What really happens with unwanted fish hooks.

[Dwight Hottle]

I found this was a pretty good read. Scientific study about what happens when a lure stays in a fish's mouth.

 

https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/fishing-lure-left-in-a-fishs-mouth/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Blog&utm_content=Fishing lure in mouth 

[whitwolf]

Interesting article Dwight, thanks for sharing!

[RoLo]

 

My gut has always told me that field surgery is not a prudent practice.

With a pair of long-handled diagonal cutters, snip the hook-shank nearest the flesh.

 

Roger

 

[Dwight Hottle]

I have caught enough pike to form my own opinions but this study confirms it. I have also caught a lot of smallmouth that after hooking them successfully dived to the bottom and tried to rub the bait out against the rocks. The proof of that is the frayed leader at the snap that wasn't frayed before hooking up. Also snagging up after the bass dives to the bottom. Smallies seem to either get rid of a bait by repeated jumps or bottom diving. 

[sully420]

6 minutes ago, RoLo said:

 

My gut has always told me that field surgery is not a prudent practice.

With a pair of long-handled diagonal cutters, snip the hook-shank nearest the flesh.

 

Roger

 

I feel the same way i just cut the shank ant pull the hook out opposite the barbe.

[Paul Roberts]

Excellent. Steven Cooke has been a very active warmwater (bass in particular) researcher for quite a while now. He's done a lot of work on the effects of angling, notably on catchability and on spawning bass. Waters are plied so heavily now that its a good line of research.  

 

Not surprised at those findings. You know why bass jump? I believe that it's the best way to get the best leverage to throw a spiny sunfish lodged in the throat. There may be subsurface behaviors we don't tend to see, although we all know the head shaking.

 

As to hooks in gullets, it appears that hooks behind the tongue, in the esophagus are most dangerous to the fish bc of chance of infection and difficulty in extraction. I like Roger's suggestion. But hooks in most other parts of the mouth and even swallowed, can often be dealt with by fish. As a trout fly-fisher I often check stomach contents of trout (by stomach pump or those I take home to eat). Here's a not all that uncommon finding:

 

This was from a 9" brown. The fish was well fed as you can see, and that big hook was in process of dissolving:

 

 

 

 

[XpressJeff]

Interesting, thanks!

[jimf]

Great article, thanks for sharing.  And @Paul Robertswhat did you catch that trout on?   Fly fisherman/tier here too, and I'm curious if you matched anything in the stomach.    

[Paul Roberts]

On 5/2/2017 at 1:33 PM, jimf said:

Great article, thanks for sharing.  And @Paul Robertswhat did you catch that trout on?   Fly fisherman/tier here too, and I'm curious if you matched anything in the stomach.    

A drop weighted Brachycentrus cased larva tie. Although that trout, and most in small infertile streams, was feeding eclectically.