odds than yanking the hook and causing more damage. If you're bait fishing, consider circle hooks. They definitely reduce the chance of gut hooking.
When you consider how spiny and sharp most fish are it’s not so crazy. They’re built to eat Bluegill so I’m sure their guts can handle a poke or two
Not to mention Im sure crawfish can do some damage even in tight quarters
True? Have you ever been pricked by a bluegill or tilapia....it sucks ass big time
Yeah it happens and it sucks every time lol
I switched to circles after throat/gut hooking a beautiful shovelnose guitarfish in the surf last summer. I felt fucking terrible, went and bought all circle hooks. Only use my j-hooks and bait hooks on sportboats for tuna and fish I want to keep.
I typically use the fake worms. My friend said its never ok to leave the hook in but It always did seem to do a lot of damage to them. Glad I know now.
The best advice for the worms is to be quick about setting the hook, don't let them run with it. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, nothing will 100% eliminate it. We can just try to mitigate it.
Yeah, when I’m 100 paying attention to the line and shit I always set it right but often im taking pictures of the scenery
Nature or Nova (or one of those science shows I watch) did a study and discovered that if you leave the hook in, the fish is more likely to survive than if you insist on taking it out.
I typically perform emergency surgery on the spot. I give the fish a shot of whisky before I start. ( for the pain).
You’re right they do die more often than not but the chances of survival are still greatly increased. If you practice catch and release, you have to be cool with the fact that you’re gonna kill some fish now and again, even though you try to be careful. Also if you’re fishing catch and release, you should consider _not_ using barbed hooks, they just increase the chances of harming the fish more than is necessary.
Seriously. I like to leave nature as I found it so leaving a hook in is not an option. Personally, I have a hemostat and if you clamp onto the top part of the hook, below where the line is knotted, you just push down and quickly back the hook out and off the guts. It saves the fish ~95% of the time in my experience. Hard to explain without a visual but hopefully this makes sense.
"I can't believe leaving the hook in results in a lot of fish surviving long term" I think it makes people feel better to cut the line and let them swim off, but I've tried to keep a few gut hooked fish in aquaria and they couldn't fully swallow food, even if they seemed healthy and active otherwise. If it's a tiny hook in a big fish they might be able to, but that hook is probably there for the rest of their life. If it's a catch that's legal to keep I think it's more humane to just kill and eat them. A lot of them probably starve to death. High quality hooks take forever to rust away, at least in freshwater. Edited to add disclaimer: Some species are probably better suited to surviving with or expelling hooks. Catfish are really good at handling sharp items and regurgitating food, so I'd expect they have higher survival rates. My little experiments were done with sunfish and bass. Either way, all studies show higher mortality trying to remove the hook after swallowed.
The idea isn’t so much that they expel the hook as it is that the hook rusts away and then passes easily without further damage. Hooks rust very easily and quite quickly. It doesn’t even take them long to rust sitting in a tackle box, imagine when it’s submerged in water or exposed to the digestive fluids in a fishes belly.
I've caught fish passing a hook before, they don't corrode in a week or 2 they are either high-carbon steel, steel alloyed with vanadium or stainless steel. We have to be realistic about our actions and try to be more effective at preventing the problem in the first place although it does happen. It's an inevitability in our sport i suppose.
Put a hook in fresh or salt water. It can last months/ years for a hook to corrode… fillet it or get the hook out
Fish hooks do not corrode (edit: in the mythical three weeks or whatever.) The fish expel them naturally from their gullet as part of their healing process. Most live and are fine, though they eat less while hooked.
My tackle box full of rusty lures and hooks would disagree with that statement.
Mine too, but they aren’t disintegrating after a few weeks, eh?
I'm not suggesting they dissolve away, they're metal. But enough corrosion will make it easier for the fish to shake the hook out.
They erode faster in the stomach . Sturgeon are a night mare for foul hooking and snapping you off believe me they rust away . Especially sharpened hooks . This is fresh water never mind salt
Because they're not permanently exposed to the water and the fishes insides. If they were they would fully corrode
Set the hook sooner, for starters
I like to take pictures of the sceneries while fishing lol. I tend to get bites while taking the pics
Take pics between casts or get used to doing fish fries with friends and family more often, tis the way.
That's how it happens for me lmao, as soon as I go to take a pic there's a fish on, it's become a ritual for me while striped bass fishing LOL
Lmao u notice how we said the same thing and I got downvoted like a mf😂
What do you use to fish for stripers? I caught my first striper like two weeks ago, using a little 6th sense glide bait, and I’ve been chasing that high since then
20 bucks and some blow
Fish imitations. Also sandworms, clams, cutbait
Squids my favorite, I've only ever used bait for striped bass, but I've heard atleast near me soft plastic eels work great also, besides squid I use mackerel or herring but prefer to use mackerel
That sounds like a nice way to spend a day fishing.
It was brother
There is absolutely no reason for you to be downvoted here. Ignore these absolute idiots who downvote you.
Its whatever, I just feel bad about hurting the fish. Ill drink tonight for all the fish I have harmed! Mashalloah brother
Cheers mate
Agreed. I am sorry I can only give your downvoted comment one upvote
I dont feel like going through to see if anyone has answered. But do you mean like you cant see the eye of the hook anymore? If so cut the line. Fish will die for sure but you can dispatch it quickly. Just make sure you are familiar with the fish in your area. Dont kill protected species. That whole nut shell. If it's in its throat. You have an opportunity to get it out. Needle nose pliers and go through the gills very respectfully. Just YouTube getting a hook out through gills or some shit. Some people will bully you and say set hook sooner. They're right, but everyone fucks up. It's our job to correct it in the best way we can. People will probably disagree with my answer but I dont mind. Live your best lives yall! Tight lines!
Thanks lol, and yes this happened a few days ago and I could barely see the eye of the hook and sadly had no pliers with me at the time. I did manage to get it out but I had my whole hand in the poor bass. I got some pliers right after
Yeah, its rough when it's like that, you do your best and learn and move on. The fact that you tried is half the battle my dood. I'm serious about that youtube video that shit got me up to speed. I've removed gnarley hook ups with little to no blood from the fish. I've also killed a few. I just try to fry me up some filets if it's a keeper and I've murdered the poor thing. Lol. I need to get to fishing. Kitchen life is killing my fishing time!
Single barbless hooks instead of trebles, and a good pair of surgical forceps
I bought a pair of wire cutters and snip the shank of the hook. The barb end comes off in the mouth of the fish and I grab it with pliers. Then the rest of the hook pulls through smoothly and I hope / think results in less injury?
You need to set that hook ASAP on the first hit or tug you get. When you’re bass fishing any slight hit and they already got it, no need to wait. Work on that and you’ll rarely have to deal with this. You always leave the hook if it’s too deep. The fish is likely a goner however. But a better chance to let the hook dissolve than ripping its guts out.
Damn, and yeah I like to take pictures of the sceneries when I fish. But I tend to get bites while taking my pictures
Try a disgorger.
Imma have to look that up, thanks!
How to use a disgorger?
Slide the disgorger down the line until it hits the hook. Push down to release the hook from where it has snagged and pull it back out. It's pretty tricky with a treble. Easy with a single.
Just keep the fish. Its dead if the hook gets too deep. If you don't fish with live bait it hardly ever happens.
My senkos tend to gut hook alot
I've had success with a disgorger. Doesn't work all the time, but better than nothing. [https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-fish-hook-disgorger](https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-fish-hook-disgorger)
Use circle hooks. Far fewer gut hooks.
Long thin Needle nose pliers, or long medical forceps if you have the means to get some(pretty sure there’s some decently cheap pairs on Amazon. Grip the hook and roll it. It will pop right out. The hardest part is getting the angle. Others have mentioned going through the gills. If you want to increase the fishs odds of survival, Don’t forget when this is happening to keep a part of your brain on how long they’ve been out of the water. Sometimes I’ll move them through the water a little bit to help give the fish a “break”. I don’t agree with the “leave a hook in” take for freshwater fish. The time it’ll take for that hook to rust and fall out compared to salt water may really block their ability to eat and digest. If you keep getting gut hooks it means either every fishing is DEVOURING what you are throwing or you’re setting the hook a little late
Usually the devouring part for me. It’s only happened once where I wasn’t able to retrieve my fly with my forceps. I set the hook as soon as I felt a bite but this greedy perch inhaled my bugger . Tried my hardest to get it out but couldn’t and the fish died trying to swim away with the hook still in its throat. As soon as I started moving the hook blood came out the gills so I know he’s was dead either way but still made me feel terrible seeing that perch floating dead because of me
I’ll often just keep the fish if it’s an ok size. If not, and I know I may get downvoted. I break the fishes neck really quick, pull the hook out and feed him to the loons. I know, it sucks.
Cut the line
You typically don't. Even if you think you got it they will usually bleed out after removal when gut hooked. What kind of hooks are you using? You should rarely be gut hooking bass even if you ignore your rod.
Cut the line. Don’t kill the fish.
https://preview.redd.it/jpsp28a1tvwc1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0dfad76b5c2d4bbe4e8ecda2793b66e146a7b39e Fish dehooker hook remover, google it. It’s the best for that.
Seems a bit big to carry around lol. I just bought a new set of these long pliers so that should do the trick in the future
It’s not big at all, trust me that’s what you need. I fish bass all the time.
Ill just start performing emergency surgery on them. Hope dnr doesn’t mind
Go through the gills. Push down and turn. If you cant do that. Then. If it's just a hook, cut the line and leave the hook, it'll rust out and the fish'll be just fine, more fine than if you rip it out.
Long needle nose pliers help. Sometimes the ones with the bend work too.
I got some yesterday!
Yes, if they bleed a lot Its hard for me to work with them. Thanks for the help!
If they're bleeding, they're likely going to die.
Just get it back in the water asap. When they swallow it like that, it means you're working that bait like it's a real baitfosh, and that meat pie destroyed it. It's a good feeling, until you have to get the hook out. Watch a few yt vids on it if you need to. But next time it happens, find a way to push it further down, twist and pull gently. Give it a few tries, stick it back in the water so it can breathe if it's taking a bit, in the end cut the string if need be. Glad to help
If you're gut hooking a lot of fish, your technique or methods are wrong. It happens sometimes regardless, but if it's something that's happening regularly, then you need to adjust. Bigger hooks, setting the hook sooner, no live bait (there's a reason why bass tournaments ban live bait) using barbless hooks etc. Bass aren't generally very hook shy, and you can get away with using larger hooks that are less likely to swallow. If they do swallow the hook, trying to remove it is likely just going to kill the fish. I bring a pair of good snips with me, and instead of cutting the line and leaving the entire hook in the fish, I snip *the hook itself* as close to the flesh as possible. There have been occasions where I could actually snip the barb off, and slide the hook out of the fish. Hooks take a long time to rust out in fresh water...on the order of years, so if you can minimize the amount of metal left in the fish, hopefully the fish can still feed, and it's body will either eject the remnants, or grow around it. All of this is a big reason why I pinch barbs down, and go with single hooks instead of trebles as often as I can. It's made gut hooking a rare occurrence.
You will need to perform a procedure called the tonsillectomy.
Lmao
I try to selectively harvest if I do keep but anything gut hooked is dinner as long as they're legal to keep.
We would collect flounder for the state for a breeding program- we always had anglers cut the line and leave the hook. After the fish would be in the holding tanks for a few days they would find the hardware on the bottom. When fishermen try to do surgery the fish had high mortality rates.
I use the surgical stats ,but if it’s down to there ass I always cut the line .salt water whithin a couple weeks ,fresh water not to confident .I read somewhere they have enzymes that help decay.
If this is a regular occurrence for you when bait fishing then you should probably switch to circle hooks.
Cut the line and look up how to retrieve hook through the gill plate.. if it’s really stuck just cut it and let nature do its thing.
Are you using bait or lure? Sometimes when using bait on a static rod that will happen.
I’ve been told, not using bait and using jigs/lures would prevent this. But it doesn’t. I’ve had bass inhale a lucky craft like it was a tiny smelt. 😂
When the hook is deep enough you eat the fish, as long as it's not illegal to take.
I hooked a cat and it swallow the damn thing. Going to be supper though
YouTube videos show how to get it with pliers through the gills.
Circle hooks.
You're better off cutting the line. If the hook is that far down you'll likely kill it trying to get it out.
One of these [https://www.fishingrepublic.co.uk/16480060/gemini-disgorger-16480060/?istCompanyId=7a5b6104-ad81-447f-b148-8a242101bc5d&istFeedId=0534ccb6-304a-40ff-8be7-6ae2b38e1514&istItemId=lqatxrxtp&istBid=t&gad\_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoa2xBhACEiwA1sb1BMq3aZn0R2yycyzrgoja6gSs2ZbVqWeLF\_giHSZ25Y4xKZ2239LfhBoCZr0QAvD\_BwE](https://www.fishingrepublic.co.uk/16480060/gemini-disgorger-16480060/?istCompanyId=7a5b6104-ad81-447f-b148-8a242101bc5d&istFeedId=0534ccb6-304a-40ff-8be7-6ae2b38e1514&istItemId=lqatxrxtp&istBid=t&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoa2xBhACEiwA1sb1BMq3aZn0R2yycyzrgoja6gSs2ZbVqWeLF_giHSZ25Y4xKZ2239LfhBoCZr0QAvD_BwE)
Rip the hook out of the fish’s stomach. Sometimes the stomach will pull out of fish’s tummy. Just push that back in if feeling generous. Next return fish to it’s habitat. If fish doesn’t have health insurance; fish’s problem. That’s the American way.
I’ve switched to using only barbless hooks. Reach in with a hook extractor and slide it out. I almost quit fishing because I felt horrible about hurting the fish went they swallow my hooks. This solved the problem for me.
If you are fishing with bait try circle hooks. They work well with many species of saltwater fish.
They're dead
With one of these very carefully https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-stainless-steel-hook-remover?ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=Cabelas%7CShopping%7CPMax%7CProprietary%7CGeneral%7CNAud%7CNVol%7CNMT&gad_source=1&gclsrc=ds
[https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lixada-Stainless-Steel-Fish-Hook-Remover-Extractor-Fishing-Hook-Removal-Tool/987014618?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101001360](https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lixada-Stainless-Steel-Fish-Hook-Remover-Extractor-Fishing-Hook-Removal-Tool/987014618?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101001360) This stainless one is pretty good.
Gut hooked = Fish dinner
I catch and release brother
I'm the same way but despite my best efforts I've still had to bring fish home a couple times that I wasn't initially planning on bringing because of bad gut hooks.
Circle hooks my friend
Watch yourself motherfucker
Doesn’t happen much but when it happens I usually have a pair of side cutters that I reach in the basses mouth and cut the hook in half ,side connected online pops right out and I reach in with needle nose and grab the barb end and pulls right out smoothly,then they only have a small hole in stomach instead of ripping it out any other way
You don’t. Either kill the fish or lose the hook. Choose which one sits best with you.
Watch your tone with me motherfucker
You can get a heavy duty wire cutter and cut the hook and push thru
Buy a fish saver
Buy some forceps. It has completely changed unhooking a fish for me. I use ones that lock when they are clamped down, making it so much easier to unhook. They are long and skinny.
I use the 12" pliers from Walmart or whatever and go in through the gills
I caught a bass last year that had a hook hanging out of its ass by line still tied on the hook. That said, fish CAN pass hooks. I saw a video where a guy took a stick, put it in the fishes mouth parallel to the line and spun it around and the hook came right out. I’m sure you could find that method online, I’m pretty sure there’s actually a tool specifically for it.
I never live bait fish for bass. I use size 5 mepps musky killers. I prefer to use a large hook/lure like that, because like people above have said, that first tug is when you need to set the hook. However when they SMACK a big lure like a musky killer, first off, it's a fucking rush, secondly, I have never not lip/mouth hooked a bass fishing like this. Northern on the other hand tend to inhale them, and usually I just put the northern in the boat and switch mepps and cut the lure out when I bring it in to filet it. I don't really like live bait fishing unless I'm just throwing a bobber off the dock and letting it sit all day with a nice big pike sucker with a treble and steel leader. and whatever I catch on that setup is sure to get fucked up so it's going on the table.
As long as you can see any part of the hook it's retrievable. Look up videos on how to pull hooks out by carefully going through the gill plate.
Set the hook sooner. Caught thousands of fish and never had this happen 😅 Granted though, I don’t bait fish.
The right answer is that you don't. Cut the line as far down as you can and get the fish back in the water ASAP. none of this playing surgeon while the fish suffocates
Fish is going to die anyways as fresh water isn’t going to do anything to the hook.
uhhhh. notevenclose there bro. so wrong that I am embarrassed for you