The importance of catch and release

[saxmatt]

Sweet pike! Most likely a break off though. I've broken off fish with 60 and 80lb floro. If the leader wasn't steel that pike could easily slice through it with 1 head shake.

[nate01]

Thanks!

To be clear again I was the one using 40 lb fluoro, the guy before me definitely was not. He was using something that a Megalodon would have a hard time getting through. And even if this was a breakoff it still had the same effect, the point is that the fish was still in the water to be caught and is still there today to be caught again, hopefully by me!

[saxmatt]

I saw that it wasn't 40 after you posted. Who knows if it was a break off or not, but it's possible. I caught a pike last winter that had an entire 18" steel leader in it's mouth. It broke the guy off above the swivel, he was using 50lb power pro for his main line. If it's a single hook try pulling the line back through the gill plate towards the tail the hook should rotate out of the gut so you can see he bend of the hook. If you can see the bend go in through the mouth, grab it with some long pliers and it should pop right out with little to no bleeding. Some of these new hooks don't dissolve like the old ones do and it can kill the fish, that one you caught looks like it hasn't been eating right. With a little practice it's easy to do.

[Eskimo]

Originally Posted by saxmatt

If it's a single hook try pulling the line back through the gill plate towards the tail the hook should rotate out of the gut so you can see he bend of the hook. If you can see the bend go in through the mouth, grab it with some long pliers and it should pop right out with little to no bleeding. Some of these new hooks don't dissolve like the old ones do and it can kill the fish, that one you caught looks like it hasn't been eating right. With a little practice it's easy to do.

There are some videos on Youtube that describe the process extracting a deep-swallowed hook through the gill arch or using the gill arch to rotate the hook to a position where it can be easily popped out through the mouth.
Here is one from Texas Praks and Wildlife:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RGTL9RBG2s

That being said, I don't believe a hook left in a fish is always a death sentence. I have caught several bass and catfish that already had a length of fishing line coming out of their esophagus from a previous catch-and-release (or catch-and-escape). The fish was able to recover from whatever complications a hook created in their stomach and resumed a normal life.


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[saxmatt]

I agree, fish are tougher than people think. I like to try to remove the hook if possible though. It's easier to do with big fish like pike. It's much harder with smaller fish like a trout, bass, and panfish.

[briansnat]

Originally Posted by saxmatt

I agree, fish are tougher than people think. I like to try to remove the hook if possible though. It's easier to do with big fish like pike. It's much harder with smaller fish like a trout, bass, and panfish.

It's a matter of how much surgery is necessary. I've had fish that I thought I did a good job removing the hook, only to see them thrashing and dying on the surface a few minutes later. So when in doubt I cut the line of and let it go with the hook inside. I have no idea how long those fish survive, or if they even do. But at least I don't feel horribly guilty watching it die on the surface.