Savin' a Fish

[Bassin' Machine]

Caught a fish the other day and he had sucked the lure plumb down into his stomach. It was a pretty decent fish and I hate to see a fish die. Anyhow, Just about the only thing stickin' out was the jighead. So, there was no possible way to get the lure out and he was bleedin' pretty bad so I cut my line right at the jighead in hopes that the hook and jighead will rot out or come out some way. The fish took off pretty quick when I got him back in the water, which I didn't figure he would do with as bad as he was hooked. Anyway, just curious what others might think......if the hook and jighead will rot out or can the fish get rid of it some way........will the fish be ok?

 

[Chasin'bait]

I caught a bass last year on Priest, nice fish maybe 20" if I remember right. Didn't fight all that great for his size and when I brought him into the boat, I saw why. He had a BIG "J" style bass worm hook stickin' out his butthole. Everything but the barb and point was hangin' out of him. I tried to fool with it a little in hopes of helpin' the poor guy out but it wouldn't come out. I just left it in there and hoped it would rust off.

I usually just bit the hook off if its deep in the gut or throat. They seem fine and real lively if I end up puttin' a trout that I've had to do that to, on the clips. Even 4 hrs later, they're usually just as lively as when I caught 'em.

Long as you didn't bust up his gills, he should be fine.

 

[kickinbass35]

one thing i carry in the boat at all times is hydrigen peroxide in case of emergencies plus if i have a fish that is hooked deep i cut the line put it in the livewell and pour some of it in there i hooked a smallie deep at watts bar one time in a tx he was bleedin bad and turned belly up i poured some hydroperoxide in there and by way in he was as spunkie as ever i use it to alot when you have alot of fish and the weather is warmer seems to make even the most sluggish fish you have in the livewell bursting with energy

 

[HangnMoss]

Whether of not you should leave the hook in a gut-hooked fish really depends on the hook you use. The plated/coated hooks are practically rust-proof and most likely won't rust out, even with exposure to stomach acid. They're also stronger, sharper, and as a result, will likely cause more internal damage as the fish tries to pass it. There's a proven method for removing deep hooks, but even in the best situations, you can't hope to save every fish. Many deep-hooked fish are already damaged beyond any hope of survival during the fight to the boat. If you see major gill damage, gut tearing and inversion, the fish most likely won't survive long-term. You're better off taking it home to eat, or giving it to a friend for dinner. I've always advocated catch and release, but I'd rather see a fish eaten than rotting on rip-rap a few days later.

 

[Guest]

When in doubt, fillet it out. Nothing worse than wasting a perfectly good dinner.

Cheez

 

[Liveliner]

cheez - 5/21/2007 10:27 AM

When in doubt, fillet it out. Nothing worse than wasting a perfectly good dinner.

Cheez

"Ditto" What he said.emoHungry

 

[ranman]

I read in bassmaster last month that peroxide was bad for fish.Anybody else tried it?