fish doesnt recover from hookset

[Raul]

I 've always loved to watch TV documentaries, specially National Geography documentaries, I remember particularily this one about sea turtles, I must have been 5-6 years old, it 's been more than 40 years from that I visualize like if I 'm watching it right now when the baby turtles dig out and crawl on the beach to the sea as fast as they can trying desperately to reach the sea and a bunch of sea birds ( seagulls and other species ) eating them, I cried, my mom when she saw me crying only told me that it was Nature 's way and that death is a natural occurence that takes place every second of every day and that 'it has been going on since the birth of times, one species is the food of another.

[Smiths.R]

A response that calls the OP pathetic if a joke...it's a little girl he's talking about. 

If you knew it was going to die, the best thing to do would be kill it.  A good heavy stick does the trick.  Rocking it back and forth in the water...that's no good.  Quick death > Slow Death

[Crestliner2008]

Bring a bottle of 7-Up with you when you go fishing. LM bass are very tenacious and can withstand deep hooking. The problem lies in stopping or slowing the bleeding so that they can survive. 7-Up does this. Just pour it in the bass's mouth and the make up of this beverage will dramatically slow the bleed, enabling a higher degree of successful releases.

BTW, after seeing Bambi when I was a kid, I stopped going to Disney movies. Even then I knew what a progressive was! 

[senile1]

There is nothing wrong with feeling empathy for a dying animal.  This is quite normal for anyone, young or old.  When a young child is first exposed to an animal's death, especially one where the child was instrumental in the animal's demise, I would be worried if a child didn't feel these feelings.  That feeling is part of respecting the life of the animal and its role in the food chain.  Of course, logic must be used, and taught, to keep these feelings and emotions in perspective.  Though we learn to accept that this is a part of the life cycle, it doesn't mean that we no longer feel empathy for the animal.  Anytime I wound a bird and have to kill it by hand it is a necessary task, but it is not one I enjoy or feel neutral about.  A clean kill where the bird is gone in an instant is much easier for the human psyche.  The same is true for cleaning crappie that are still alive before the filleting begins. 

[NateFollmer]

Bring a bottle of 7-Up with you when you go fishing. LM bass are very tenacious and can withstand deep hooking. The problem lies in stopping or slowing the bleeding so that they can survive. 7-Up does this. Just pour it in the bass's mouth and the make up of this beverage will dramatically slow the bleed, enabling a higher degree of successful releases.

BTW, after seeing Bambi when I was a kid, I stopped going to Disney movies. Even then I knew what a progressive was!

Great tip! I never knew that and I could give it to the fish because I hate 7-up

[Gangley]

Since the act of fishing is supposed to involve harvesting (you know: the FOOD thing) you should have taken it home, cleaned it, and had it for supper. Your daughter would see first hand where the McDonalds fish sandwich comes from.

Certainly your intent wasn't to go fishing to feed some birds or other animals.

If you are so concerned about injuring fish, don't fish. Stay home with your daughter and play video games.

Pathetic !!!!!

I agree to an extent.  If you fish, you need to be responsible for the fish that get mortally injured.  I hate gut hooking them, and I dislike seeing them bleeding profusely, but it happens, its inevitable, and most people have empathy for them when it happens, I know I do.  When I do injure them beyond recovery though, I take them home to make sure they dont go to waste.  With my 5 year old son, I tell him that since we injured the fish, its our fault that he is going to die, and so its our responsibility to make sure that he doesnt go to waste.  We take him home and eat him.  We dont throw him back and "hope for the best".  However, I also have a daughter, and I won't be able to be as blunt with her when she comes of age because she wouldnt understand the "matter of fact" simplicity of the situation and just accept it like my boy does.  The circle of life topic would definately be broached, but it would be with us taking the fish home to eat because we are the ones responsible for it's death. 

ps, I would never recommend staying home and playing video games with kids instead of fishing with them. 

[cart7t]

Since the act of fishing is supposed to involve harvesting (you know: the FOOD thing) you should have taken it home, cleaned it, and had it for supper. Your daughter would see first hand where the McDonalds fish sandwich comes from.

Certainly your intent wasn't to go fishing to feed some birds or other animals.

If you are so concerned about injuring fish, don't fish. Stay home with your daughter and play video games.

Pathetic !!!!!

I agree to an extent. If you fish, you need to be responsible for the fish that get mortally injured. I hate gut hooking them, and I dislike seeing them bleeding profusely, but it happens, its inevitable, and most people have empathy for them when it happens, I know I do. When I do injure them beyond recovery though, I take them home to make sure they dont go to waste. With my 5 year old son, I tell him that since we injured the fish, its our fault that he is going to die, and so its our responsibility to make sure that he doesnt go to waste. We take him home and eat him. We dont throw him back and "hope for the best". However, I also have a daughter, and I won't be able to be as blunt with her when she comes of age because she wouldnt understand the "matter of fact" simplicity of the situation and just accept it like my boy does. The circle of life topic would definately be broached, but it would be with us taking the fish home to eat because we are the ones responsible for it's death.

ps, I would never recommend staying home and playing video games with kids instead of fishing with them.

Not sure I understand why a different explanation is needed for a girl, 5 years of age vs. a boy the same age. That young girl is just as capable of understanding the circle of life along with the taking of fish for consumption due to deep hooking as the young boy is.

Sounds like you're ready to patronize your daughter and not give her the benefit of the doubt for her emotional capabilities compared to your son. Children, even at that young of age, boy or girl, are quite capable of handling the emotions of a situation like that if the parent takes the time to explain it to them.

[rboat]

Get a pair of long handled very sharp side-cutters. Handle the fish carefully cut the hook in half and the pieces slide out with very minimal injury. I can cut even those super braid thick hooks easily and return the fish quickly. This was recommended by a fish biologist. Your survival rate will be much higher on deep hooked bass.

[Smiths.R]

Boys are different than girls.  I would hope you would have noticed that by this point in your life.

[Gangley]

Since the act of fishing is supposed to involve harvesting (you know: the FOOD thing) you should have taken it home, cleaned it, and had it for supper. Your daughter would see first hand where the McDonalds fish sandwich comes from.

Certainly your intent wasn't to go fishing to feed some birds or other animals.

If you are so concerned about injuring fish, don't fish. Stay home with your daughter and play video games.

Pathetic !!!!!

I agree to an extent. If you fish, you need to be responsible for the fish that get mortally injured. I hate gut hooking them, and I dislike seeing them bleeding profusely, but it happens, its inevitable, and most people have empathy for them when it happens, I know I do. When I do injure them beyond recovery though, I take them home to make sure they dont go to waste. With my 5 year old son, I tell him that since we injured the fish, its our fault that he is going to die, and so its our responsibility to make sure that he doesnt go to waste. We take him home and eat him. We dont throw him back and "hope for the best". However, I also have a daughter, and I won't be able to be as blunt with her when she comes of age because she wouldnt understand the "matter of fact" simplicity of the situation and just accept it like my boy does. The circle of life topic would definately be broached, but it would be with us taking the fish home to eat because we are the ones responsible for it's death.

ps, I would never recommend staying home and playing video games with kids instead of fishing with them.

Not sure I understand why a different explanation is needed for a girl, 5 years of age vs. a boy the same age. That young girl is just as capable of understanding the circle of life along with the taking of fish for consumption due to deep hooking as the young boy is.

Sounds like you're ready to patronize your daughter and not give her the benefit of the doubt for her emotional capabilities compared to your son. Children, even at that young of age, boy or girl, are quite capable of handling the emotions of a situation like that if the parent takes the time to explain it to them.

my daughter is tougher than my son.  she doesnt complain near as much when she gets hurt, doesn't whine near as much, and can easily hang with boys older than her.  Boys and girls at the age of 5 are both capable of understanding far more than the circle of life, girls in particular because they generally progress quicker mentally at that age than boys.  But you missed the point, i wasnt referring to all boys or all girls, I was referring to one girl, my daughter who I am raising and interacting with every day.  My circle of life comment was directed for her, not for all girls, just her.  She is very tenderhearted when it comes to animals or insects.  She is as advanced physically and mentally as my son was at her age, but she is far more emotional when it comes to animals and living things.  Its not a matter of patronizing my daughter, its a matter of knowing how she reacts to animals/insects/any living thing getting hurt.  My post was not to say that all girls need the circle of life speach because they dont, just as many boys need it as girls because its not determined by the child's sex, its about empathy, and some children have more than others.  My daughter is not one to accept and listen to "its the way it is, get over it" and be fine with it, but my boy is.  That is not to say she isnt tough, or isnt as resilient physically or mentally, its just that she is very tenderhearted towards living things, much more so than my son was at that age.  Because of that, she will require more finnesse than he will, and its not because she is a girl!  Its because she is much more tenderhearted than he is and requires a little more understanding to accept animals being hurt.

[FishingBuds]

I was always able to cut the line and push the hook thru instead of rip out.

Now if it completely swallowed it? Finish it off for yourself or another animal

[TxHawgChaser1]

whenever you hook one deep- when it doubt give them the hook--- they will swim off and the hook will eventually rust out...

[tyrius.]

whenever you hook one deep- when it doubt give them the hook--- they will swim off and the hook will eventually rust out...

As I mentioned earlier.  The hook will not rust out in time to have no effect on the fish.  The only way to get the hook out is to use the through the gill technique or cut the hook. 

Modern tempered steel hooks do not rust away to nothing. 

[Hot Rod]

As I mentioned earlier.  The hook will not rust out in time to have no effect on the fish.  The only way to get the hook out is to use the through the gill technique or cut the hook. 

Modern tempered steel hooks do not rust away to nothing.

X2

I caught a 2lber early this spring that had a 3/0 EWG lodged in its side.  The point and barb was about to be passed but the eye end of the hook had worn a dime size wound channel right through the side of the fish.  It still had a tag of line attached to it.

Now this was very early spring so it probably swallowed it last fall, if not before that.  The hook showed no sign of rusting and had been in there for months.

I was able to cut it and extract it and send the fish on its way.  Still amazed that that fish lived with a big hole in its side clear through to its stomach.

[TrackerG]

Something that nobody has commented on....the legal issue. I believe that to put a fish back that will obviously not recover is something on the order of destruction of wildlife. Just saying other wildlife need to eat is an unacceptable solution.

in my opinion, how you explain it to your kids is up to you, but the lesson to teach is responsibility for game and if your hunting and fishing, that is your responsibility.

[J Francho]

Something that nobody has commented on....the legal issue. I believe that to put a fish back that will obviously not recover is something on the order of destruction of wildlife. Just saying other wildlife need to eat is an unacceptable solution.

To do otherwise up here is against the law until the third Saturday in June.  As far as "destruction to wildlife" I'd say grow up, or find another hobby that doesn't involve hooks.

[TrackerG]

Just in case i was misinterpreted. the destruction of wildlife comment is not to infer in any way that I'm against hunting and fishing. Quite the opposite!! I was merely pointing out the infraction of the law. I'm not sure of the correct wording but to kill a game animal and waste it is a pretty serious offense in Wyoming.

[grimlin]

It happens. If you can take it home then take it home. If you are under a law like J Francho and Me, let it go and let the other critters and wildlife eat it.It's not the end of the world when it happens.

I HATE keeping Smallmouth Bass,but once a year i always deep hook one that just Impossible to remove without killing it.I take it home or give it to somebody who is fishing for food next to me.

Just think,how many fish we C & R that don't make it and we didn't even know it dies later on. This can make you think sometimes.If it does bother you,I'd suggest stop fishing as well...  ;D

[timothy_spain]

gut hooked on pretty bad on sunday evening.  couldn't get the hook out.  being it's C&R in Michigan, i had to let the guy go, so i left the hook. 

maybe a pike had him for dinner?

[BassThumb]

There have been many mortality studies released that show that no matter careful and skilled a person is at catching and releasing fish, there will still be many accidental deaths. Some studies say that as many as 20%+ of released fish will die. After all, the sport we love involves violently driving hooks through live flesh, so we can't really be surprised that there are deaths.

Fish deaths are an unfortunate fact of the sport, but nothing is wasted in nature. It's lousy to think of the hundreds of bass that I have released that died and ended up as crustacean, minnow, and muskrat food. Hopefully something good came of it, something that benefitted the ecosystem. All I can do is try to do my best to conserve the resource while still enjoying my favorite hobby.

I'm really glad I don't have to explain this to a traumatized kid.   :-/

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=catch+and+release+mortality+statistics&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=