Releasing injured fish....how well do they heal??

[The Rooster]

If you hook a fish that's under keeping size but it's foul hooked like in the belly or back or something and the wound looks like more than just a small hole from a hook, what are it's chances of survival after being released??   I released a fish tonight that was hooked inside it's gills by a crankbait treble.  It's actual gills weren't hit but the flesh all around the gills and under it's chin was hooked pretty good.  Then dad had one hooked in the back that the hook ended up stretching the hole out to where it looked more like a cut on the fish's back.  They were striking weirdly tonight and we caught several that were foul hooked but all were way under keeping size so we had to release them wounded.

[bchlr]

If the hook causes a fatal wound to the fish and I know 100% sure that it won't survive than sometimes I allow myself to keep it, if the fish is under keeping size of course, and make it a reason upon questioning, which I have yet to encounter. But more often than not I'll just let it go, the natural food chain would surely be able to take care of that.

[NewScreenNameAdvised]

If it was just hooked in the flesh and no vital organs or gills or anything, it should make a full recovery.  It may get a scar from it.

[JShrock07]

The problem with bass getting foul hooked is not a fun problem to deal with. Many time a bass will strike only to kill if you make the fish mad. That is probably why you foul hooked them. As for healing - Unless you hit vital organs I usually do not worry about it. I hate to kill a fish as much as the next person but things happen sometimes that you may not be able to control. I usually cut the hook out if I cannot get the hook out any other way and release the fish. I haven't kept a fish in years and I do not plan on it anytime soon. (I don't eat much fish) But I enjoy catching them!!!!

But to answer your question the fish you are talking about should be fine.

[bass wrangler569]

As long as its not bleeding from the gills and the hook didn't damage any organs it'll be fine. If I have a bass that is bleeding badly from the gills I'll take him home and put him in the frying pan. I really hate keeping bass but if the end up dying on me I sort of feel like its my responsibility. Luckily this doesn't happen often (twice in the past five years).

[Crestliner2008]

Another reason why I crimp down the barbs on all my hooks - with the exception of drop shot hooks. With the DS, 99% of the fish are hooked in the upper lip. If you crimp down the barb, they throw it with the first jump. Other hooks, no problem. Have never lost a fish on an off-set worm hook with the barb gone.

[NewScreenNameAdvised]

A tip:  If the bass swallows your hook and you are not going to be able to get it back without causing injury to the fish....just cut your line as close to the hook as possible and release the fish this way.  There is a good chance the bass will pass the hook on it's own.  On the other hand, if you are yanking away at the hook and ripping their throat open, it will likely die.

[The Rooster]

Yeah, I don't do that anyway.  I know if I cut the line and leave the hook in it that it will eventually rust out.  I once caught a bass that had another hook in it's mouth already.  The hook was shiny new gold right down to where it entered the fish's flesh and then it was corroded so badly that when I handled it, it broke off right at the surface of the flesh.  So I'm thinking the secrete some kind of acidic substance that disolves the hook.  It couldn't have just been rust from water cause the rest of the hook was brand new looking, as if it had just been hooked yesterday.  

If I leave a hook in the fish, and I usually only have to do that if it's gullet hooked, then I will always use nail clippers to cut away all of the line, leaving only the hook itself in the fish.  I used to try to even shorten the hook by cutting it with wire cutters but I found out that might do more damage than good trying to cut through heavy hooks like a 3/0 EWG.  Only light wire hooks can be cut that way and I hardly ever use them anymore.  

Also, I don't keep fish at all, not for eating or otherwise.  I'm 100% catch and release.  Not that I don't think they should be kept, I just don't like the cleaning and cooking part, and don't think they taste all that good anyway, at least not the ones I catch.  Long John Silver's is were I get my eating fish.  So that's why I wondered if I was hurting anything releasing a fish that might die later, cause even if I thought it would die, I most likely still wouldn't keep it.  Hope that's not wrong.  I don't catch anything over 2 pounds mostly anyway.