Taking out the hooks

[strikezone31]

Been doing some fresh water fishing lately. I went down to the old honey hole were I grew up caught some bass. Unfortunately I had a couple where I had trouble getting the hooks out. The hooks are not in deep and are in the side of the mouth. They are jammed in there. I don't want to "rip " it out because I like to release them. How do you deal with this problem when it happens?

[c4charlie]

If you really want to do the least amount of harm, crush the barbs which will make the release much easier and will cause less damage to the fish mouth.

If they are hooked in, you sometimes need to push in towards the mouth to unhook them. There is also a tool that can help with de-hooking fish that are hooked deep. Long needlenose pliers can help as well.

[c4charlie]

One more thing, if you do crush the barbs, make sure that you keep pressure on the fish at all times. Fishing with crushed barbs will make you a better fisherman.

[Frankiesurf]

"Their lip will heal. If they are dead then they don't heal." "If you are having problem getting it out then rip it out. It's better than a dead fish" Both were said by Doc Muller and he is correct. He also said that when you are unhooking a fish, when you pull it out of the water start holding your breath. When you can't breath anymore neither can the fish.

I always make it as quick as possible. If there is a hole in the fishes lip then so be it. They do not feel pain as humans do. Plus their lips are all cartilage. It heals. No biggie.

ALWAYS carry a pair of pliers or hemostats for freshwater fish. There is sometimes no way to get the leverage you need with just your fingers.

[stripermania]

You are correct about fish feeling no pain. Here is an article from this site previously posted:

http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=4145&highlight=fish+feeling+pain

I try my best to get the hook out as quickly and neatly as possible. If I need to rip it out then so be it.

[JakeF]

I will second the "crushed barbs" comment. If you're catch and release fishing, it's the only way to go in my opinion. I have yet to lose a fish during a fight due to a barbless hook, just have to make sure you keep steady pressure on the fish. The release is SOOO much quicker and easier on the fish. :thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

Strikezone, most freshwater lures have 2 sets of trebles. I hate using them when you have aggressive fish like hungry bass or angry pickerel or pike. If you're using plugs with 2 trebles, maybe you might want to consider taking the back treble off, replacing with a j hook. The key here is whether it interferes with the action of the plug. It's easier to replace with a j-hook on a saltwater plug because the distance between the trebles is often longer and this affects the way it swims less. Crushing barbs is the best and quickest way though. It's up to you to do what you feel is best, thanks for being concerned with the releases. :thumbsup:

[baitstealer]

I will second the "crushed barbs" comment. If you're catch and release fishing, it's the only way to go in my opinion. I have yet to lose a fish during a fight due to a barbless hook, just have to make sure you keep steady pressure on the fish. The release is SOOO much quicker and easier on the fish. :thumbsup:

What is the ratio of losing fish on a barbless hook? Though you try to keep the line tight the fish do shake which creates some slack. To me this would make it easier for the fish to get away.

[JakeF]

As I posted, I have yet to lose a fish due to a barbless hook, and I'm talking about striped bass & bluefish which are notorious for head shaking escape maneuvers. On occasion, I have purposefully allowed an excessive amount of slack in the line with the fish close and let them try to unhook themselves, but even then most of the time the hook stays in.

Think about it this way,,, yeah, there's no barb to keep the hook from backing out, BUT the hole that is made in the lip is also much smaller. A hook with a barb can make a hole at least the size of the barb if the fish is lip hooked. You've seen it before I'm sure, where even with a barb the hole in the lip is large enough for the hook to drop out when you get it to hand. It's been my experience that the hole made by a barbless hook is generally much smaller and even without a barb, the hook stays put.

In my opinion, there is so little chance of losing the fish due to a barbless hook, that if you're planning to release anyway, it seems almost irresponsible to fish with barbs. I've lost way more fish due to cut offs than to hooks pulling out. But...... that's just me.... ;)

Also, keep in mind that I'm talking about fishing plugs/lures/jigs, etc. NOT bait fishing, but even then I can't see it making any real difference.