Leavin' the hook in...

[brushhog]

We have had several threads talking about deep hooked bass, so I thought I would post this...

Fishing with Dad yesterday and had a slow day, caught 5 fish all under 15 inches.

The biggest of the day, was 14.5 inches, what made it interesting is when I lipped him I saw, in his throat, a swivel. Upon further examination I could barely see the eye of the hook buried in the back of his throat.

This fish sure gave the appearance of being healthy... he jumped twice on the way in and was very lively...

Now. I have no idea how long ago he was hooked, but he showed no ill effect from the hook. Perhaps it is ok, when all else fails, to just cut low and let it go?

Have you guys seen the same thing? How often? how bad? Ever caught anything with something other than a hook still embedded in it? I know I've seen many fish with evidence of bad hook removals, big holes in the mouth etc...