Gut hooking fish

[DDog1]

I seem to be gut hooking more bass than ever this year, I know I need to move away from circle hooks but I had a bunch from saltwater use. Anyway what tactics/gear are you all using to minimize this? When you get them good, is it better to leave the hook in many using a metal snipper to cut shank of hook? Any thoughts appreciated. 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

So your using circle hooks already?

If you gut hook a fish and its bleeding, removing the hook can cause more damage then leaving it in.  Try using lighter wire hooks and smashing your barbs to reduce injuries. 

[Bluebasser86]

Learn this technique for unhooking fish. Never leave a hook in a fish's throat. Better for them to bleed to death quickly than die a slow death of starvation. Done correctly though, this has a very high rate of success and does very little damage. 

 

[schplurg]

Is this, like, Deja Vu?

[Jig Man]

Get you a set of these. https://www.jannsnetcraft.com/wire-forming-tools/d-barb-hook-cutter-remover.aspx

[bulldog1935]

on seatrout, at least, I've had really good results pushing this device down their gullet to remove the hook

MadBite Lighted Fish Hook Remover Added | The Ultimate Bass Fishing Resource Guide® LLC (bassresource.com)

Don't know that I've ever gulleted a bass, but hate it when I gill-hook them.  

[haggard]

I was gut hooking a few when fishing for smallies in ~30 ft of water, with mono line, probably because I wasn't detecting the bite quick enough. I switched to braid for more sensitivity, with a decent rod (for the same), and I think this helps, but I don't really have a lot of data yet to know for sure.

 

As for recovery, I carry 7-inch wire cutters and cut the hook ASAP, about halfway down the hook, to get rid of the lure and weight (usually it's Texas rigged) so there's more room & visibility to work.

This also gives some room to back out the hook - which requires rotating it (along the plane of the hook) - otherwise the eye end would bump into fish parts and prevent rotation.

 

With hook snipped, go in through gills with needle nose pliers (I find forceps are often too weak) and for barbless hooks, rotate the hook back out (i.e. the wait it came in, don't push it through). For barbed hooks, if you can see the barb end, rotate it through (which should be easy since you've already snipped away the eye/bend end).

 

With hook now out, go in through the mouth with needle nose pliers and take out the hook. I wouldn't take the freed-up hook out through the gills.

 

If the whole process is taking a while, let the fish recover under water periodically. A net helps.

 

I highly recommend barbless hooks, at least until you start seeing fewer gut hooks. Barbless is also helpful when you the bottom of your own foot.

 

 

[PressuredFishing]

Sometimes it just happens no matter how fast you set the hook. I just keep em, never really found a technique that prevents it, circle hooks for me are not great because bass can throw them easily and I would rather kill a few bass to not loose as many fish than to loose alot of fish to save a few.

[papajoe222]

If you're currently using circle hooks, how are you managing to gut hook fish? They're designed to eliminate gut hooking.

I'd work hard on your inability to detect bites.  It takes practice watching your line and feeling for a bite. My guess is you're likely missing fish that spit out your offering, so that's a bonus to learning.