How do I remove a hook a bass has swallowed? 2024

hipster_dufus reply :

i was fishing at cewc, lake bennett, when i hooked a monster, fought him to the boat and went to take him in and the line snapped at the boat. i screamed in agony. this one was bigger than my previous 9# personal best. i cannot stop thinking about it. so the question is does anyone use a net, and can u reccomend one? i hooked this one not 50 feet from where i caught my 9 lber. i had a friend in the boat and this was his first time ever fishing, he saw what it was all about. strike king bleeding bait crank, w/ 14# test, god i cant stop thinking about it.

roadwarrior reply :

Get a rubber net, it's good for you and easy on the fish. It's standard equipment for me.

p-funk reply :

I net anything I think is of good size. I'd hate to lose a big hawg because of a line break or trying to lip it when I could net it. It's pretty easy to net and hold the rod at the same time.

Hillbilly_Hooker reply :

RW or others,

Are the rubber nets the WalMart carries as good a quality as any others?

chevy reply :

When I fish in tournaments I use the net for every fish just to be safe. You don't want the fish jumping and spitting the hook right at the boat. That hurts inside :'(

roadwarrior reply :

Hillbilly_Hooker,

Probably, but I don't really know. I bought mine at BPS.

Ben reply :

If it's over about 13 inches, I'm gonna release it anyway, so if I loose him at the boat, no biggie. I'm not into hanging fish on the wall, figure they are much more productive in the water so I don't use a net, it's much easier on the bass.

roadwarrior reply :

Ben,

I don't agree, particularly if you are fishing treble hook lures. I have had many big bass suck a BIG lure all the way in on aggressive feeding strikes. I don't think those fish survive if the lure isn't removed. I want to remove all hooks, not because I'm so cheap, but for the sake of the health of the fish. I can assure you that gently landing a fish in a rubber net does the fish no harm, none what-so-ever.

p-funk reply :

Quote
If it's over about 13 inches, I'm gonna release it anyway, so if I loose him at the boat, no biggie. I'm not into hanging fish on the wall, figure they are much more productive in the water so I don't use a net, it's much easier on the bass.

For me it's a different way of thinking. I don't really even consider a fish "caught" unless it's in the boat. I still let them go afterwards, but it's not too exciting to me to lose fish by breaking off line or shaking loose outside the boat.

Matt Fly reply :

Never used a net on a bass yet. It will take a big one, or one that is big, but a poor hookset. What happens when you encounter a trail that doesn't allow nets. No lip service!!!! I do applolgize, I just always assume that we all tournament fish. I know nets have come along way, but slime coats are still rubbed off in the newer improved nets. I also see RW's point as well. We all try to do right in our own minds.

Yankee_Bassman reply :

I now use a rubber net under several circumstances:

The lake I fish almost exclusively has extremely thick weeds on the bottom. I was losing big fish at the boat because I couldn't find their lips under the sod farm they were tangled in.

I use a net when I am fishing with finger-attacking lures like Devil Horses and large jerk baits. One trip to the hospital, and one experience extracting a treble with needlenose myself, after getting impaled while lipping were enough, thank you.

I also use it when I can see that the fish is poorly hooked.

They're also a great help when a pickerel has grabbed your favorite lure, and you want it back with a minimum of pickerel slime on your hands, which invariably wind up being wiped on my pants.

I assume the same would hold true for Pike, and in any event, you don't wanna be lipping those suckers, or your friends are gonna call you "Stumpy".

As far as damaging fish goes, if you watch trout fishermen, who seem to be positively anal about how they handle fish to be released, they all use nets, and try not to remove the fish from the water. I've gotta believe that these guys have spent entire winters reading research into whether nets are harmful, and have concluded they aren't.

As to a recommendation, get a rubber net. I haven't had trebles tangle yet, and that is not the case with regular nylon or other braided type netting. My net has a long handle, and I added an elastic loop for my wrist, with one of those bungie ties that has a plastic ball on it. I get the fish in the net one-handed, lever the net out of the water on the gunwale, put the rod down, and lift in the fish with both hands. Sounds harder than it is.

Ben reply :

I think I was misunderstood just a little. In 45 years of bass fishing, I've never had but one break off at the boat and that was because I let my line get under a portable 6 gal tan, this was many years ago. Your could easily see the hammered place in the line but didn't realy know what happened to the line at the time but two days later, it got my rod tip, then I learned. I have bunches break off in cover, but never one in open water.

As for getting the hook out, if it's suck down in his gills or throat, I cut it off with dikes and leave it alone. Experts claim it does more damage to get it out than to leave it in, so I follow their lead.

I to don't consider a fish caught until I'm the one releasing it, and it does tick me off to have a big one get to the boat, say it's tired of playing this game, give my lure back to me and go on it's way, but I feel that's part of the sport and challange. If I can't land it without a net, it wins that round.

Just like when I bow hunted, I used a recurve, couldn't give me a compound. Those things push an arrow faster than a 22 bullet. If I wanted that, I would use a gun. I play for the sport and challange, not just the kill.

sinker48 reply :

My choice is A rubber net. Net most all fish the docks I Fish from most of the time are to high from the water to lip the fish. The nets I have are Frabill brand. Added A plastic arm socket to the handle gives more leverage when netting yourself.

Good Luck !

Sinker48 .

Rattlinrogue reply :

I catch,photo,and release.Have no problems with those who keep 'em.I don't use a net.I mostly just lip 'em.I do use a Berkley Boca (think that's what it's called).It grabs their lip.Don't use it because of losing fish.I got hooked twice in 2 weeks a couple of years back with treble hooks and had to get them removed at the emergency room.If I catch one that looks like trouble ,I ****** her up with the Boca grip.

Sam reply :

I always use a rubber net when a fishing buddy brings the fish close to the boat.

After netting the fish, I place the net and fish on the bottom of the boat and then go back to my place and start to fish again while my buddy takes care of unhooking and releasing the fish.

The rubber nets are easy to use; the hooks don't get tangled in the netting; and it saves me time as I don't have to help untangle the fish from the net.

The only down side to a net is that it takes up a lot of room and is awkward in the boat.

bassackwards reply :

Quote
i was fishing at cewc, lake bennett, when i hooked a monster, fought him to the boat and went to take him in and the line snapped at the boat. i screamed in agony. this one was bigger than my previous 9# personal best. i cannot stop thinking about it. so the question is does anyone use a net, and can u reccomend one? i hooked this one not 50 feet from where i caught my 9 lber. i had a friend in the boat and this was his first time ever fishing, he saw what it was all about. strike king bleeding bait crank, w/ 14# test, god i cant stop thinking about it.

Like I said, lip the sucker after he's netted. you might have done us all a favor for this perfect example. so it wasn't all bad, lol

Glenn reply :

1) With the hook in the gullet, note which side of the fish's mouth the hook shank is toward. Note: For illustration sake, the line is eliminated here in steps 2 through 5. In reality, the line stays connected as this technique is performed.

(2) With a finger or two, reach in through the last gill arch on that side of the fish and push and pull down on the hookeye so the hook turns and . . .

(3) rolls out below the gill toward the side of the fish. At that point, amazingly, the hook, barb and all, almost always pops free from its hold in the fish's gullet.

(4) Reach into the fish's mouth and grip the bend in the hook (which is now up) and . . .

(5) lift it free. If the fish's mouth is too small to reach in with your hand, use a needle-nose pliers to grip the hook bend.

What needs to be emphasized is how resilient a fish's gills actually are -- far from being the fragile organs often suggest by some sources. And the occasional bleeding fish? Does it have to be kept? Just get the fish back into the water as soon as possible and, more often than not, the bleeding stops.

The technique also works superbly on walleyes, smallmouths, and other fish, usually taken on smaller hooks, often salmon-style hooks.

Kana reply :

good article, learned quite a few things. glenn, good post as well. thanks for the contributions

guest reply :

this is one great thread. Personally, I don't like netting bass. My own feeling is that lipping it and getting it into the boat is the only truly sporting way to land it. If it breaks off at the boat all it means is that the fish won. The lesson is to retie more often, change to a stretchier line, don't "high stick" and so on. Many Many Many 10+ lb bass are successfully lip landed every season. The whole idea is to give the bass a sporting chance. Better luck next time.

PS - I am not a tournament fisher. For me the joy is in the process of fishing, not weighing in the biggest string.

SuthernProg reply :

Quote

For me it's a different way of thinking. I don't really even consider a fish "caught" unless it's in the boat. I still let them go afterwards, but it's not too exciting to me to lose fish by breaking off line or shaking loose outside the boat.

Exactly!!!

extreme1018 reply :

i never consider a fish cought unless you have control of the fish. control=possesion..no control=no fish cought

-hydrillagorilla- reply :

I am not a rubber net fan. Too heavy and slow for me. I prefer the soft cotton netting, still nice on the fish but much lighter and faster in the water. This realy makes a difference to me if I am the one netting my own fish.

guest reply :

reading this thread was like a walk down BassResource.com memory lane.

Remember Chevy? The cute, skinny Canuk

where you at girl?

LOL, Love these ancient threads.

avid

frogtog reply :

Hmmm thought I was to old to learn something! Now I know better. As far as

the net goes I allways leave it at home. It has cost me more fish over the years

than it has saved. When you catch a fish try not to get excited and take your time, play him, enjoy the pull and don't try to horse him in. He will come to you when he is ready. I allmost lost a 30 year partner over a net. He had a monster on and didn't do the above, he was hollering get the net and that got me excited and i jumped in the middle of the net, had it all up around my knees. When I finaly got straight I put the net in the water and knocked the fish off. You would not belive the agony I went through for three weeks. I was talked about at

every tackel shop, Macdonals and Hardies. Anywhere he could get someone to listen to him. This fish went from probbly 9 - 10 lb to a world record over a net.

Thats why I leave it and him at home. 8-)

Bud reply :

I always use a rubber net. Why take a chance to get a hook in the hand by lipping one.

jack1 reply :

Funny...I had the same story this year.

Was out with my bro-in-law and hooked what appeared to be my new PB smallmouth. I usually do have my net on my boat, but this day my little bro took it for himself since he left on his own trip.

Got the fish next to the boat and grabbed my line. Line snapped - that was the end of that and I'm still thinking about the one that got away.

I always try to have my net onboard, no matter what I'm going for. I like the flat bottom nets...they fit the fish really well.

rboat reply :

Personally, I do not use a net. I have never really needed one and my boat is small and short on room. If you play them out, most can be landed. I have lost a few at the boat, but so do the pros. I think that can be a part of the challenge and fun of the sport.

As for a deep hooked fish, I bought a pair of heavy duty sidecutters and I can cut through even a super line heavy duty hook in a second, remove it without hurting the fish and return the fish quickly to fight another day. Just my way and it works like a charm.

Btech reply :

Thanks Gle n Those pix were alot better than the way I lerned - THe hard way - Felt bad for a week.

Tucson reply :

I'm a lot more comfortable using a net and I think it's better for the fish. I have a standard net but will soon upgrade to a rubber model, much more tangle free.

CWB reply :

I have not used a net in 3-4 years and have landed some big fish, including a 51" musky, all by hand. I must be lucky because I haven't lost anything at the boat except a couple that have jumped and thrown the hook but a net probably wouldn't have helped. That being said, I do carry a net in the boat and agree with Roadwarrior. Rubber mesh. Will probably use net more often as my thumb ends up looking like hamburger after a good day or 2. I also have a nice scar from a decent musky that got me with his teeth and gill plate but I didn't let go. The mentality that only sissies use nets is outdated.

tritz18 reply :

BPS rubber net, hooks don't get stuck in it. Take it everytime I go out

detroit1 reply :

I don't use a net only for the sporting chance that the fish may get off. I lost my personal best at the boat once, and 2 minutes later did not care. I fish for fun, not profit.

Crestliner2008 reply :

Debarb your hooks. No need for barbs. Unless of course, if you're fishing a high stakes tournament. But even I was, I'd still fish debarbed hooks. Rarely have I lost a fish that way and extraction is very easy. Nets are a pain in the you know where! ;D

mr.mallard reply :

EGO Net EGO NET!!!!!!!

ShaneK1990 reply :

Very useful info! Thanks glenn

berkleyfan81 reply :

hey glenn i had the same probably today thing what you were showing in the picture and got the hook out of the fish and put it in the water quickly the fish had a 50/50 chance of living it was still breathing when it was in the water but just went on it side and 1 min later it was dead i hate to see him go thou i really didnt mean to kill him i was texas rigging a 5" wave worm bamboo stick with a 6/0 ewg gamakastu superline hook i saw him take it hook him and he swallowed the bait . well i guess if you remove the hook it a 50/50 chance the fish will live . i mean it when i say i feel really bad . :-[ :'( :'( and this was the first one that died .

Dr. Watson reply :

thanks for the info, good to know how to save a good fish from a bad day, especially if it has to go to the bathroom "ooo thats gotta hurt" lol

badger109 reply :

How does this thread keep coming up? still good info, but old

Gatorbassman reply :

Quote

How does this thread keep coming up? still good info, but old

What a stupid question.

INbassMAN reply :

I would like to bring this up again because there is something that I've heard that hasn't been talked about. I have heard from different people that if a fish swallows a hook, you should cut the line and throw it back and the hook will disolve. I would think that a fish would die of old age before the hook would disolve. What is better, doing it this way or trying what Glen suggested.

J Francho reply :

If at all possible, get the hook out.

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

Quote
If at all possible, get the hook out.

Agreed.

Now if you think you are doing excessive harm to the fish, by all means cut the line and stick him back in the water. You want to stress the fish as little as possible.

Like mentioned before in the thread, using debarbed hooks will solve this problem.

J Francho reply :

Deja vu!

rubba bubba reply :

Another option I used to employ before going barb-less is to cut the hook itself. I carry wire cutters with me and have had to cut my share of the hooks with them - 98% of them I was then able to get the rest of the hook completely out by pulling the hook forward from the barb end. Most of the time the barb end is sticking out/accessible and so you can grab it with needlenose and pull the remaining part of the hook through.

For those where the barb end isn't exposed, we just cut the hook down to leave the smallest amount of the hook possible inside the fish.

This is, of course, if the Glenn method doesn't work for you.

WDinarte reply :

I never have trouble ( YET ) with the hook deep on a fish, but I know that one day I will... thanks for the step by step instructions, great info guys!

NBR reply :

Rubber net. I think I got mine from BPS. Easy on the fish and pretty much tangle free when using lures with trebles.

trueblue1970 reply :

I own a frabil net but have yet to bring it with me. I lost a hog the other day fishing from a dock. I was unable to lip the fish and as I raised the fish and tried to get it up and over the rail, it fell off my line. The 1st thing out of my mouth was..should have brought the !*(*$@# NET. Been fishing 4x since and havent brought the net.

TNBassin' reply :

On 9/30/2005 at 3:40 AM, p-funk said:

For me it's a different way of thinking. I don't really even consider a fish "caught" unless it's in the boat. I still let them go afterwards, but it's not too exciting to me to lose fish by breaking off line or shaking loose outside the boat.

If I have a dink on the line I don't mind one bit if he wiggles off before I boat him.

Grey Ghost reply :

I did not read every post,,so I'm wondering who contributed the great art work? Also have to add, I learned something here.

Grey Ghost reply :

Forgot to say thanks,so thanks!

geo g reply :

Thanks Glenn, a picture is worth a thousand words!

ABW reply :

I just did this today. But, the fish was bleeding in the spot where the hook popped out. Will it be fine?

Catch and Grease reply :

On 6/11/2014 at 10:26 AM, alee17 said:
I just did this today. But, the fish was bleeding in the spot where the hook popped out. Will it be fine?

That depends on a lot of things, how long was he out of the water? How bad was he bleeding? How big/small was the bass?

ABW reply :

On 6/11/2014 at 10:29 AM, Catch and Grease said:
That depends on a lot of things, how long was he out of the water? How bad was he bleeding? How big/small was the bass?

He was out for about a minute. I didn't really see much blood, just like a few drops of blood when I popped the hook out. I didn't tear anything out of his esophagus either. His throat looked completely fine. I'd say about 10 inches. My friend was late on his hookset lol.

Catch and Grease reply :

On 6/11/2014 at 10:39 AM, alee17 said:
He was out for about a minute. I didn't really see much blood, just like a few drops of blood when I popped the hook out. I didn't tear anything out of his esophagus either. His throat looked completely fine. I'd say about 10 inches. My friend was late on his hookset lol.

Then he should be fine, as long as blood wasn't dripping down him and you didn't rip the hook out of his throat. It seems that the bigger bass are a lot more fragile than the smaller ones.

Skeeter Dan reply :

Great Topic thanks for the Info Glen.

roadwarrior reply :

This is "THE BEST" topic on our website!

cdr reply :

Perfect. I finally learned this after hooking many and just cutting the line. I just think a more info could be helpful. I always heard that touching the gills can really hurt a fish. So I'm always really careful when trying to get the hook through the gills. And also, what to do if you still cannot get the hook out. I've caught a few fish that have been gut hooked with the hook still in the gut or and some that have the hook that has worked itself out and halfway out of the gills. Also if in a tournament, if a fish is hooked in the gill and the hook cannot be removed, will that effect the weigh in? I know hooks this size aren't going to change the weight of a fish but could that possibly disqualify the fish from the weigh-in?

cdr reply :

Loop_Dad reply :

On 2/27/2007 at 10:40 PM, -hydrillagorilla- said:
I am not a rubber net fan. Too heavy and slow for me. I prefer the soft cotton netting, still nice on the fish but much lighter and faster in the water. This realy makes a difference to me if I am the one netting my own fish.

I use rubber net and I fish myself mostly. I don't like the weight of rubber net. I looked into other materials but couldn't find one I like. The cotton nets I saw were all for trout fishing and too small. Also the mesh looked too fine that I might have some hard time getting treble hooks free from the net when it get tangled up. Which one (brand/model) do you use?

iceintheveins reply :

If the point is clear through the throat, I will pinch down the barb, then cut the hook with wire cutters. Then pull it out both pieces, easy as pie. I'd rather lose a .75 cent hook than kill a bass.

Loop_Dad reply :

cdr, gut hooked dink is one of the worse case scenario as there's not much room in the mouth or gill to work. My figure might not be able to get in there to grab the hook, so I have to turn the hook with needle nose, then pull with needle nose.

BTW, I find it is much faster to turn the hook if I cut the line first. (I think the illustrated instruction of how to remove the gut hook says to leave the line attached)

Lastly I pinching burbs on worm hook makes it easy to remove hook.

KayakBasser reply :

Yeah, a rubber net is not only easy on the fish, its easier to get a crankbait out of it....good luck

deanjames reply :

If they swallow the lure and I think there is no way of removing it, I generally cut the line and let her go.

I caught a fish a while back that had a spook Jr on its way out the fish's rear end, so it looks like they are able to pass them through.

Felix77 reply :

Had an opportunity to try this out last week. Worked exceptionally well. Great read ... must read for those who take their catch and release seriously IMO.

Thank you!!

Fishing with CP reply :

I honestly just bought a extended nose hook grabber.

FinCulture reply :

Perhaps invest in a collapsible rubberized net made by Frabill. Easy to store and will increase your "fish-landed" ratio.

WillBass24 reply :

In that situation I would probably try to cut as much as I could of the hook out but if I would try to work it out without damaging the fish to much I would do that

BigSkyBasser reply :

If you're lucky and it's a smaller hook like a #2 drop shot and the fish has taken it on the outside of the gullet I will get a pair of forceps. Grab the hook with the fish in the water and push towards the gills in short jerking motions and %90 I can pop it loose without any problems.

Sandhillcrab reply :

Depends on how fare it's swallowed.. And hook size. It you can see the barb the cut it off or pinch it down then should be eased. If you can't see the hook then it's a different story. Not a lot you can do without killing the fish.. If it's a small mouth eat it.. Don't wast the fish.. Large mouth then try not to wast it..

Glenn reply :

Sandhill - actually, there's a simple way to remove the hook without harming the fish, even if the barb is not visible. See the step-by-step instructions here:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/12981-how-do-i-remove-a-hook-a-bass-has-swallowed/page-2#entry153524

LittleBob reply :

On 10/14/2015 at 11:58 PM, Glenn said:

Sandhill - actually, there's a simple way to remove the hook without harming the fish, even if the barb is not visible. See the step-by-step instructions here:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/12981-how-do-i-remove-a-hook-a-bass-has-swallowed/page-2#entry153524

I got to use this method in July down in Missouri, it worked great. Read this article when I first joined and bought a pair of forceps I had been carrying with me just for this. Other guys in the boat thought I was crazy at first but really thought it was a cool trick afterwards to. Thanks for the knowledge!

RB 77 reply :

On 10/14/2015 at 11:58 PM, Glenn said:

Sandhill - actually, there's a simple way to remove the hook without harming the fish, even if the barb is not visible. See the step-by-step instructions here:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/12981-how-do-i-remove-a-hook-a-bass-has-swallowed/page-2#entry153524

This method is the business! I have never not had it work. It should be mandatory for every angler to know it and use it.

IneedAnewScreenName-33442 reply :

First and formost do not dig at the hook causing any more damage. What we do is carry good sidecutters in the boat and as soon as we determine the hook is swallowed we cut the hook as far down as posiable. Some times you can grab the point and back it out after cutting if not leave the bend in the fish and he will pass it easily. This technique allows the fish to continue to feed with out all the extra plastic blocking the way. Hope this helps

Choporoz reply :

Even with pictures, I'm a little slow. Maybe I need a video instead....this is the part I have trouble with:

".....push and pull down on the hookeye so the hook turns and . . ..rolls out below the gill toward the side of the fish"

I have been successful, but felt like it was accidental...for some reason, it never is clear in my memory when I have the fish in hand.

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