When is too much for a fish to survive.

[OnyxWulf]

I had a very sad day the other day fishing.  There was three different incidents that made me question and wonder how these fish do.

1) I caught a fish on a 1/2 spinnerbait and the hook set went through the eye.  Trying to get the barb out would have cause me to pop the eye and maybe kill the fish.  I opted to do the ethical (or at least what I thought was ethical) and proceeded to cut my spinner bait hook and pulled the hook through.  The fishes eye was obviously ruined.

2) I was using a fat ika and I felt a tug on my line then nothing.  I continued to hop it in and nothing, then something went a runnin.  The fish at taken the ika and swam towards me so I didn't feel the bite.  By the time I set the hook the fish pretty much swallowed the entire hook and the set made it come out its side and ruin it gills.  The fish was bleeding profusely when I got it onto shore.  I did my best to try to get the hook out but I don't think that fish made it.

3) This one is similar to #2.  I caught a fish on my Vixen but notice something hanging out of its mouth.  There was a 3 foot line attached at one end to a swivel and the other end was attached to a large aught hook that was WELL embeded in its throat.  It was obviously still feeding as it took my vixen but that hook was buried.  I cut the fishing line and threw him back in the water with a little kiss for good luck.

I am a purely catch and release fisherman, but all three of these incidents made me question if I should throw them back or put them out of the suffering and take them home for dinner.

I am pretty new bass fisherman (only started in July) so excuse my ignorance or mishandling of the above listed situations but I am trying to learn and trying to do the right things.

Should I have done something differently?  Is it worth it to kill them if I think (not an expert in this) that they most likely are suffering and won't survive?

[Chug Bug]

I get all choked up to when I gut hook.  I'm way to sensitive about injuring fish, but have gotten better about it with the advice of guys on this board.  Bottom line...It is going to happen and is just part of our sport.  Fish one and three probably will be O.K.  Fish two I doubt.  Don't let it ruin your affinity for angling though.  I'm sure every member here has a story about SERIOUSLY messing up a fish with a hookset.

[Garnet]

Catch and release is the best thing thats happened to sport fishing.

That been said it's gone to far were people think anglers are less for catching and consuming there catch.

There just needs to balance with C&R and C&C.

Garnet

[Jall65]

Things are going to happen beyond our control no matter how careful we handle the situation. Fish one I think will be fine as Chug Bug stated as well as #3. The fish digestive system will rid the hook in most cases. But the Second fish probably will not.. If you get into their gills(lungs) most likely the fish will expire. Jut put them in your live well and make a nice meal out of it is all you can do and appreciate it . Its going to happen but make the most of it and try not to worry as you did try to do the right thing.

[senile1]

It bothers me too when I gut hook a fish.  When I'm bird hunting and I wound a bird I have to kill it by banging its head against a post.  Otherwise, it will suffer.  This really bothers me too.  Get used to it.  If you have any respect for your quarry you're going to have some of these feelings.    It sounds like you handled these situations in the best way you could.  I agree with Chug Bug.  It is unlikely the fish in scenario #2 survived.  

[BucketmouthAngler13]

i had #1 happend to me a week ago. I tried to remove the hook with as little damage as possible, but i highly doubt the fish will see with that eye again.

If you put them in the water and they just foat there, then take it home. but other wise i give them a chance at life.

[BASS fisherman]

Don't worry to much about it, like senile1 said, it is going to happen and you have to get used to it.  I have caught several fish that were hooked through the eye.  Fish have what's called  laterel lines.  Without eyes a bass could still survive using the laterel lines to sense vibrations of forage in the water.  Granted it would not really thrive IMO, but most likely a blind bass would survive.  

As far as the gut hook, I have caught plenty of bass with hooks already imbedded in there throats.  From what I understand, a hook will work the hole from the hook bigger than the hook, and the hook will eventually fall out.  I am not sure who the user was, but on this forum a member posted about fishing one day, and hooking a bass with a crankbait and then having the line snap as the bass got away with his crankbait.  A few days later the same member was fishing and hooked into another bass, this time landing it, and what do you know?  It was the bass who stole his crank a few days before hand.  But the interesting part is that the crankbait was across the bass's mouth. So the bass only had a small area to get food through, but he still tried.  Now as unbelievable as that sounds, the member put up pics, so unless he posed the picture, I believe it.

   I have only lost fish when I try to get the hook out of the throut, and the bass starts to bleed profusly.  Then it seems the fish usually dies.  I carry a pair of side cutters, or wire cutters with me in my bag so that when I gut hook a bass, I try to cut the barb off and back the hook out.  It the barb is deeply embedded, I cut the hook down as close to the bass's throat as possible.  I have only had 1 bass die from a gut hooking, that I saw and know of first hand.  All the others swim away.  

[Keithscatch]

OW,

We all have been there a time or two. Thanks for caring about your fish that you catch. Sometimes I wonder about some as they seemingly don't care. Anyway, all we can do is to try and minimize future gut hookings. Typically when worm fishing it has been said and I will repeat it here that you will feel 3 taps when worm fishing.

1) First tap bass picks up worm

2) Second tap bass spits out worm

3) Third tap is my hand smaking the back of your head for not setting the hook on the first tap.  ;D ;D

Pretty soon you will just about eliminate gut hooking altogether. Maybe not 100% but pretty darn close. I almost never gut hook bass anymore. It is a rare thing for me to have to cut a hook off in a fish anymore. Just set the hook sooner and you will be fine. Sometimes I even fish with barbless hooks which helps the fish even more.

Good luck and keep at it.

[bass2187]

I recently caught a bass the other day with my hook left over in its gullet. got him on a senko first and then a week later on a fat ika. I am almost possive it was my hook. When i pulled him out the second time i was able to remove the old hook. The barb rusted off so it was easy. Since i have been fishing with fat ikas and senko i have been removing the barb. Makes taking them off so much easier and makes me feel better about it. Had way too many meaty cheek hook sets. I am probably losing a few fish because i took off the barbs but i still get most of mine in.

I also caught a crappie today when the bass werent biting. He was blind in one of his eyes. It was completly healed and he looked healthy and caught my little beetle spin so he is doing alright. Seemed a little shocked when i let him go but he jumped out of my hand when i was trying to get a better look at his eye so he obviously isnt doin bad.

Mike

[405z06]

As everyone on this board knows, bass are very hardy! The first LMB I ever caught over 7lbs was blind in one eye. I don't know what caused it, obviously, but she grew to a nice size and lived a healthy life with one eye.

Also, I used to do quite a bit of live bait fishing on a smallish subdivision lake where my buddy lived. He enjoyed fishing, but wasn't always quick, so he would gut-hook quite a few fish. I can't tell you how many times that I have caught fish with hooks in their gut. On one occasion when I lived in Florida, I gut-hooked a bass, cut the line at the hook, and caught the same fish later the same day! I'm sure there is a high mortalilty rate for this, but maybe not as high as one would think

[paparock]

I have been practicing catch and release since I was a kid back right after dirt was invented. Sometimes despite our best intentions and efforts, the fish is just not going to make it. That is when you should consider an alternate form of release. I call it Fillet and Release. There are even support groups formed around the concept to help fellow anglers deal with the psychological trauma associated with this aspect of fishing. Their clothing can easily identify members.

Members of these support groups are sitting by with forks in hand to help you deal with your problem so don't hesitate to ask a member for help today!

[FIN-S-R]

Ive caught more than one bass with a ripped out gill, they usually arent real healthy, but they can make it. When you get a bleeder, put it back in the water and do the revive drill on it as quick as possible. It works best if the water is kinda muddy, it'll clot in just a couple of seconds. Gut hooking...give em' the hook, they'll live, think about what a crawdad can do to their insides, they can take quite alot. I think the most important thing to do is to disturb as little of the slim coat as possible. Once the protection of the slime coat is gone a fish will check out quick. As for eyeball poppin' probably hurts, but like everyelse has said they'll be just fine w/ 1 eye.

[fishingrulz]

Even if they die...they won't go to waste. Turtles will make good use out of him. Don't feel bad.

[NJfishinGuy]

yeah it is true even though you feel bad somethin will eat it 90% of the time. i have never killed a bass yet and i have gut hooked a good few.  ive had ones that bleed all over the place and they still swim away and i never seem them floating later that day. what i do is quickly cut the line and just pull the hook through from the pointed end. the eye just slips through the throat tissue and pops out the other side. then the fish is good and you get your hook back.  one of these days if i do see him floating ill probably just eat em.

oh and for leaving hooks in them my dad always told me that they will rust out and fall apart within a week or 2.  and seeing how quick hooks rust i kinda believe it