Disturbing the Ecosystem

[Frogs N Hawgs]

I was bank fishing a small public pond the other day where I ended up gut hooking a bass.  The thing that really has been eating me up is the fact it was my PB @ 7-1/2 lbs!  I have gut hooked bass in the past and it only happens when I’m bouncing a Texas rigged worm.  The survival rate is 50/50.  

 

On this occasion I was just hopping the worm along the bottom at a steady retrieve when I noticed the line started moving towards me a little quicker than normal.  There was no thump or any sort of “hit” to inform me the bait was taken.  I reeled in quickly to pick up the slack and set the hook hard.  BOOM, fish on!  I pulled in a pig and knew it was going to be my new PB.  My excitement turned into anxiety as I realized the fish had nearly swallowed the hook.  I cut the line and attempted to back out the hook from the eye side.  Every time any sort of tension was put on the fishes throat it would contract it’s gullet, lodging the hook deeper inside its throat.  After no luck of getting the hook out, and some bleeding, I decided to leave it in and give the fish a chance to survive.  I attempted to revive the majestic beast, but I had no luck.  The 7-1/2 lb. LMB kept floating on its side occasionally twitching.  I thanked her for the experience and pushed her into a thicket of cat tails. I checked back in about an hour later and three turtles had already started to make a meal of her.  That made me feel ALOT better.  

 

Here’s my concern: I felt so guilty considering it was such a large specimen in a small pond that gets a lot of pressure from other anglers.  I have a feeling there isn’t many bass in the pond considering there is an abundance of small baitfish and the few bass I have caught were 4+ lbs.  This tells me the population ratio of bass/baitfish is not exactly “healthy”.  I can’t help but to think I just screwed up the food chain by removing one of the few large predators in that ecosystem.  Is that a possibility?  I hope I have not just started a chain reaction that will negatively affect the fish populations.  I understand this is a blood sport and sometimes fish are going to perish when practicing catch and release.  I did consider taking the fish home to eat, but I did not have a cooler, it was 95° outside, and I was an hour away from home.  I have never filleted and eaten a fish I have caught either so I honestly felt allowing the fish to become food for the other creatures in the ecosystem was the best option.  

 

I think the fact it was my PB LMB is what made me so dang sensitive to the situation.  Extreme high to very disappointed.  An emotional roller coaster.  But, hey I still had fun and have a new fishing memory!  Learning from this experience, I will start carrying bolt cutters specifically for cutting the shank of the hook.  I will also start bending the barb down to increase the chances of removing the hook with ease.  Thanks for listening!

 

(this is my first post so I may created a new topic that was not needed)

[GaryH]

It happens. You did everything you thought would help. Keep your chin up and keep fishing.

[Fishingmickey]

Frogs,

     You might want to search You tube for a video on how to remove a hook from deeply hooked bass from the side through the gills. I have done it several times.   I use my fingers and very carefully go in and get the round part of the shank under one of my middle fingers. Then using the other finger push the eye of the hook down deeper into the fishes throat. This rolls the hook over my finger and doesn't pull the guts out of the bass. Almost always the hook will come free with little or no bleeding. Hope this helps in the future! Also hearty congratulations on your PB! 7.5 lbs for Ohio is a very serious fish!

Fishingmickey

[Hammer 4]

May want to have a look at this re: gut hooked bass.

 

[Dwight Hottle]

Your other choice is cutting the hook in half with a pair of hook cutters leaving a greatly reduced piece for the fish to deal with. 

[FrankN209]

I've also read on here that some people use barbless hooks when worm fishing. 

[johnmyers]

I bend the barb down and you really don’t lose fish this way