Cut The Line? 2024

BuffaloBass716 reply :

Occasionally ill get bass that swallow the hook (when im using live bait). I read the article about getting out a hook from the gut through the gills but some of the fish are small and the gills wont allow me to get at the hook. If so, Ill then work at the hook with forceps if it looks like I might be able to get it without hurting the fish, sometimes this works but other times if it is a nice bass, Ill just cut the line close to the hook. Im just wondering what will happen to the fish? Will the hook rust out or stay in there forever? Will the hook allow the fish to eat properly?

Ive also caught a few with hook in them already and they looked healthy so I guess they live most of the time, right?

I just feel bad for the fish sometimes :cry4:

Kevin22 reply :

They will have a better chance of surviving with the hook in them than if you rip it out. Most will do fine, the stomach acid in them eats away at the metal and will corrode the hook barb first, then the point. This will make it release from the fish and he will pass it right through or regurgitate it.

BuffaloBass716 reply :

Alright good, because I hate trying to play surgen on fish. Its usually smaller ones that swallow it because I cant feel the fish on the line before its to late.

Dcheek reply :

I have always cut the line on a gut hook, whether or not that is the right thing IDK. I think cutting the line as close to the hook as possible makes most sense to me, but I know I have seen some fish die immediately (those go home with me) and others swim off. I try to use bigger hooks and be diligent in setting hook as soon as possible, but this is unavoidable sometimes.

CrossK reply :

Yea, they should be totally fine unless you hooked them in something important haha, I just cut it if I can't get it out within about a minute. You'll save more fish leaving the hook in 'me than trying to rip it out.

J Francho reply :

False, false false. Get the hook out. I've caught several bass over the years with a hook lodged in their throat. Food cannot pass through, and they were very skinny. Always remove the hook! Be prepared.

Here is how to do it: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/12981-how-do-i-remove-a-hook-a-bass-has-swallowed/page-2

Kevin22 reply :

I've caught several of them crapping out hook shanks. They will pass them.

dave reply :

If you have the issue more with live bait, start using circle hooks.

FrogFreak reply :

I caught a healthy 3.5 pounder last weekend who had a small hook lodged way back past his crushers. It still had 2 feet of mono hanging out of it's mouth and the hook looked old. I tugged on the mono a bit and removed the hook without doing damage. I bet that ole bass feels better now.

I will always try to remove a hook if I can. People who don't fish or hunt will never understand the mentality of an outdoors enthusiast. We respect the same animals that we may very well eat.

J Francho reply :

This is something I feel VERY strongly about. Get the hook out. Period. If you kill it doing so, then take it and eat it. Otherwise, any thought that it will dissolve, pass through their system, or somehow miraculously fix itself is myth. Remove the hook. The ONLY time I leave a hook in is when I am keeping them in the live well and they are hooked in the tongue. In that case, I leave it there, and remove it just before weigh in. I usually end up eating those rare fish as well.

NEjitterbugger reply :

I'd want to have the hook ripped out of me, rather than trying to pass them.... LOL

I always remove the hook from the fish, If they end up dying and it's not a species that enjoy eating than I put it in my dad's compost pile... Ultimately giving life back...

Dcheek reply :

On 8/17/2013 at 4:42 AM, J Francho said:

False, false false. Get the hook out. I've caught several bass over the years with a hook lodged in their throat. Food cannot pass through, and they were very skinny. Always remove the hook! Be prepared.

Here is how to do it: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/12981-how-do-i-remove-a-hook-a-bass-has-swallowed/page-2

I have caught catfish with the hook coming out their anus.....maybe because it was a smaller hook? I have never really felt good about leaving hooks in.....I will start trying to remove them.

bigbill reply :

I haven't had this problem yet but I have 5 adopted cats at home that we're abandon when they were kittens. I have three feral ones that are happy to have something to eat. I bring them one fish a year.

Even with live bait I try to stay on top of my game and set the hook asap. I lip hook them most of the time.

I try to practice good fishing and hunting ethics.

MichBassMan reply :

On 8/17/2013 at 4:42 AM, J Francho said:

False, false false. Get the hook out. I've caught several bass over the years with a hook lodged in their throat. Food cannot pass through, and they were very skinny. Always remove the hook! Be prepared.

Here is how to do it: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/12981-how-do-i-remove-a-hook-a-bass-has-swallowed/page-2

I 100% agree with Francho, Get the hook out.I keep an 8" bolt cutter in the boat. Often times you can cut the point off the hook and then back it out. The bolt cutter is also used if one is hooked in the eye or thru a gill plate. Most of the time the hook can be taken out using the "thru the gill" method. 20 years ago hooks rusted and fell out. Modern hooks have better steel and much better plating. They don't rust.

Glenn reply :

It's pretty easy to remove them using this method with practice: >

Justin86 reply :

Sometimes it is just impossible to get the hook out without injuring the fish depending on circumstances, if injury is critical i will without a doubt cut the line the fish will better off with a hook than a torn throat

Bluebasser86 reply :

Pinch the barb down if you're using live bait or go with a circle hook. Otherwise a thin pair of forceps and a steady hand will get the hook out very easily with the technique J posted. I agree 100% with getting the hook out. I'm sure some will pass the hook or it will dissolve but more likely is it will keep the fishes throat pinned shut and it will slowly starve to death.

Grizzn N Bassin reply :

remove the hook it wont pass.... maybe if you using a one of those small sunfish hooks.. but a bass with a 3-5/0 hook in its throat will not pass and will be easy to take out with practice. my uncle always told me to just cut the line but to me I just couldn't wrap my head around the idea... if its to bad I end up taking the fish home and making some dinner which is rare but it does happen

Hattrick7 reply :

Circle hooks are the way to go with live bait.

OkobojiEagle reply :

If you don't intend to eat what you catch, why are you fishing with barbs???... If you do accidentally kill a fish you aren't going to consume yourself, leave it in the lake for the scavengers of that ecosystem!

derekxec reply :

i usually do the through the gills if the barb is sticking out ill use some dykes to cut the tip off and back it out if i figure it will die ill bring it for my neighbor...he eats anything so lol

ReggieT reply :

On 8/17/2013 at 5:37 AM, FrogFreak said:

I caught a healthy 3.5 pounder last weekend who had a small hook lodged way back past his crushers. It still had 2 feet of mono hanging out of it's mouth and the hook looked old. I tugged on the mono a bit and removed the hook without doing damage. I bet that ole bass feels better now.

I will always try to remove a hook if I can. People who don't fish or hunt will never understand the mentality of an outdoors enthusiast. We respect the same animals that we may very well eat.

Crushers?? I've heard they have them...but share with me about their crushers. A friend of mine say they use them to strip flesh off of their prey?

Kevin22 reply :

Bass swallow prey whole, they don't strip flesh. They crush with those pads of sandpaper in the back of their mouths. If they take in something like a crawfish which is too oddly shaped to go through their throat they will crush it. That is why you don't see whole crawfish in bass's stomachs, just the claws and body parts. They also use them to push food towards their throats when they have something like a big shad.

ROCbass reply :

A while back I read an article, I believe it was in In-Fisherman but it could have been another magazine, which stated that if you were absolutely unable to remove a hook from a fish's gullet the proper course of action was to cut the line, but to cut it 12-18 inches above the hook. The reasoning was that the drag in the water created by the long tag would pull the shank to one side and allow food to pass more easily. That being said, I agree with the others who have said that the hook should be removed if at all possible. I have never been unable to remove a swallowed hook from a bass since I learned the through the gill removal method. Leaving a longer tag on the hook might come in handy when dealing with deep hooked fish with smaller mouths, though.

CravinMorehead reply :

I always carry long needle nose pliers and a pair of dykes. I use the through the gill method whenever I can, but the smaller bass usually give me more of a challenge. Unfortunately, I had ONE die that way, but the fish didn't go to waste.

Cgrinder reply :

This thread came in very handy today. I had a good two-pounder who tried his best to swallow a 3/0 Gammy. Got it out with lots of swearing but very little blood and no visible damage.

How long is too long to keep a bass out of water? I got him back in and he swam off, but it was longer than a sixty second ordeal.

J Francho reply :

How long can you hold your breath?

Seriously, about a minute to 90 seconds is reasonable. After that, I lip them and give them a minute in the water or put them in the live well to recuperate if its going to be a prolonged procedure. This also works if you want a picture.

BadBassWV reply :

I found this http://www.nesportsman.com/articles/article11.shtml It goes along with what most are saying.

J Francho reply :

Great article, thanks!

stanlje2 reply :

I keep a pair of side cutters with me and cut the hook so that I can remove it. Usually you can cut the point and barb off. If not, I cut it as close to the gut as possible and pull the barb end out. Very rarly lose a fish doing this.

wolfsbane6 reply :

I always cut the line if a fish swallows the hook, always. I u have some sort of bolt cutter than that could work but otherwise some heavy damage can be done to the fish trying to rip it out. Way better chance of survival. I fish plastic worms weightless so typically this is not an issue as I set the hook after a very short wait. If I'm not paying attention and they run with it, that can be another story.

J Francho reply :

No one said "rip it out." Please see the link above for details on how to remove deep hooks. All it takes is a pair of fishing pliers. Leaving the hook in the fish's gut greatly reduces it's ability to recover and feed normally.

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