Deep hooked fish can be released.

[WillCFish]

I have found if the line is cut close the fish will dissolve the hook most of the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6XlGPMEwao

[OkobojiEagle]

My preference is to fish with barbless hooks... even deeply hooked fish are not too difficult to back the hook out of.

oe

[bassboogieman]

Mashing down the barb is a GOOD idea when fishing soft plastics, especially with large hooks.

[bigbasser]

If you leave about 15-18" of line it will help the fish pass the hook without if lodging in them. Also keep a bottle of Mountain Dew on hand for bleeders, just pour on the wound and the bleeding will stop. It doesn't matter if it goes flat. bigbasser

[Tavery5]

Originally Posted by WillCFish

I have found if the line is cut close the fish will dissolve the hook most of the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6XlGPMEwao

How did you test this theory?

Here is a counter opinon to this:

http://dnr.md.gov/mydnr/askanexpert/catch&release.asp

[joedog]

I've done the Dew. Frankly I think any 'Pop' works.

I do the barb crunch....sometimes.

I've taken I can't tell how many hooks deep stuck out by simply going backwards through the gills, locate hook, cut line and pull hook out.
I have a challenge cutting or de-barbing a hook I PAID A $1.00 FOR to start with.

When all else fails.... take it home and eat it.

Tav good link but I have to ask, how many techniques are 'circle hook' freindly?
Whaky or drop shotting maybe.
Live baiting always but that's about it, right?

[bassboogieman]

As for circle hooks - live bait would be where I would really consider using them, IF I fished with live bait, which I don't. They may also work with finesse worms (4" or so) and drop shot applications, BUT that isn't an area that I have issues with deep hooked fish and problems removing hooks. I have problems with big (4/0 +) hooks with bigger plastics. The small hooks I can usually remove without any problems and they often are not gullet hooked. So when I use the big hooks with plastics I usually mash the barb - I'm fishing for recreation, not tournaments - so loosing a fish isn't going to cause me any great anguish.

I personally believe that leaving a hook in a gut hooked fish will kill it eventually. Yes, I have caught a couple fish with a hook in it's gullet, but they were not in very good shape and could not (I don't think) have swallowed anything, but hit a bait out of hunger or instinct and really could not have eaten it had it actually been a prey item. Hooks take a LONG time to rust out in fresh water and a fish will likely starve to death or succumb to infection before it happens. As we are generally talking about bass, if you can't get a hook out of a LEGAL fish take it home and eat it (IT's NOT A CRIME) and they are decent table fare if fresh.

[CamG]

I have caught fish in our pond that still have hooks in them. I know some of them have been in the fish for at least 2 years. I don't think todays hooks rust off like the old ones. Having said that, the fish are still alive I guess.

[Jrob78]

Originally Posted by WillCFish

I have found if the line is cut close the fish will dissolve the hook most of the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6XlGPMEwao

I disagree completely. Modern fish hooks don't just rust away. I try to go through the gills to remove the hook whenever possible.

[bigbasser]

Tavery5, I attended a Black Bass Workshop a few years ago and Gene Gilliland ( senior fisheries biologst with Oklahoma dept of wildlife & conservation ) presented the line on the hook and Mnt Dew. They had tested all the soda's and found that Mnt Dew worked the best. The reason for the long line is to prevent the hook from rotating and becoming lodged in the fish, the new coatings on hooks today like black nickle delay/prevent the hook from rusting in a short time. Hope this answers your questions. bigbasser

[Tavery5]

Originally Posted by bigbasser

Tavery5, I attended a Black Bass Workshop a few years ago and Gene Gilliland ( senior fisheries biologst with Oklahoma dept of wildlife & conservation ) presented the line on the hook and Mnt Dew. They had tested all the soda's and found that Mnt Dew worked the best. The reason for the long line is to prevent the hook from rotating and becoming lodged in the fish, the new coatings on hooks today like black nickle delay/prevent the hook from rusting in a short time. Hope this answers your questions. bigbasser

I had heard about using the Mt. Dew to stop bleeding. How to treat deep hooked fish seems to be a two sided coin, there are those that believe and follow the course of action you spoke about, and on the other side are those who could not disagree more.

I do my best not to deep hook fish by using quality rods and line, but like most I still have the occasional fish pick it up without me knowing and swallow it down. When this happens I always try to remove the hook through the gills without too much harm to the fish. I am not always happy with the results and have often asked if I should have just cut the line.

I don't know if I am any closer to making a definite decision about how to handle this situation, but thanks for sharing your side of the coin.

[WillCFish]

Lots of good thought here and it all makes sense. I guess as long as we keep trying to release as safely as possible is the main thing.
I had never heard of the Mountain Dew. I'll give that a try.

[DVT Mike]

Originally Posted by joedog

I've done the Dew. Frankly I think any 'Pop' works.

I do the barb crunch....sometimes.

I've taken I can't tell how many hooks deep stuck out by simply going backwards through the gills, locate hook, cut line and pull hook out.
I have a challenge cutting or de-barbing a hook I PAID A $1.00 FOR to start with.

When all else fails.... take it home and eat it.

Tav good link but I have to ask, how many techniques are 'circle hook' freindly?
Whaky or drop shotting maybe.
Live baiting always but that's about it, right?

Of course prevention is always best, but as a last result I've had very good success with this same hook removal technique.

[WillCFish]

I will have to look at a video on removing the hook through the gill. Have never used that method but always willing to learn.

[WillCFish]

Is there a concern of the line getting tangled on something leaving it longer or would it go into the gut? I've seen bass pass a lot of stuff.

[keithdog]

I've never tried the dew trick to stop bleeding, but I'm going to keep some on hand to try it out. Deep hooked bass, that's a real controversy and I am not going to take any sides. But if I catch a deep hooked bass which is bleeding badly, I just take it home for dinner. I have one thing to ask here though. As far as cutting the line and releasing the bass with the hook in place, why not cut the hook itself with a pair of snips so that only the impaled portion of the hook remains in the fish? It would of course depend on whether you can reach the hook, but with a pair of long handled snips, I've done this a couple times. Seems to me, the less you leave inside the mouth of the fish, the better.

[IowaBasser]

I know this is going to sound silly, but I carry one of the red plastic hook removers in each of my tackle boxes plus one in the boat. They work great for deep-hooked fish, especially when I'm fishing off the dock with kids using small hooks for pan-fish and the occasional largemouth or walleye provides us with some fun. Only they don't work too good with the "offset" hooks that most people use for plastics - much better for a straigh shank hook.

[WillCFish]

I always thought the plastic tool was too simple and just a gimmick, so just used a needle nose plier.
I'm going to buy one and give it a try. Thanks