This is why I don't use treble hooks !

[msgdan]

After a short trip on the river this morning wuth about 7 pike landed, I was making my way back to the launch and found this guy floating belly up, down the river. A nice 28" pickerel that I took out of the water to look at.



After taking a look inside the mouth, I found this inside his mouth, pretty far in. It looks like there was thin braid that was still attached to the lure, and it looked like it was cut ! I know $hit happens and every fish we handle out of the water has a chance of not making it, but I just wonder if the fisherman that caught this even had pliers long enough to even try to remove the lure.



It took me a few seconds to remove the lure (I know...easy when the fish is already dead) but I just wanted to be sure that whatever eats this fish, doesn't have to worry about the hooks.

I will stick to single hook spinner baits !



Danny V

[gwl2oneida]

I usually cut my trebles down to 2 hooks. Much more manageable.

[Jigman13]

That's mighty unfortunate. That pickerel inhaled that hula popper! Sawed the angler off and never really had a chance. Terrible demise for such a big fish... But like u said, it happens.

[buzzbaiter]

28" is almost max size for pickerel. Damn shame for both the fish and angler. Somebody was cursing after losing that fish!

[antgogz]

Wow what a shame. I have never caught a pickeral that big. But I must agree, I do not like using treble hooks when it comes to fishing for pickeral or pike. I have lost too many fish from them snapping the line with their teeth. At least with bass hou know they most likely won't snap the line.

[flatcreek]

I fish for Hybrid mainly and never use triple hooks. Some guys practice catch and release and use a bait rig with a triple in the back and some use a single triple and catch and release, I don't get it. Using a triple with bait just seams like cheating to me I think it may have been illegal when I was a kid or I just thought that, not sure.
What I did want to mention a hook remover I picked up at walmart for 7 bucks and it works great. Its a tube with a little hook hanging out the end and when you squeeze the handles the hook slides inside the tube. This works great for deep hooked fish, you put the hook over the shank of the fish hook and squeeze, it turns the hook and it just pops out. I was amazed and the one I got floats.

[Denlon]

Originally Posted by buzzbaiter

28" is almost max size for pickerel.

I'm sure pickerel of this size are rare.
I'm 72 and in my lifetime of fishing in NJ I have caught only two 30" pickerel. Both of them were caught in Davidson's Mill Pond in about the same spot in the lily pads up near the Route 130 Bridge. I was in my canoe, and I caught them with a single hook and the old standby purple rubber worm. Both times they were released alive in good condition. Both were caught about 15 years ago.

Also, since I caught them about a year apart in about the same location, which makes me wonder if I caught the same fish twice?
Denny

[buzzbaiter]

Originally Posted by Denlon

I'm sure pickerel of this size are rare.
I'm 72 and in my lifetime of fishing in NJ I have caught only two 30" pickerel. Both of them were caught in Davidson's Mill Pond in about the same spot in the lily pads up near the Route 130 Bridge. I was in my canoe, and I caught them with a single hook and the old standby purple rubber worm. Both times they were released alive in good condition. Both were caught about 15 years ago.

Also, since I caught them about a year apart in about the same location, which makes me wonder if I caught the same fish twice?
Denny

My pb best is 28" and I caught it in a surprising spot - the Delaware River up near Milford Pa. Thought I hooked a musky but its was skinny, beat up, really fugly chain pick. Long sob though. Must have washed out of some lake.

I caught two big pick in the Passaic three weeks apart in the same area off the same log. Thought were the same but they had diff't chain marks. Almost identical in size too @ 25" and 26".