Deep hooked fish

[bassmasterG13]

I don't bait fish so I rarely gut hook bass, but if I do I try to get the hook out with out ripping the stomach or making the bass bleed. if this isn't possible cut the line! try to cut the hook if possible. it will rust out in some time. I have caught many bass with hooks in their mouth that are almost completely rusted out, and I always remove my hook and the one that has been stuck there. They are tuff they will make it

[justin1982]

I just cut the line, say a prayer and feel like crap for the rest of the day! I guess it's better than pulling and hurting the fish further

[JDTuna]

Originally Posted by Eskimo

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Other than what the article states, the only thing you can do to prevent deep-hooking a bass is to set the hook quickly, before the bass has a chance to swallow the bait or lure.

If an angler creates a situation where he can't set the hook quickly, he is going to inadvertently kill a lot of bass. For example, if he sets up 17 rods on the shore then goes and plays volleyball until he sees a rod bouncing out of the rod-rest. That bass had a lot of time with the bait and has long since swallowed it by the time the angler sets the hook.


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I respectfully disagree. If you use non-offset circle hooks, you will hook a vast majority of the bass you catch on bait in the mouth, even if the hookset is not immediate. However, the circle hooks must be non-offset. Octopus circles (such as those made by owner) are offset and will hook a fish just as deeply as a J-hook.

Additionally, even if you set up quickly using J hooks and bait, you will still inevitably hook some fish deep as a result of how bass feed. I have successfully used non-offset circle hooks to land many freshwater species, including bass, and almost never gut hook a fish.