I Feel Horrible :(

[FishingMastah1]

Well I caught a nice 4 lber on a 1//2 oz. chrome and blue rat-l-trap. But the trebles got him so bad I meen in the mouth and out the mouth too, he was bleeding out his gills and all in his mouth. I kept giving him water while trying to get the hooks out but I couldnt so I was 100 percent forced to cut the line. He wouldnt revive so I kinda just pushed him and he started to swim but fell on his side and floated out. His tail was still flapping a little though. I believe he lives because he dived down and didn't float back up so i just pray he lived. I am pro life and the fact I almost or maybe even did kill another animal just makes me feel really bad. I think i did the right thing though and I handled it the best I could. I am going to stop fishing ANYTHING with trebles from now on because they are just cruel in my eyes now.

[Straight Illin]

If you don't think you can safely release why not learn how to cook bass?

[rondef]

Did you leave the rat-l-trap in his mouth and release him? If so that fish is as good as dead. Do you have forceps? If not you should think about investing in a pair before you use a lure with treble hooks again. It is really easy to remove all hooks using them.

[A.Do?]

you should also consider getting some wire cutters and cuttin the barbs from the hook or as much as you can to help the fish survive.

[flippin4it.]

            Never fish without a "good" pair of needle nosed pliers and side cutters.  You can get a cheap set a Wal-Mart for about 2 bucks a piece or stainless in the fishing section..............Due to the fact that I loose pliers so much, I by the 2 buck a piece by the handful.

[FishingMastah1]

I was using needle nose pliers but they just wouldn't work

[okrod]

I know how you feel FishingMastah1.  I had a similar experience earlier this year and I felt bad even knowing the fish had a 50/50 chance of survival.  My issue wasn't getting the hook out, but the fight that took so much out of the fish.  The next day I searched the entire bank were I put the bass back to see if I had a floater.  I felt better after, although I knew it unlikely to find it - even if it did die.    

[JShrock07]

Well my suggestion to you is to buy you a GOOD pair of wire cutters. I know that not all the wire cutters can cut a treble hook. If nothing else have a pair of needle nose pliers and also buy a strong pair of wire cutters for incidents just like that. If you own a boat after you have cut the hooks from the bass put some rejuvinate in your livewell, it is a product yu can order from basspro to help the bass heal it's wounds. That should help you out alot. But if you cannot keep the bass alive at all, never just throw it back in the water, eat it or find someone that would want it. I'm sure if you talk to many people on this forum they would be more then happy to eat it if you dont want it.

[VolFan]

Kinda along the same lines, mortality is a fact of fishing.  If you're afraid to kill a fish, you may as well stop fishing.  Death can be a side affect of pulling a fish around by its mouth.  If you're a strict C&R guy, do everything you can to try to put as little tress on the fish as you can, but understand that you're still gonna kill a few no matter what.

[cjbs2003]

I agree, even catch and release fishing kills about 5-10 of the fish caught ones you never thought would die. Especially when caught with a multiple treble hook lure. Depending on the fish species and time of year it can be even higher. If you don't want to kill fish, don't go fishing... You can take precautions and practice proper catch and release fish handling methods, but some fish are gonna die. Enjoy the protein, its good for you!

[burleytog]

Mastah?  :-X

[JVM]

There is a good article I read on this site about removing hooks from gut hooked fish, etc.

I havent been able to find it again yet, but I will PM you if I do.

My other advice would be this... Invest in a good filet knife.

Bon Appetit!

[warmer]

you should in no way feel bad.  

if i am not in a tournament, i throw every gut hooked fish in the well until it is either upright and peppy or rolled up on its side. if it is on its side, out comes the fillet knife.  at the end of a the year. i have a nice collection of unfortunates in the freezer, and have a little fish fry.

there is some value to harvesting largemouth.  even with all the pressure on the lakes, the majority of bass fisherman are catch and release, while the flotillas of fisherman parked right over the top of the shell-cracker and spec hatches haven't released a fish in their living memories.  im not sure what the balance is like in your lake, but if you can find out it would be worth knowing, and harvesting a few bass now and again is, as likely as not, a very good thing for the health of the lake.

a nice easy recipe!

Bass

salt

pepper

vegetable oil

2cups flour

1 cup corn meal

1 ziploc freezer bag

milk

8 fillets

Combine salt, pepper (as much or as little as you like) flour, and corn meal in the ziploc bag. Shake well. Place fillets in a bowl full of milk. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Place fillets one at a time in ziploc and shake well. Place 2 fillets in a frying pan with the vegetable oil, and fry until golden brown. Serve and enjoy.

Makes 4 servings.

[FishingMastah1]

Mastah?  :-X

Im only 14 and I've only been fishing like for real for about 2 months. And I have only caught 2 fish :\ mainly because I don't have transportation so i can't go out, but I just thought the name was funny, since it's almost an oxy moron for me.

[32251]

Well I caught a nice 4 lber on a 1//2 oz. chrome and blue rat-l-trap. But the trebles got him so bad I meen in the mouth and out the mouth too, he was bleeding out his gills and all in his mouth. I kept giving him water while trying to get the hooks out but I couldnt so I was 100 percent forced to cut the line. He wouldnt revive so I kinda just pushed him and he started to swim but fell on his side and floated out. His tail was still flapping a little though. I believe he lives because he dived down and didn't float back up so i just pray he lived. I am pro life and the fact I almost or maybe even did kill another animal just makes me feel really bad. I think i did the right thing though and I handled it the best I could. I am going to stop fishing ANYTHING with trebles from now on because they are just cruel in my eyes now.

Being pro life......when did that include fish???

Fish were put here as food for us humans.  You did not mean to kill the fish. If you did, then other animals will use the fish for food....birds, turtles, racoons etc.  

You can stop fishing trebles if you want, but you can kill just as many with a gut hook on a single.  

[suede55bowtie]

If you don't think you can safely release why not learn how to cook bass?

I agree with this 100%

If you cant save them, then sir you have lunch. Thats better than just letting them float away..

[rboat]

Don't feel bad, it happens to all of us who practice the best C&R methods. If you do not want to eat it, let it go, it could make a recovery or if not something else will consume it. That is what happens when they die naturally.

[FishingMastah1]

Im not sure how healthy it would be to eat the fish in the lakes around here due to chemicals.

[A.Do?]

I think most of the lakes around here are clean, it's the rivers i'm hearing horror stories about.

[Trevor in Burke]

eh, you fed some turtles, it happens...

don't stop using good lures just because of one insident, it's rare a fish inhales a lure like that, that bad.

[roadwarrior]

#1 Treble hook lures generally do the least amount of damage to a fish. The bait is never swallowed and the hooks don't penetrate deeply.

#2 Always carry a pair of needlenose pliers. Take your time and treble hooks are easily removed.

#3 In the event the fish dies or you feel has a high probability of dying, keep it! if you don't want to dress and cook the fish, find someone that will.

#4 Perhaps tournament fishermen kill 5% of their catch due to poor handling and livewell containment, but I doubt that anything close to 1% of the fish that are immediately released will die. Still, it will happen and you should realize that that fish must be harvested, not wasted.

8-)