Deep Hooked Fish

[RavYak]

Here is what deep hooking a fish and leaving the hook in can do to the fish.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb267/murtyl/P6070282.jpg

^Notice the leader hanging out of his mouth, previous person caught him and cut their line leaving hook and leader in the fish. Here is the leader pulled through.

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb267/murtyl/P6070283.jpg

This was a single treble hook tied onto a leader. With some work I was able to cut the points off and remove the hook, it will be tough for him to survive but I figured he had a better chance with the hook removed.

[waterninja]

Hard to tell from pic. but that must have been one long leader. If it was purposely cut that way you'd think they would have tried to cut as much leader off as possible. Perhaps didn't have proper tool. Also wonder if line snapped before angler had a chance to remove as much line/leader as possible.

[Talking moose]

Hard to tell from pic. but that must have been one long leader. If it was purposely cut that way you'd think they would have tried to cut as much leader off as possible. Perhaps didn't have proper tool. Also wonder if line snapped before angler had a chance to remove as much line/leader as possible.

Was thinking this too.

[58thecat]

Jaw spreaders and long pliers makes this work easier but good on ya to give the fish a chance either way. Pike are tough buggers.

[adogwiththumbs]

I have had fish dive bomb for the rocks when hooked. Line breaks occur all the time. This fish likely was not released that way on purpose.

[EZM]

Unfortunately - we have caught a few Pike, at the same lake as I suspect your were, with line/leaders/hooks/lures in their gullets.

Cheap terminal tackle and low test line was all too often the culprit.

All you can do is do what you did - get him into surgery and give him a chance.

[adogwiththumbs]

I agree ezm.Fatigued, poor line or just bad knot tying. I only say that because I have caught them with 10$ rapalas stuck in their cheek. Pretty sure no one would release like that on purpose. Stuff happens, that's why the extra effort SHOULD be made to help the ones you can. Good work, even if he doesn't make it, good fishing karma is going to come your way. Laugh if you must but I've seen fishing karma strike swift and hard too many times too doubt it.
Good luck!!

[CK Angler]

That is the worst I have ever seen... Never have I seen a hook coming out its side like this... Crazy

[RavYak]

I guess it might have been a break off. You can see the line was broken/cut above the loop knot so I figured someone just cut it that way and didn't have something to cut the leader.

[Emeeensr]

That is bad. Either way, good to give him a fighting chance.

[Sooner]

Pretty much why I go barbless, I may lose a few fights but when one does inhale a hook, jaw jackers and my super long pliers make removal a lot easier. Damage is still done but i like to think it's a lot less. Never seen a hook come out of the side of a fish like that.

Is the myth true if you cut your line and leave a hook in, it will rust away? I always wondered if the fish could survive not eating for that long. Some hooks are coated so i cant see that rusting any time soon.

[RavYak]

^ I have wondered about that myth as well. Some people say it only takes days, some say weeks, some say it doesn't... What I do know is that there are many hooks like stainless ones that will not dissolve. Florida bans them from reef fishing because of this.

This hook was probably a 200 lb test treble... I couldn't cut it with pliers and had a hell of a time breaking/bending the points... Way overkill...

[Stinky Buffalo]

Pretty much why I go barbless, I may lose a few fights but when one does inhale a hook, jaw jackers and my super long pliers make removal a lot easier. Damage is still done but i like to think it's a lot less. Never seen a hook come out of the side of a fish like that.

Is the myth true if you cut your line and leave a hook in, it will rust away? I always wondered if the fish could survive not eating for that long. Some hooks are coated so i cant see that rusting any time soon.

A C.O. told me this a few years ago as she watched me release a pike. I ended up having to cut off a part of my treble at the time. She said that they develop a buildup around the wound that helps them eject the hook.

[saskpikeman]

Gord Pyzer was involved in a study of this topic a number of years ago about leaving hooks in deep hooked pike(or muskies i cant remember off hand), their conclusion from all the data that a fish with a hook left in its gullet is a dead fish more often than not. It makes me cringe when i see guys cut off leaders and leave hooks in (this is in Sask so most of the time I have witnessed it the fish can be legally retained).

[3blade]

no, hooks don't rust out (well, newish ones don't, especially in fresh water) as they are exposed to comparatively very little oxygen while underwater. basic chemistry. in some cases they are encapsulated or work their way out, but the best option is to cut as much of the hook off as possible, using wire cutters. then it depends on the degree of internal injury, but it has the best chance. fish are tough and can survive with a small piece of metal and a little blood loss.

ripping barbed hooks out: usually dead fish.
leaving large lures in: dead fish eventually.

Actually the best option is barbless single hooks. even if bleeding looks severe, a barbless hook makes a very small hole and closes up quickly.

[695167002]

wait to be clear, should you leave a hook like a pickeral rig in the fish should they swallow it? i ususally just cut it leaving the hook in when that happens because im not confident enough that the fish will survive after i yank it out

[EZM]

A couple points on this topic I feel strongly about .....

Have the proper tools on board the boat (or with you) before you go fishing. If you can't quickly and humanely remove the hook - you better have a set of some stiff cutters on board. On my boat and ready to go in my tool carousel I have ....

a) 4 needle nose pliers (extra long 12", regular 8", small 5"and thin long 9") pliers
b) 1 needle nose curved pliers
c) 2 sets of jaw spreaders
d) a lip/jaw grabber (used rarely but sometimes required)
e) Extra long 12" hook out (plunger style)
f) Pistol grip trigger fish hook out
g) 1 set of heavy hook cutters

It seems like a lot of stuff, and maybe this isn't realistic for shore fishing, but on a boat, I find I will immediately go to the proper tool that's best suited for any situation and I'm pleased that I have the tools to do the job quickly and humanely.

The other thing is ..... use barbless hooks or single hooks instead of barbed trebles ..... we can argue this one all day (and save it for another thread) but doesn't it just make more sense to be able to get a hook out as little easier leaving a slightly smaller hole?

I also don't use the "standard" size crank baits often - use a lure big enough that you are less likely to get a deep swallowed hook with. I will always use a larger crank bait first ..... and rarely use anything a fish can swallow ..... I learned that there isn't to many times a fish will reject a bigger bait compared to a smaller one. There is nothing worse than having a Rapala stuck with 3 hooks and 7 out of 9 points down a 3 lb pike's gullet - it just won't survive a bad and deep hook up.

[EZM]

One more point to add - not specifically about the hooks - but more about protecting the fish (and yourself) ....

I have, for about 4-5 years now - been using fluorocarbon leader material to use as pike leaders. I use a 80 lb weight. The leaders I make are about 24"-30" on average and have heavy (and high quality) swivels and snaps.

I have not had a swivel or swivel snap failure yet and I have NEVER had a pike bite the fluorocarbon off and I can tell you each leader is capable of catching hundreds and hundreds of pike. I realistically catch around 800-1000 pike a year - so thousands of pike and no bite offs.

I can't remember the last time a fish took off with my lure .....

But, most importantly, when a pike does the "the death roll" the fluorocarbon does not shred up his skin and cut him up ......... it's also nice to be able to grab the leader without fear of getting a nasty cut on your hand if the pike explodes into life.

[Donkey Oatey]

I had previously posted a thread on this. There was some research done on pike and left in hooks.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/what-happens-when-a-pike-swims-off-with-your-lure-1.3054082

Most shake them off pretty quick. In this case it doesn't look like it was able to shake it as easily.

[RavYak]

I had previously posted a thread on this. There was some research done on pike and left in hooks.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/what-happens-when-a-pike-swims-off-with-your-lure-1.3054082

Most shake them off pretty quick. In this case it doesn't look like it was able to shake it as easily.

That is if it is stuck in their lip. This is what can happen when it is stuck in their gut...

Only chances a pike has is to dissolve the hook. My guess is most fish that swallow a hook die from it, I have seen a few other sources that claim the same thing too although there is the myth that the hooks dissolve but I haven't seen a proper test of this to know if it is true.

[fluxcore]

I caught a pike with two severed gills sticking out of its gill plate like 4" healed up ! And still going. Caught a walleye out of slave with a small stinger treble hook in its gut mostly rusted away but the few inch of line (mono) was in good shape.

[Andrew]

So say you bring in a fish and when you open its mouth to remove the hook, all you can see is the eye of the hook because it has completely swallowed it. What course of action would you typically take?

Not trying to stir the crap pot, just looking for some knowledge so that maybe I can release my fish a bit healthier and likely to survive should this happen.

[RavYak]

If you are using a single hook(like this person should have been imo) then you can sometimes remove the hook by pressing it further into gut and then pushing against side of stomach so that a void is formed and the point can come out. If using a treble all you really can do is cut your line...

The best way to solve a gut hook is to avoid them to begin with. Use lures instead of bait. Single hooks instead of trebles. Don't leave bait unattended and set the hook when you get a strike(don't give them time to swallow it).

You might get the odd one still and if you can keep the fish I would recommend doing so as I have a hard time believing they will survive.

[mongo]

a good read always wondered this myself.

[cube]

So say you bring in a fish and when you open its mouth to remove the hook, all you can see is the eye of the hook because it has completely swallowed it. What course of action would you typically take?

Not trying to stir the crap pot, just looking for some knowledge so that maybe I can release my fish a bit healthier and likely to survive should this happen.

Give this a read.

http://www.in-fisherman.com/gear-accessories/through-the-gill-hook-removal/

or view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCOcBKw3qrM
or this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAI69exqVaY

[cube]

If you are using a single hook(like this person should have been imo) then you can sometimes remove the hook by pressing it further into gut and then pushing against side of stomach so that a void is formed and the point can come out. If using a treble all you really can do is cut your line...

The best way to solve a gut hook is to avoid them to begin with. Use lures instead of bait. Single hooks instead of trebles. Don't leave bait unattended and set the hook when you get a strike(don't give them time to swallow it).

You might get the odd one still and if you can keep the fish I would recommend doing so as I have a hard time believing they will survive.

You can also use larger trebles as they tend to gut hook less than single hooks.

[cube]

One more point to add - not specifically about the hooks - but more about protecting the fish (and yourself) ....

I have, for about 4-5 years now - been using fluorocarbon leader material to use as pike leaders. I use a 80 lb weight. The leaders I make are about 24"-30" on average and have heavy (and high quality) swivels and snaps.

I have not had a swivel or swivel snap failure yet and I have NEVER had a pike bite the fluorocarbon off and I can tell you each leader is capable of catching hundreds and hundreds of pike. I realistically catch around 800-1000 pike a year - so thousands of pike and no bite offs.

I can't remember the last time a fish took off with my lure .....

But, most importantly, when a pike does the "the death roll" the fluorocarbon does not shred up his skin and cut him up ......... it's also nice to be able to grab the leader without fear of getting a nasty cut on your hand if the pike explodes into life.

Some Musky fishermen/clubs have been going away from fluorocarbon recently

http://niagaramuskyassociation.ning.com/profiles/blogs/fluorocarbon-leaders-still-really

I have had a few bite offs from pike on 80 lb flouro LEADER material. Now use titanium most of the time. Had one seven strand titanium leader last over 2.5 years.

[WhitefishLady]

Interesting discussion. Good on you for trying to help that pike!

In Mexico last winter I landed my first bonefish on the fly! I was, however, upset to see he swallowed the fly quite deeply (single hook). The experienced guide immediately removed the hook by pulling it out through the gill and cutting the line. There was some bleeding but after I held him for a bit moving water over his gills he swam away very strongly. No way to know for sure he survived but I feel confident he did. I know we are discussing pike and in some cases maybe this method works (but could be very risky and cause further damage to gills, I don't have experience with this).

My opinion is that if the pike can still eat, hunt, swim, breath normally it is likely going to survive. Pike are pretty tough and it may be better to cut the hook instead of stressing it to out to death for 10 minutes trying to get it out. But best to avoid swallows for sure! I also use mostly large lures when fishing crankbaits.