Why am I gut hooking so many fish? 2024
The Bassinator reply :
I have fished the past couple weeks with a trickworm rigged weedless with no weight. Each time I get a bite I always catch the fish only to find it gut hooked. I have read the article on removing gut hooked fish and it has saved many bass I've caught not to mention my hooks! I think it may be that I don't reel down all the slack before I set the hook because I am letting the worm drop horizontally on very slack line. Any info on what I'm doing wrong would be greatly appreciated as I hate hurting such beautiful creatures.
evrgladesbasser reply :
QuoteI have fished the past couple weeks with a trickworm rigged weedless with no weight. Each time I get a bite I always catch the fish only to find it gut hooked. I have read the article on removing gut hooked fish and it has saved many bass I've caught not to mention my hooks! I think it may be that I don't reel down all the slack before I set the hook because I am letting the worm drop horizontally on very slack line. Any info on what I'm doing wrong would be greatly appreciated as I hate hurting such beautiful creatures.
Your giving them a lot of time to swallow it if your droping on a slack line! Try keeping your hand or fingers on the line when it's droping, maybe you'll feel that little twitch when they suck it in, then you can reel up and set the hook before they completely swallow it. Good Luck...
BobP reply :
I think fishing unweighted plastics causes lots of gut hooked bass. It's not easy to detect a bite until the fish swims off. The same thing happens deadsticking Super Flukes and Senkos. I eventually decided to crimp down the barbs on my EWG hooks and that solved the problem. I lose virtually no fish. I'm not sitting in the bottom of the boat performing surgery and worrying if the bass will survive the process. And I'm back to catching fish a lot faster.
opie reply :
QuoteI think fishing unweighted plastics causes lots of gut hooked bass. It's not easy to detect a bite until the fish swims off. The same thing happens deadsticking Super Flukes and Senkos. I eventually decided to crimp down the barbs on my EWG hooks and that solved the problem. I lose virtually no fish. I'm not sitting in the bottom of the boat performing surgery and worrying if the bass will survive the process. And I'm back to catching fish a lot faster.
That's an awesome idea. I'm going to try that.
Hammer 4 reply :
I beg to differ re: weightless bait = more gut hooked bass..Only way that would happen is if you kept your line slack, or you fish with a ugly stick.. ;D
Seriously, you need to keep a taught line, and be a line "watcher"..I fish weightless ALOTT, and very seldom do I get a gut hooked fish.. 
whoopbazz reply :
I weightless quite abit too. I don't find anymore gut hooked fish with our without weights. One thing that I have found, if the bass are feeding heavy and your bait imitates the forage very closely, they seem to inhale the bait very quickly and deeply. As if they are so very sure they're going to eat it.
I buddy of mine found a pair of wire cutter that are about 10 or 11 inches long. He reaches down inside the fishes mouth and cuts the hook off right where it enter the fish's throat or meat. This usually leaves only the point/barb in the the fish. It dissolves quickly and doesn't hamper the fish.
D4u2s0t reply :
The problem is simple, and you answered the question in your first post... you're leaving too much slack, so you're not detecting the bite quickly enough. You want to keep the line tighter so you can feel those bites. By the time you feel the fish, your bait is down the gullet.
Bassnajr reply :
Common problem and you sound like you are handling it the right way.
I will say, I had this problem last week even line watching and having the right tension on the line. The bite was SO light...no line movement...no ti-tic...weird!!
Hammer 4 reply :
One thing you can do is, keep your index, or any finger on the line, you can detect very subtle bites..
Sam reply :
You are letting them run too long with the bait.
Try to set the hook sooner and faster. 
Wayne P. reply :
It is quite common post spawn with any presentation. They are not picky eaters when they are recovering from the spawn. Removing the hook barb is the best solution.
Smiths.R reply :
Very simple solution. Pay attention, and set the hook when you feel something.
Swings are free.
WRB reply :
Try wacky hooking, with o-ring, the worm with a Owner #5114, size 1 circle hook. Watch the line "V" in the water as the worm sinks for any movement, good strike indicator. Don't set the hook hard, just reel and lift the rod against the line pressure...no more gut hooked bass.
WRB
The Bassinator reply :
Thanks for all the info the last few fish I caught have had the hook in the top lip like theyre supposed to and I made sure that I reeled down the slack. I was also standing ten or so feet up from the water and I couldnt feel the bite I could only see my line move. Thanks again for all the info and I think I might give the debarbed hooks a try
Nibbles reply :
It may also be worth trying out some circle hooks. I'm fairly sure Gamakatsu makes some good ones. It's a little bit harder to rig a senko on them weightless and weedless, but those hooks are made to avoid guthooking.
WRB reply :
QuoteIt may also be worth trying out some circle hooks. I'm fairly sure Gamakatsu makes some good ones. It's a little bit harder to rig a senko on them weightless and weedless, but those hooks are made to avoid guthooking.
See reply #12 above.
WRB
Cecil reply :
Great advise all, been having the same issue lately, thought is was too much slack, now it seems to be a fairly unanimous conclusion. Just needed another opinion. You guys rock!
Flangler reply :
Too much time like said....its all good! just try to set earlier but not too early...I haven't had any problems fishing weightless. Just watch that line, you'll pick up on it more the more you watch it..
brushhoggin reply :
the reason you dont feel the bite is because its floating slowly, and a bass knows he's not going to have to exert himself to grab it because the bait isn't going to try and escape or fight back. the bass just lets it land in his mouth. one of the more difficult things about fishing for me to learn was letting a bait fall directly vertical yet maintaining a feel with the bait without it swinging towards me on the fall. it's nearly impossible in the wind, especially fishing weightless.
Smalliesrule reply :
On 6/30/2010 at 9:16 AM, The Bassinator said:I have fished the past couple weeks with a trickworm rigged weedless with no weight. Each time I get a bite I always catch the fish only to find it gut hooked. I have read the article on removing gut hooked fish and it has saved many bass I've caught not to mention my hooks! I think it may be that I don't reel down all the slack before I set the hook because I am letting the worm drop horizontally on very slack line. Any info on what I'm doing wrong would be greatly appreciated as I hate hurting such beautiful creatures.
A slack line on the fall is the problem. How can you feel the pick up on a slack line? You need to follow that worm down as it falls with your rod tip,you should then be able to feel the fish pick it up.
TheLastRodBender reply :
When i started fishing stick baits i got a LOT of gut hooks. Here's what i did to help the situation... and i still allow slack in my line on the fall.
1. Learn to line watch. ALWAYS watch your line.. watch the line fall and if it speeds up/slows down/goes to 1 side or the other, set the hook. Even if you set the hook and there isnt a fish there, if your setting the hook correctly with your wrist and not heaving that thing back toward the boat, the bait will only move a foot or 2 so you dont lose your cast. Another thing i look for is a little 'tick' on the line. A lot of times it's VERY subtle, but it's there.
2. Change line to a more sensative line. I throw flouro now and even with slack on the line, i can feel the fish bite them things, as subtle as they can try to get.
3. Bigger hook. I dont know what gear you're using but you can move up a size or 2 on your hooks and see if that helps. A bigger hook will cause a bass to bite down a few more times before they swallow it.
4. Reel down. When you THINK you have a bite, real down til you feel resistance and pull back a little bit before setting the hook. When bass inhale something they generally have to give it a couple shots, so when you add resistance it'll pull that bait back towards the front of their mouth before you set the hook and turn it sideways.
RoLo reply :
When fishing with soft-plastic lures, a limp line and a freefalling lure are business-as-usual,
but a gut-hooked fish is not. Of course, waiting too long between the pickup and hookset
will increase the odds of gut-hooking, where the average duration is probably under 2 seconds.
In my opinion though, the most common cause of gullet-hooked bass is an aggressive feeding mode.
The odds are good that the situation will self-resolve and probably has already.
If you continue to experience gullet-hooked bass, the easiest solution to crimp the barb on the J-hook.
A better solution is to use "Circle" hooks, but circle hooks are a different animal:
1) Hook Size
The hook gap needs to accommodate the lip thickness of the largest expected bass
2) Hook-Set
Refrain from using a jaw-breaking hookset, but maintain steady line-tension instead.
Roger
J Francho reply :
A few things:
Hooks do not dissolve. Try your best to get all of the hook out of the fish.
Baits falling on a slack line is HOW you get bit most often. This is fundamental plastics fishing, even using weighted presentation.
A sensitive rod and fluorocarbon are two good ways to detect bites on slack line.
Slack line does NOT mean loops and coils lying on the water, it means there is enough line out to allow the bait to unaffected by the rod.
Gut hooking too much? Not setting the hook soon enough, or using the wrong hook for the presentation. I didn't catch what exact bait and hook were used, but I suspect a senko type bait.
I disagree that hook size and fish size correlate. My largest smallmouth was caught on a very small #6 split shot hook. I have caught other, much larger species on hooks as small as #18. The hook should match the size of the bait.
I've tried to set clients up with circle hooks, and they work OK, but they take the fun out of sticking a nice fish. I prefer to mash the barb.
For the OP, barring any really out of place hook or bait, try going barbless, and concentrate on getting the hookset in sooner.
RoLo reply :
On 4/21/2011 at 12:54 AM, J Francho said:Hooks do not dissolve. Try your best to get all of the hook out of the fish.
I'm glad you mentioned that.
Even in saltwater, the hook may not disintegrate during the fish's lifetime.
What's even worse, are the ole salts who use stainless steel hooks.
QuoteI disagree that hook size and fish size correlate.
If you're referring to J-hooks, I certainly agree with that, but it’s a little different with circle hooks.
With J-hooks, the angler is free to match the hook-size to the lure or bait.
With circle hooks, the "lip thickness" of the target fish should also be considered.
Ideally of course, the tucked-in point of the circle hook will glide through the gullet and mouth.
Then as the circle hook exits the mouth, it pivots around the lip where the tucked-in point
can't hide anymore. The thinner the lip, the quicker and better the hook will pivot on exit,
but if the fish’s lip is too fat for the hook-bite, it may fail to stick a landing.
Roger
steezy reply :
On 6/30/2010 at 9:40 PM, whoopbazz said:I weightless quite abit too. I don't find anymore gut hooked fish with our without weights. One thing that I have found, if the bass are feeding heavy and your bait imitates the forage very closely, they seem to inhale the bait very quickly and deeply. As if they are so very sure they're going to eat it.
I buddy of mine found a pair of wire cutter that are about 10 or 11 inches long. He reaches down inside the fishes mouth and cuts the hook off right where it enter the fish's throat or meat. This usually leaves only the point/barb in the the fish. It dissolves quickly and doesn't hamper the fish.
Please try not to leave any part of the hook in a fish, it will not disolve quickly.
There are very good tips on the BassResource website that explain how to remove a hook from a gut hooked fish. It's worth learning the technique and being proficient at it. I can clear a gut hooked fish in under 1 minute and that ability has saved many fish.
fishinfantatic reply :
How do you get rid of the barbs? It seems like the strength of the hook would be affected by just mashing it down..?
J Francho reply :
It isn't going to ruin the hook. Use a pair of pliers or hemostats. I mash the barbs on my trout hooks now, for easy release, and tiny #10 hooks still hold up to double digit steelhead no problem.
Hyrule Bass reply :
best method by far ive seen to remove gut hooked fish, works every time for me. one of the best things i ever learned on this site. good thing to because the next 3 bass i caught after learning this were hooked in the gullet. also had to use the method 3-4 times this past saturday...
http://www.in-fisherman.com/print/3560
Evan Lip Ripper reply :
Probably you are having a lot of slack or letting it take the bait until you will for sure catch it.
NHBull reply :
Had to deal with 3 today........
I use light wire hook.
With wire cutter, cut the shank.
With pliers crimp the barb
Though the gill rotate the hook out.
Cutting the shank really helps
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2024 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.