what should I have done?

[Scartammer1]

i accidentally killed a fish by hooking it thru the gills and throat, i got the hook out and after trying to let it go it was not moving very well and just went in a spiral into the bottom of the lake, so i picked it back up, and killed it so it wouldn't suffer, i really feel bad about it and i don't know if I did the right thing or if the fish would have survived.

[Mobasser]

If you did everything you could to save the fish, you did the right thing. These things happen sometimes.

[looking45]

Everyone is going to kill a fish sooner or later,‘whether they know it or not. Just because the fish swims away doesn’t mean it’s going to be ok. If you absolutely want to make sure you don’t kill a fish, you’ll probably have to stop fishing

[MN Fisher]

Sometimes you can do everything right...but it still goes all wrong. Don't despair over it...just move on and keep doing your best.

[Big Hands]

The occasional fatality happens. If you're gut hooking on a regular basis, you might want to think about why that is happening. 

 

I would also suggest that every bass angler that wishes to have the best chance to mitigate harm done when we hook a bass, that you have the tools that will make that easy and quick to accomplish.

 

If I could recommend one such tool, it would be a pair of straight long nose (needle nose) pliers, and a curved pair. I think the curved pair is the most useful are the Booms 11" Stainless Steel Long Nose Pliers. They have a slightly different bend than the carbon steel version and they are simply amazing for removing a hook that is way far down into the bass' mouth.

 

Of course, the best thing to do is to make sure you're not being careless in some way that results in more bass being hooked in a way that jeopardizes their well being more than necessary.

 

 

[thediscochef]

Echoing the others here. I'm never gonna judge someone for ending the suffering of a living being that was already terminal. You did right as far as I'm concerned. My first solo catch was a catfish on a treble. I didn't have pliers with me so I killed it and took it home and did my best to filet it. I did a terrible job but these instances are how we learn and grow

 

Now, if we're gut hooking bass constantly, you need to set the hook much sooner. I get the feeling that if you're making this post in the way that you did, it's probably a rare occurrence

[Swamp Girl]

I was using a wacky worm this morning and lost more fish than I caught because it's very easy to gut hook a bass on a wacky worm, so I set the hook sooner rather than later, thus I lose a lot and can live with that.

[gim]

15 hours ago, Big Hands said:

I would also suggest that every bass angler that wishes to have the best chance to mitigate harm done when we hook a bass, that you have the tools that will make that easy and quick to accomplish.

 

I'd also like to add that you should have these items ready and available BEFORE you catch the fish.  Buried in a compartment or fishing bag trying to dig it out does not qualify.

 

If you're using a net, remove the hook(s) from the fish first, photo, measure/weigh, and then release it.  Then worry about the hooks(s) in the netting.

 

Any fish you intend to release should be out of the water for 30 seconds or less.  After you get a good system of preparation and execution down, it simply becomes a habit.  Also, bear in mind that just because you released the fish alive, there is such a thing as delayed mortality.  It occurs most often in the warmer summer months when the water is like a bath tub.  So its even more important during that time period.

[Pat Brown]

I usually gut hook maybe 1-3 fish a year.  Seems like sometimes, your presentation is so good and the competition is so stiff that they can't get that thing down their gullet fast enough.

 

It has happened with lots of lure categories, so I believe in many ways it's just the kind of mood and appetite of the individual fish sometimes.

 

My favorite way to say thanks for the bite and fight when that happens is a filet knife, hot grease and some panko.

[MN Fisher]

13 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I'd also like to add that you should have these items ready and available BEFORE you catch the fish.

I have a pair of forceps for most hook removals and a pair of electronic pliers (long/thin) for the more difficult hooks. They're connected to retractable badge holders which clip into D-rings that hang off my belt. So they're both right at hand at all times...and yes, I did have to drill a hole in the handle of the pliers for the split-ring. (Click links for Amazon pages of items.)

[Swamp Girl]

22 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I'd also like to add that you should have these items ready and available BEFORE you catch the fish.  Buried in a compartment or fishing bag trying to dig it out does not qualify.

 

So true. I arrange my tools before I make my first cast. 

[gim]

9 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

It has happened with lots of lure categories, so I believe in many ways it's just the kind of mood and appetite of the individual fish sometimes.

 

Perhaps.  It seems to occur most often with a slower, plastic presentation though.  At least for me it does.  Something like a wacky rigged stick bait comes to mind.

 

Rarely does it occur when I'm power fishing a faster moving lure.  Actually I can't remember the last time a bass swallowed something like a spinnerbait to the point where it was gut hooked.

 

In scientific terms of walleye fishing, where quotas and harvest is closely tracked, its referred to as "passive vs active" fishing.  Sitting there with a live bait and allowing the fish to eat it before setting the hook is passive.  Whereas trolling something like a crankbait is called active fishing.  The active style of fishing greatly reduces mortality.  Live bait generally goes with passive fishing and artificials generally go with active fishing.

 

I have caught a largemouth this season and a muskie this season and they both had a hook in their mouth when I caught them.  The largemouth had a single EWG hook with line still attached and the muskie had a rusted treble, also with line attached.  I properly removed them before release.  I'm surprised the muskie could even eat with that treble hook in its mouth.

[F14A-B]

I would have let it spiral on down to the deep depths, no waste in the waterways (not wastewater’s or chemicals y’all) turtles gotta eat, flatheads etc. it happens unfortunately. 

[Pat Brown]

Well @gimruis - the sample size I get fishing 365 days a year roughly is probably pretty different than most folks.  I don't fish a lot of 'slow baits' in general at any point during the year.  If I do - I'm fishing them fast 😂

[Swamp Girl]

@MN Fisher: Thanks for the links! I just bought the forceps and pliers. I already have my phone and scissors attached to me, so I'm not going to add another two things. 

[gim]

1 minute ago, Pat Brown said:

I don't fish slow baits in general at any point during the year.

 

What lure(s) did the fish swallow in your post above?  I'm just wondering what they were.

[Ohnooze]

I went to Inks Lake here in Texas over the weekend.  They had, had a tournament earlier that day and there were 3 big dead bass floating at the boat ramp.  Really aggravated me.  And this is very different than your situation but this post reminded me of it.

[Pat Brown]

5 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

What lure(s) did the fish swallow in your post above?  I'm just wondering what they were.

 

I've gut hooked fish on just about everything!

 

Only stuff I haven't had them try to swallow completely yet are baits that I don't fish a ton.

 

I've had them completely swallow deep cranks/mid cranks/square bills/Jerkbaits/spooks/poppers/lipless/chatterbait/frog/swimjig/swimbait/buzzbait/BuzzToad etc - all of these setting the hook immediately as I feel the bite.

 

Again - it's a rare occurrence with most baits most of the time.  In general - the fish around here are spitting your bait out before you can react!  😂 

 

I figure when it DOES happen it's gotta be a deal where you're perfectly appealing to a specific fish or there's a LOT of competition around OR you're waiting too long to set the hook (only you can know for sure if that's why it's happening 🤷🏼‍♂️).

[gim]

5 minutes ago, Ohnooze said:

They had, had a tournament earlier that day and there were 3 big dead bass floating at the boat ramp.

 

That may not have been necessarily because of gut or gill hooking the fish.

 

But this is yet another reason I am an advocate for immediate catch and release formats rather than live weigh ins.  Especially when the water is warm.  And I imagine its still very warm there in Texas.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, gimruis said:

But this is yet another reason I am an advocate for immediate catch and release formats rather than live weigh ins.  Especially when the water is warm.

Another reason I won't do tournaments...only fish I put in my livewell are ones that'll end up as fillets in my freezer.

[Ohnooze]

2 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

That may not have been necessarily because of gut or gill hooking the fish.

 

But this is yet another reason I am an advocate for immediate catch and release formats rather than live weigh ins.  Especially when the water is warm.  And I imagine its still very warm there in Texas.

Yeah I wasn't really suggesting it was from gutting them.  But they were killed unnecessarily and yeah it's still in the 90s here.  

[gim]

2 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Another reason I won't do tournaments...only fish I put in my livewell are ones that'll end up as fillets in my freezer.

 

I'm generally fine with weigh ins during certain times of the year.  But there's two very specific times when they should not be used: warm water periods, and the spawn.

[Zcoker]

Seems like slow moving baits like worms sometimes have their consequence. Have had a few caught on them die on me, is why I shelfed them. Never had a fish die on faster moving baits with trebles, bladed jigs, only worms with single hooks. Of course I minimize things by timing the hooksets best I can because when they pick it up they immediately swallow it, which equates to getting that hookset timing practically perfect. Most don't. They feel things out for a bit and then strike but, by then, it's too late and the bait is way deep, causing all kinds of internal damage. 

[J._Bricker]

Seems like you did the best you could @Scartammer1, a lot of the time it depends on size of the fish and what type of hook and bait. If you’re using a worm hook on a Texas rigged bait or an octopus hook on a wacky rig. Using hemostats I’ve found it can be easier to come in from under the gill plate being careful not to touch the gill rakes. Sometimes cutting the line is necessary to help manipulate the hook to make removal easier. Sometimes the bass’s stomach is/was punctured producing a little blood but that can happen when it eats crawdads. 
 

And welcome @Scartammer1 to Bass Resource and the Forums! As you can see a lot of people are here who enjoy fishing and want to help.
 

*I do use a 3/0 octopus hook when chucking a wacky rig, 5/0 for T-rig.

 

[WRB]

6 hours ago, ol'crickety said:

I was using a wacky worm this morning and lost more fish than I caught because it's very easy to gut hook a bass on a wacky worm, so I set the hook sooner rather than later, thus I lose a lot and can live with that.

Best way to prevent gut hooking using a weightless wacky rig is  circle hook, both Gamakatsu Octopus finesse circle hook and Owner Mutu Light or Mosquito size1 or 1/0 works good with 5” Senko.

Tom