Lets say you are fishing a soft plastic or a live worm. You catch a fish and land it. Do you just cut the line and tie a new hook? will it rust out? or should you take it out yourself? what is the better method?
Take the hook out. Hey, how would you like to have a sharp piece of metal hanging out of your mouth? (Perhaps I am addressing this to the wrong generation??? :rofl1: :rofl1: :rofl1: :rofl1: )
I keep a variety of tools on the boat deck to extract hooks from even the toothiest of critters. Then release them.
For me, if it gets it in the gullet, usually I will cut the line and see if I can work the hook out without killing the fish. Sometimes you can turn the hook enough to get it loose without too much damage and reuse it.
If it is too bad then I will just leave it and usually release the fish if it is still healthy and not sealing their gullet shut. I have caught fish (including bass) that have partially or mostly rusted/degraded hooks in their gullets and top lips that are plenty healthy. Their body chemicals and water helps break it down over time.
More times then not, it is pretty easy to unhook a fish....most times with just your fingers. Otherwise use a pliers. If your hook is in really deep and looks like it could harm the fish more if you try to remove it...cut the line as close to the hook as possible.
Don't cut the line and let the fish go. It is very easy to reach through the gills, turn the bait around and have only the barb still attached. Then you just easily pop the barb out and you have a perfectly healthy fish to release. Don't think your finger will kill the fish either.
Take the hook out. Hey, how would you like to have a sharp piece of metal hanging out of your mouth? (Perhaps I am addressing this to the wrong generation??? :rofl1: :rofl1: :rofl1: :rofl1: )
I always try and remove the hook, its quite possible to remove them from deeply hooked fish without doing too much damage, by going through the gills as some have already stated. I try to never leave a hook in a fish, I keep a pair or long nose pliers and a pair of side cutters, I will cut the hook in half if I have to, to get it out.
I have in the past cut the line at the hook and released to fish. If the fish is bleeding real bad I will keep the fish for dinner. I have seen to many of them after being released float up to the surface and go belly up. Just use common sense and good judgement when handling deeply hooked fish.
All good options and Mountain Dew or Sprite like Va says amazingly enough stops the bleeding.
Or bring it home like Joe said and have it with a Sprite :thumbup01:
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