Hooked Deep (swallowed hook)...What to do?

[piranha]

Last night I caught two bass that swallowed the hook (Gamakatsu 3/0 EWG). I tried to remove it but didn't want to harm the fish. After no success (using needle-nosed pliers) I decided to cut the line and leave the hook in. I was wondering if that is the best thing to do. Is there another option? Should I carry wire cutters or something similar? What will happen with the hook? Does the fish swallow it? I have always been told that it rusts away, but that would seem to take a very long time.

Thanks for the info.

Rick

[KU_Bassmaster.]

http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl?board=gen_bass;action=display;num=1111458633

I actually tried this last week on two my dad caught (he waits FOREVER to set the hook).  One time it did work, one time it didn't.  The one time it did though, it just popped out pretty easily.  

[gamblerOH]

That is my main reason for not fishing senkos.. In a touney most guys will cut the line and leave the hook so the fish dont die before weigh in, I would think it will still die. Roadwarrior fishes a lot of large senkos so im sure he can give you some advice that may help you keep from hooking them so deep. I can tell you that I dont seem to get them hooked so deep on a wacky rig so if I fish a senko thats usually how i'll rig it.

[piranha]

Great link. Thanks. I will try it next time. I have always stayed away from the gills for fear of hurting the fish. Now I know!

Thanks again.

Rick

[GobbleDog]

This is a divided topic among bass fisherman. One side thinks it's better to remove the hook at all costs, and the other side think it's better to just cut the line.

In my opinion, hooks take entirely too long to rust out in freshwater and a high percentage of the fish with hooks left in their guts will die from lack of food or infections from the hook. I've read articles that agree with my thinking that most gut hooked bass do eventually die, sometimes months later.

[el_jewapo]

what about cutting the hook off in the bend as close as you can get it? how would you think that would effect the survival of the fish?

[BD]

It comes down to I feel anyways, if you can get it out and they bled a little, more than likely the bass will be just fine.

Things obstructing their belly=not good.

I have tried that trick from that site, and it does work sometimes. I wish I had an answer other than puase on the hookset a tad longer.

:-/

[GobbleDog]

what about cutting the hook off in the bend as close as you can get it? how would you think that would effect the survival of the fish?

I can get ALMOST everyhook out with a good set of needle nose pliers.  Sometimes you have tear up the guts a little bit, but overall I think the fish are better off having it removed.

Cutting the hook itslef would leave some in, but in some cases that kind of fish surgery might work. For me, it would have to be one heck of gut-hook before I'd resort to that.  Alot of gut-hooks look worse than they really are. Everone should own a good set of extra long needle nose pliers.

[JUST_ONE_MORE_CAST]

Yesterday on BassChamps on OLN one member of a team caught a LM and it had an offset wormhook sticking out, eye and shank, of it's anus. He said he had seen that a few times before. He started to wiggle it but said that might not be a good idea and that the fish would probably pass it soon on his own.  

[roadwarrior]

I struggle with this issue all the time. I'm trying to get better at the "through the gills" technique, but I'm not real good at it, yet. For the most part, I do everything I can to remove hooks short of tearing up a fish. I'm pretty good with long needle nose pliars, but sometimes the hook is just too deep and I cut the line.

Chris had a post citing an article that claims most fish will work the hook out over a relatively short period of time. I want to believe that's true.

[billybass]

While fishing in CT I would almost exclusively fish a wacky rigged zoom worm for SM in the early spring. As noted already this tends to produce alot of deep hooked fish, I personally believe in cutting the line on these thin wired aberdene hooks. Often times I'd catch a fish that still had a big hook and sometimes even a jig still stuck in its throat from the last fisherman that crossed its path. This tells me that those fish are still going to eat, no matter what. I have also witnessed numerous hooks that were rusting out while in the fishes throat, I don't think it takes as long as most of us would think for it rust out.  ??? ??? ???

[plowertj]

JustOneMoreCast,

Thats insane that the hook went through the digestive system. Unbelievable. Great story.

[LunkerGuy]

If the point of the hook goes all the way through, try and do the same as if you stuck it through your hand.  Take a pair of wire cutters, clip the hook in half, then pull one part out one way and the other part the other.

If the hook is deeply embedded into the gullet (point and all), the technique stated before would probably work better.

I try my best to remove the hook and although I don't hook them like that too often, if I do I will do my best to get them free.  Worst case, if I really feel I am butchering the fish I will release them and hope it rusts out.  After reading this article, I think I'll try harder next time to get it out first.

Thanks, and good ifo.

[elkhunter7x6]

I fish soft plastic almost exclusively. With c-rigging 20+ water this time of the year. One day most of the fish I catch will be hooked in the jaw and the next day a large percentage of them will be hooked deep. With a combination of the before mentioned technique of feed line thru gill and removing barb from gamagutsu G-lock hook, I never leave a hook in a fish and rarely injure the fish. Even without the barb it is unusual for me too lose a fish with the G-lock hook.