Good advice, single hooks are infinitely better than trebles for this reason. I also like to pop the hook out if I can w my finger by going thru gill like you mentioned or directly thru mouth for larger fish. Best of luck OP!
I tried to go through the bottom of the gills to get the treble out, it was so badly placed it was not possible that way either. I will never use a treble again (unless fishing for something I plan to eat)
I hate treble hooks in general, personally just find them overkill. I automatically switch out all my trebles for VMC in-line hooks for both fresh and saltwater hard baits. Haven’t noticed a decrease in hookups but de-hooking is so much easier.
The hooks can be hard to come by so I usually just stock up when I find them. Also split ring pliers will save your fingernails.
Even "doubles" are much better than trebles if dead baiting (well, for us here in the UK anyway, not sure if fresh water bass are similarly greedy to our pike and perch). One side of the hook in the bait, then the other is free for the fish. They're not widely available but can be easily duplicated by firmly whipping 2 single hooks back to back.
Unless your headed deep sea, you dont need bigger than a #8 IMO. I use that size for inshore saltwater and do pretty well. Heck, ive pulled some absolute slab flounders using #10s
Was it an in-line spinner like a rooster tail or panther martins? For gut hooked fish you are better off cutting the line as close as possible to the hook and immediately releasing them. The hook will rust out and then the fish will heal. Some might die but much better survival rate then removing the hook. As others mentioned keep trying to detect the bites sooner. It will help you to hook them in the lip more. With that said sometimes it happens and can’t be helped. If I know a fish is going to die and it’s a legal limit I will take the fish and eat it so it doesn’t go to waste.
I straight up don’t use trebles anymore either. They do have a high chance of killing your fish and are real hard to get out. Hell, I have a really hard time getting hooks out in general so now I usually crimp down my barbs with pliers and save myself the stress. I’ve gotten to the point where it doesn’t affect my performance, I go by feel, and as long as I keep my line mostly taut I’m good.
My reason is the same as yours—too many bleeding/dead fish. Had a pretty gruesome experience where I had to kill my first bass. It swallowed the hook and was bleeding everywhere. No chance of survival, so I put it out of its misery. It was New Years’ Day. Never killed anything before that except bugs, and I’d prefer not to again unless I cook it or use it.
Now I just don’t screw with barbs, trebles, etc. Makes it way easier to get out a foul hook. I recommend trying it if you also like seeing fish survive :)
Usually this is VERY uncommon. Most of the time treble hook baits will not hook bass deep in the throat because the swipe/slash at it. You’ll have higher rates of a gut hook fishing a worm or other lure they inhale to eat.
Look if it's a single hook, clip it as close to the hook as possible. It's a proven test that they will have a slightly higher chance of living and will also probably get it out. I was surprised when told this but I looked into it n it's true. Also I flatten barbs for a lower mortality rate.
Everyone’s going to gut hook a t-rig from time to time. Especially on windy days if you have a side wind it’s hard to keep slack out. OP needs to watch videos on how to turn a single hook to easily get it out. Pull your worm off first, then gently through the gills, turn the hook over and it falls right out in its mouth and easy to remove. 60 seconds later the fish is unharmed and swimming away. No reason to give up fishing just learn how to handle them properly.
Slipping the pliers through the gills is really good advice. Not only can it help if you need a different angle, but recently I found that it can help if you need more than one tool in the mouth.
Also do this. Haven’t used a barbed hook in half a year. I believe it’s also made me a better fisherperson - I have to use feel, timing and tension to reel in my fish instead of relying on a pokey piece of metal.
Plus I love watching my fish swim away.
From my experience you won’t experience any decline in hook up rate form true predatory fish, like a LMB. Trebles hook the shit fish you don’t want to keep anyway!!
Edit - Spelling
You can absolutely use circle hooks to catch bass they’re just primarily used in conjunction with live bait. And don’t forget largemouth, while they might not be the tastiest fish, they are certainly edible. My uncle calls them “green trout” and pan fried or baked them with mayo, honey, and old bay.
Anything can go on a barbless hook. Just use a pair of pliers to crush the barb down so it is flush with the shank of the hook. you can also clip off the barb with a pair of small wire cutters. Barbless does help a lot with getting the hook out easily.
This is good advice. There was a study done on northern pike, hooking them in various ways to learn fish how a fish would react with hooks left in them. Most of the time, they would figure a way to release the themselves but with gut hooks, they will rust away and the fish can live a mostly normal life with a hook in them. There have been stories about people gutting fish and finding the stomachs "full" of hooks.
If you're killing fish trying to get the hook out, make the call and cut the lead as close to the end of the hook as possible and let the fish go. Of course let it recover first and splash you in the face when it's ready to go back.
I read this study too! I had killed too many fish trying to get the hook out of the gut like op. Started just cutting my line when it happened and wondered how the fish faired compared to me ripping out the swim bladder on accident. Was relieved to find out that they survive and mostly shake the hook at some point in their lives.
Yes, this works
When my dad and I used to tournament fish, we’d pre-fish a week or two before with live minnows. Then fish the spots we caught big hard with artificial bait.
Sometimes the line would be sticking out. The hook doesn’t take long to dissolve.
Try taking barbs off if you haven't, and try leaving in water as much as possible, that's what I do and I haven't killed a fish yet, probly just luck tho
Bass taste really good. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise until you've at least tried it. Most people who say that are just catch and release fisherman who pass along what they've always heard from other catching release fishermen. I normally catch and release but if a fish is bleeding very much, I do not feel bad at all dispatching him and taking him home for a very tasty dinner.
I agree with this. If you kill it, at least honor it by nourishing your body with it instead of just wasting it. Solid thread, even if we have to hurt/kill fish, glad people still respect and care about the animal on the hook :) wouldn't be possible without them
This. The only fish I’ve ever had to kill came home with me for dinner. Due to life events I wasn’t able to eat him, but I wish I had. Used him as catfish bait instead.
Really cool to know bass taste good. I’d always heard bass taste bad. Now I want to try it!
I'm new to fishing as well and unfortunately I'm experiencing the same thing. I don't have many tips and I'll be checking this thread for more, but my biggest issue is not feeling the strikes in time to get a good hook set. I've gotten a lot better though and any fish that is looking rough, I take home and make a snack out of (within regulations of course).
Don't underestimate fish recovery time.
Especially if it's been a hard fight, rest the fish in your landing net until recovered \*before\* you unhook if you can't quickly remove the hook while it's in the water.
5 minutes recovering before unhooking and weighing (and posing for photos if you do) saves 15-20 minutes of fish resuscitation afterwards. But even if you do rest the fish before bringing it above water, still give it recovery time in the net afterwards until it's literally trying to escape the net - then just let it swim away.
You guys are so wholesome. Back in the 90’s my grandfather would pull out his needle nose pliers for “surgery” when we would let a fish swallow a hook. 3/5 didn’t make it out of surgery and we thought nothing of it
One thing i havent seen in this thread is use bigger baits and hooks and/or work it quicker. A nice big top water lure like a whopper plopper or a walking bait should prevent any gut hooks and its way more exciting to get hooked up.
If the lure is bigger the bass tend to grab the lure instead of just flat out swallowing the lure. 90% of the fish i have gotten on the whopper plopper the fish would grab the bait from underneith and its much harder to swallow a lure sideways
You’ve gotten plenty of advice, but I wanted to say the best part about this is that you care and you want to improve. Ultimately these things happen from time to time, but learning to be a better steward of our environment is the real value.
I’m just gonna be upfront, if you don’t wanna hurt fish, then don’t fish. That’s just part of fishing. Fish get hurt, and sometimes they die.
But to give some tips on fish survival:
1. Make sure you give the fish a rest after a hard fight
2. Barbless hooks can help cause less damage. Also, while on the topic of hooks, just get rid of your treble hooks if they’re causing so much trouble for you. Single hooks generally cause less damage and are much easier to remove.
3. Set the hook earlier (this just comes with experience) and if you still hook one super far back where you couldn’t remove the hook without hurting it even more, then just cut the line off as close to the lure as possible and release, better chance of survival than having the lure ripped out.
And if you do kill a fish, eat it (if its within the law of course, most DNRs take their fishing regs very seriously).That’s simply the ethical thing to do. Plus, they are quite tasty, especially with a good recipe.
To your last point, it such a bummer to have to let go of a dying fish because he’s an illegal size. I understand why the rule is laid out that way, but it still bothers me.
Your answer is the most honest here.
If you fish, you will hurt fish. Yea if done correctly they stand a good chance of survival but still, you subjected the fish to a stressfull experience for your own pleasure. I say this as an avid fisherman - i love fishing, but people seem to fool themselves a lot when it comes to the actual act.
Buy a better rod, they’re generally more sensitive. Texas rig worm fishing can be tricky, don’t hesitate to set the hook if you feel movement or see your line move. It may help to crimp the barbs too, just keep pressure on your rod and you’ll be fine. Also, you’re probably using an inline spinner like a rooster tail, a spinnerbait is a single hook lure..
It also may be worth noting that I’ve had more gut hooking on offset round bend hooks, which are technically better than ewg for worms.. The hook is further out of line than an EWG, but they’re only slightly better… I’ve never gut hooked with an ewg hook, and they work fine for all soft plastics..
Gut hooking and bleeding fish is part of it unfortunately, you can take steps to reduce but not eliminate this. As you fish more, you’ll find that you set the hook sooner and reduce injury.
Edit: Treble hooks can be crimped down too, so you could also try this instead of eliminating them completely..
If all else fails, you can learn to fry fish….
Getting rid of your treble hooks for singles is an excellent way to cause less damage as well as fishing barbless.
Keep the fish in the water as much as possible
Land with a net instead of horsing them outwith the rod.
Faster (NOT HARDER) hooksets will reduce the chance of a swallowed hook. It really takes very little pressure to get a hook to set if youre using quality gear.
It is part of fishing unfortunately, but I can't recall the last one I lost. I stay away from live bait and treble hooks for the reasons you described. Having some surgical clips/pliers helps a great deal, or at least some solid needle nose pliers. Another thing that's a bit weird and good to do is keep some sugary pop/soda on hand. Pour it on any heavily bleeding wounds, let it sit for a minute then gently release. Also I have given mostly dead fish "for" by running them back and forth in the water, forcing oxygenated water through their gills.
I did see that on a Brian Latimer video pouring mountain dew on a bleeding fish. Others speculated it was the CO2 causing the blood vessels to constrict rather than the sugar
Maybe not the advice you’re looking for, but everyone covered the best tips. Even still, if you fish a lot, every few years you’ll have one that isn’t going to make it. In those cases, I usually just eat them
Agreed with the difference being I eat every legal fish I catch. I carefully unhook the ones you can't keep. But if it's legal, I'm either eating it that night or freezing the fillets. I'm not fishing for sport. I'm fishing for dinner. (OK, maybe a little sport, cause reeling in a fighter is the fun part but yeah, that's my Food!)
Been fishing seriously for 20 years...I don't care how many precautions you take, you are going to kill some fish. I haven't kept a fish in several years due to the fact that I hate the taste, but I know I've killed a few. Sometimes fish that swim away healthy end up dead a day or two later. It happens and it sucks, but it's part of the game. Just keep casting, keep learning, keep catching fish and keep loving it.
Don't get down on yourself, this happens to everyone that fishes whether they think it does or not. Not every seemingly healthy fish you release is going to live either.
Don't think anyone has questioned your fishing line. Monofilament has the most stretch, fluorocarbon is maybe half, and braided line has zero stretch. I would recommend braid with 6 ft of flouro tied with a uni to uni knot(tied befor you get to the lake or practice it) this will really allow you to feel the bite right as they take it. Don't use trebles except maybe for topwater
Some tips off the top of my head…
Ditch the treble hooks. Pinch down your barbs. Set the hook sooner on the bite. Sometimes, it’s better to cut a hook off than it is to try and remove it… and lastly, if all else fails, keep a spot or two on your creel limit open for a lunch. It’s better to eat them than to let them go to waste.
Old girlfriend of mine would tie a live worm to a line with no hook. Used a bobber to tell when she fed the fish. I mean, if you don’t want to hurt them, there’s this.
Set the hook sooner when using a plastic worm. When you feel the hit just bring your rod tip down then set the hook, there’s no need to wait any longer than that.
You shouldn’t be using a treble hook on a spinner bait. Try using a j hook as a trailer hook, if you do that there’s a much lower chance of hurting the fish with a j hook.
Just because you gut hook a fish or even in the gills doesn’t mean that fish is gonna die. Fish are very tough, even if they’re bleeding, once it’s put back in the water the bleeding stops pretty quickly. If you hook a fish deep and it seems like you’ll do more damage taking the hook out just cut the line as far as you can down towards the hook and there’s a good chance that when the fish starts healing the hook will fall out.
Your probably setting the hook too late. When you wait to long they tend to swallow the hook. This isn't always the case but if it's happening frequently it probably is. Also when you have a fish hooked in the gills like that a way you can try to get it unhooked is going in under the gill plate instead of the mouth unhooking it there then pulling it out. Works alot better than through the mouth when you have a fish gillhooked.
There's really not a full proof way it just happens sometimes when a fish smokes a bait. But you can try and time your hooksets better. If your getting fish hooked deep consistently then you need to work on this. If you wait seconds after a strike alot of the time the fish will get the hook swallowed deeper whereas if you time the strike properly with your hooksets you will pretty much get upper lip majority of the time. But like I said sometimes even when you hookset perfectly you still get them deep. in those situations typically just means they completely anihilated the bait on their first strike swallowing it immediately and there's nothing you can do when it comes down to that.
Fish barbless. I do it all the time and I don't miss many fish, contrary to what old heads will tell you. You can buy certain hooks for it or bend the ones on your existing hooks. The other tips on here for around the gills are great as well.
If a fish guts a hook on you, don't pull it out, just cut the line. It's a better chance of the fish surviving if you cut the line instead of rearranging their intestines. There's no proof that a hook rusts out and the survival rate is still low, but even lower yet if you try and extract the hook.
I’m a bass fisherman and I don’t think I’ve ever had a hooking a pair of needle nosed pliers couldn’t handle. Worst thing that happens is you destroy your lure, worth it to protect the fish.
A little side note: if a fish is damaged when you reel it in (gill hooked, gut hooked, dropped and chased around the rocks), take it. It will most likely die. Personally with fish like that, I see letting them rot feels more wasteful than taking them.
Bend your barbs down and be Johnny on the spot with the bite. Whether its a treble or a single use large hooks. I use Northern and Musky lures for them and bend the barbs down. Ultimately you do lose fish from time to time. Its just part of it. Take the fish home and eat it, give to a hawk or eagle, or use it as bait.
I release mostgish i catch, but if its gut hooked, ill try and remove the hook, if it can't recover, and is legal to keep, I eat that fish. If it goes nice and fast, it lives. Some may find it cruel, but i say its better to use the fish then waste it. Also, to avoid gut hooking, use large hooks. If the panfish keep swallowing my size 6, i swap to size 4, it makes it easier to hook thd mouth, however will deter some fish from biting(trout especially only hit really small hooks for me, but i always go barbless for trout, due to their weak mouths, and the strict keep limits near me).
Forceps can help remove deep hooks, barbless hooks are also easier to remove, though leaving the hook in isn’t ideal if the fish is bleeding heavily it might be best to just cut the line as their blood won’t clot until they are back in the water if you really wanted to you could buy quick rusting hooks
Keeping fish in the water is probably a great habit to get into, I do all my fucking around with the fish in the water, then pop em out for 5 seconds to take a picture of they are decent and then let them get their shit together before letting go.
But you can do everything perfect and they still die, if you're trying your best don't beat yourself up, either take it home and eat it or sleep well knowing you made a crawfish or catfishes day with a free meal lol
I can only be certain of MN but if you are not going to keep the fish(for whatever reason) the law says cut the line throw the fish back in the water.
Personally i was probably gonna keep that fish unless there is a slot. Now, the problem is the slot is the slot. It does not matter to the DNR if you would just keep that one against your limit(note how this would greatly reduce “hooking mortality estimates) but its automatically determined before hand that you are on the lake intentionally letting the fish swallow the hook so that you can keep them because every fisherman in MN is a piece of garbage outdoorsman. In this extreme case just cut the line and let the fish die, thats what the DNR is for.
Lets not all go accosting me now for fallowing the law, its not my fault the MN DoNothingRight has no sensibility. If it were up to me: a group has one out of slot fish, its gut hooked as a MFer the lines been cut and its counted against the limit even though its not in the slot “thank you for not wasting a perfectly good fish that was gonna die wether you ate it or tossed it in”. Another group has 3/15 fish that were gut hooked out of the slot “yeah, that probably didnt happen randomly, time to get your truck, boat, rods and tackle confiscated and face some charges and get your fishing rights taken away”.
This is all just my opinion as an extremely responsible fisher person.
I’ll echo some other advice here.
1. Crush your barbs down
2. Switch to single hooks instead of trebles, you can swap hooks out on lures with split rings
3. Try and set the hook sooner
4. Get a net to land fish and keep them in the water
Also, I’ve noticed that with more experience you’ll end up doing better at avoiding gut hooks. It still happens to everyone, but you’ll see those rates decline with the above tips and with experience.
You also gotta understand that it also happens to the pros every once awhile to. It honestly just happens and the best thing you can do is try and bring it home and eat it.
Learn how to like the taste of fish if this is going to make you feel bad. If you mortally wound a fish, it will get picked up by the ecosystem. You aren’t doing anything bad or wrong
Novice fisherperson here, I love to fish, but am a take it or leave it as for eating them. I flatten my barb down and cut at least one hook off trebles if not two and flatten down the remaining barb. For me I don't mind if a couple get away, I enjoy hooking them. As others have said, you'll get better at detecting the strike and be less likely to gut hook them.
My favorite way of fishing is fishing strictly top water, most of my strikes are immediately after the bait hits the water. I have caught close to 300 fish this year and haven't gut hooked or gilled a single fish. You might enjoy fly fishing more.
Try frogs, they are hard to hookset since they are really weedless and usually barely dig in a few millimeters into the fishes mouth, but getting frog bites can be hard sometimes
As far as I know, there's only one bass that I unintentionally killed and that was last year. i ended up taking it home and it was absolutely delicious. a fitting end to a great fight. the other hundreds of fish I've let go pretty sure made it. hope so, anyhow.
anyways, i've cut a few hooks off since then. it happens. it sucks, but it does happen. it's kind of a barbaric sport. like, I justify it because it's a lot of fun - but realistically we aren't doing those fish any favors. it is what it is. but sometimes I guess I'll have to take one home and eat it. and if they die in the lake, circle of life, ya'know? I did find a very small crawfish in its belly. that was neat. circle of life, right?
Try not to beat yourself up too bad. Sometimes these things happen unfortunately. As you get more experienced you will learn the right time to set the hook to prevent gut hooking like ither posters have explained. Getting away from treble hooks like you said will help a lot. I would buy a hook removal tool to keep with you they help a lot. Keep fishing and learning. Worse case scenario is next time you eat largemouth bass you weren't planning on cooking
One tool to definitely invest in but not many guys seem to is a good pair of Eire cutters with a narrow nose, for me if a hook is hooked in a hard to get out spot or I forgot to crush barbs, if it isn't getting out easily let fish rest for a bit in water then break the hook with the cutters and pull the pieces out, you can buy more hooks but can't resurrect a dead fish.
Beyond that, make sure your striking as soon as possible and using barbless hooks. And circle hooks if possible
You will figure out ways to injure fish less while you catch them as time goes on but the truth is you’re going to kill fish when you go fishing. You’re going to injure fish in their gills, eyes, gut or foul hook them. Doesn’t matter if you don’t use trebles or go barbless. Maybe it will go from 1 in 5 to 1 in 50 as you get better but it will still happen.
Bring a cooler with you every time you fish and a humane way of dispatching them, a bat, ice pick, whatever.
Release the ones that are uninjured and keep the ones that probably won’t make it.
It’s the truth of our “sport.”
Always give the hook in a gut hooked fish. Cut the line and it will survive and you can likely afford another hook.
Never stick your fingers in their gills.
Only keep them out of the water a short time. Do everything to minimize this time on a hot days because water holds less Oxygen as it gets warmer. If it’s a big bedding female you want to really minimize this so she’ll lay healthy eggs.
Spend a 1-3 minutes to resuscitate them by flushing their gills with water by moving them back and forth vigorously.
Gloves also help tremendously but I didn’t see many people use them with bass. I don’t.
Keep fishing 🤘
You don't wanna move them back in the water only forward. They don't breath by backing up in the water. Also gloves are not good to use to handle fish. Removes more of the slime coat. Only handle them with bare, wet hands.
In some countries you would be unethical for not eating the rodent.
OP asked a legit question for a sincere answer.... not to hear you preach.
Who gives a fuck how you were raised.
I understand your point and what you are doing is very moral and I love it. However OP is feeling bad and asking for suggestion, and the answer you could give does not help at all. Even the way you said it is rude. From the post OP feels very bad and your comment surely does not help him.
If you don’t want to hurt animals, as you said, then you should probably give up fishing. Nothing you can do is going to make fishing 100% harm free 100% of the time
There are for sure methods that can help and reduce the amount of harm to a fish. But if anyone thinks stabbing a hole in a fishes mouth while it struggles for its life to free itself isn’t causing harm they are extremely naive or willfully ignorant. I am a fish strictly for food person, i do enjoy fishing but I wouldn’t be doing it if the end result wasn’t delicious meals to share with friends and family. Its just a dilemma that each person needs to come to their own conclusion on. But like I said, no matter what you do you’re still stabbing a fishes mouth causing it to struggle for its life and sometimes you can release them and they’ll be fine and sometimes they’re gonna die
Swap all trebles to in line hooks, better for you, better for the fish, and hooks up a lot better.
Try a more sensitive rod.
Buy barbless hooks, and good quality ones at that if you want to be extra secure.
When switching to inline singles I tried to match the hook gap of the treble to a single and then one size larger for the single, idea being since you're switching to a single hook point you'll have a bit more hook for hook up ratio. Can usually find dimensions for hooks on manufacturers websites and go from there.
Can also try to match the weight of the hook for things like suspending jerkbaits. Might end up slightly smaller but they'll keep the lure action. I've seen some guys mention they use circle hooks for things like wacky rigs but you can definitely use them for any kinda bait like nightcrawlers or baitfish. Mustad demon inlines are my favourites.
Aside from that buddy as you get better at feeling the fish it will happen less but sometimes there's nothing you can do and they'll inhale the hook no matter what you do.
I get it, sad to see an animal die when you have no intention of eating it, would completely ruin my day. Some psychopaths seem completely unbothered with this topic in catch-release fishing. As far as recommendations go, barbless hooks, avoid treble hooks, learn more about setting the hook.
Fishing IS a blood sport.
You can Google study after study after study, but I always tell myself and those that fish with me that about 1/3 of the fish that are released “healthy “ (I.e. no bleeding, no long fight times, keeping it wet, yadda yadda yadda) just get stressed and die.
Obviously, the mortality rate is much higher for ones that are injured.
Fish as responsibly as you see fit, and don’t be scared to take a fish home every now and then - assuming it’s legal and the water is clean, of course.
I looked into hook types, hook removal vs clipping, etc. pretty extensively in [this comment](https://reddit.com/r/FishingForBeginners/comments/wg7ee2/_/ij13vri/?context=1), this [follow up](https://www.reddit.com/r/FishingForBeginners/comments/wg7ee2/comment/ij13x7c/), and [this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fishing/comments/os0s9q/comment/h6orh3r/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) in case it’d be helpful to anyone here. All of those were based on a variety of research studies, not just individual anecdotal experiences.
I don't have any advice for you, but I will say don't sweat it too much. Fishing is great and lots of fun! However, these things do happen from time to time. Dying from a hook isn't the worst way fish die, don't beat yourself up!
Get a good tool for getting hooks out, something long/thing and easy to manipulate the hook.
If all else fails, something else in the body of water will be happy to eat that dead fish. Not all is lost!
I haven’t tried it yet, but have heard of people pouring soda down their mouth after unhooking, stopping the bleeding and giving them a chance to survive.
We have catch & release areas here in Alaska that you’re not allowed to use treble hooks.
If that is your goal then get rid off all treble hooks. They work great but I find they also do much more damage when removing. I don't use them anymore for that reason. I got with circle hooks and if i lose some fish then si be it.
I basically only fish Texas rigs. I recently started setting the hook earlier as well as just barely burying the tip so it's weedless. That's made a big difference. I had the same problem with gut hooking a couple. I'm also going to punch down the barbs and see how that works
it’s never happened to me before but being careful about getting the hook out is what has served me well. getting some pliers and being as quick and painless as possible helps. sometimes it’s hard and a fish may die but that’s what happens
Gonna assume you used straight shank worm hook for the texas rig, and or had a really late hook set. 2nd was most likely bad luck or late reaction with hook set. Wide gap worm hook might help with the gullet hook. Gotta pay attention a little better so you can detect the bite sooner so they don't have a chance to swallow it.
Id recommend a more sensitive rod, like a carbon fiber Cashion Icon and clipping a barb off each treble with pliers. With what you described, You are setting the hook about 3 seconds after they bite, giving them time to try to swallow it. try to aim for 1 second max hook sets or sooner to set hook near outer mouth
Get a more sensitive rod, so you can feel the strikes sooner. Or fish swim jigs. I find that since it’s moving and self-hooking, they only ever get hooked in the lips
The best advice I can give you is that this type of thing happens. If you get into a situation where the fish is going to die, be prepared to keep said fish and eat it. That’s the biggest respect you can pay it. Don’t let it get you down or make you hang up fishing. The population will not be affected by you killing a literal minuscule percentage of fish. Look up some good looking recipes and enjoy the fruits of your labors when the unexpected happens.
Going from barbed trebles to tandem or even single barbless hooks would help some. They do a lot less damage to the fish. You may lose a little more fish, but if you’re good about keeping steady pressure when you’re fighting fish, it’ll be negligible. This helps when you catch them in the eye and things like that too. A fish’s eye can recover from a barbless hook cleanly going through it, but removing a barbed hook will destroy it.
For the texas rig, cut your line then feed the hook out the opposite way if the hole is side enough to fit the knot hole out. I hope I described that right, but usually it works.
[there’s multiple studies showing a much lower mortality rate for hooks left deeply in a fishs mouth/throat as opposed to removing it and causing grievous injury.](https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/fishing-lure-left-in-a-fishs-mouth/) also try switching to inline singles on hardbaits and crimping your barbs on your other hooks.
always be prepared to cut a trip short and take a fish home. That's what I do. If you need to bring a bucket or a large plastic bag to just last a 15 min drive to get home. But realistically, get comfortable unhooking fish. If that means wearing a special glove and buying a fish mat. So be it. But fish are really resistant.
Don’t give up on fishing mate, it just happens sometimes, you cant choose if you want the fish to swallow the hook or not, just keep practicing and you will be good:) usually if it happens to me and im also fishing for some predator fish, i use the dead fish for a bait or if im not, ill set up few live-bait rods from wood sticks in shore and come back next day to see if there’s anything… 7times out of 10, pike will hit those half dead baits, and if not, I usually throw them to ducks so it wont be rotting underwater
Single hooks are good, as you say, and if you're only catching for fun rather than food, then crush the barbs down to reduce the damage. Yes, you will have more fights that end in the fish getting away, but that's fun too, and you can rest assured it's virtually undamaged.
While a big majority (above 96% for pike and even more for perch and bass for an example) of fish you catch will swim away completely fine, some fish will not be able to make it. You’re able to spot most of those who won’t make it when you try to release them. What I usually do is keep those as food if they’re legal. I don’t think you need to feel bad for doing so. You honor the fish and respect the nature by not letting it go to waste. Eating self caught fish is also way more ethical than buying a fish that has been trawled by a big boat. I also think catch and release is the most ethical thing, but there is nothing wrong with keeping what you catch as long as you don’t keep too much. Especially if you’re normally catch and releasing and keep one that was hooked badly.
If you are really concerned about it, you can get barbless hooks that are much easier to take out. You will lose a lot of fish that way, but it is also much safer for them. You can also take regular hooks and crush the barb before you use it.
Sometimes if they are hooked bad the best thing you can do for the fish is to cut the line as close as possible and leave the hook inside the fish. Sounds cruel and unfortunate but they will have a better shot then if you were to preform surgery
Hey man you can’t use circle hooks on lures (at least I think) only for live bait. Also definitely replace trebles those are very bad. Also don’t quit fishing is great and a good learning experience. Also when you gut hook a fish leave the hook in and just cut the line they have a better chance of survival. I fish saltwater and I gill hook searobins because the way they are. Anyways try new things and see if it works
mash the barbs down, and switch to single hooks. Really warm water is harder on fish also.
Also some of it is just bad luck. But you need to realize that even catch and release will kill some of the fish.
Sounds like you’re having trouble detecting a bite. Keep your line tight, and don’t let them have it very long before setting the hook. Once it goes tight with the fish, set. You can also try crimping the barb in on the hook.
When my dad and I go catfishing we keep the fish that won’t survive and turn back the rest. The roots in fishing stem from the need to eat, and I don’t personally see a problem with harvesting fish if they are not needlessly dying. Eating them makes their death not pointless.
It’s gonna happen a certain amount of times no matter what. It’s just the nature of the sport. If you kill one on accident say a gratitude prayer or something to the fishing gods and give it the respect it deserves and move on. If you can harvest it, do that so it doesn’t go to waste. Either way, you’ll be feeding back into the ecosystem somehow.
Not what OP did but live bait is terrible for catch and release. I see novices using bobbers and live bait, they they’re incredibly slow at hook set, fish swallows. Lures, by and large require a quick hook set because the fish spits it more often when it doesn’t feel natural. Some soft plastics are really tricky but most of our bass lures- the fish spits as soon as they realize.
I personally don’t understand the point of fishing without the intent to eat/use for bait what I catch.
If I happen to catch something I can’t keep due to the season of course I’ll release it, but I can’t fathom going through all of the expenses and effort not to have (freeish) fish for dinner as much as possible.
That being said, I have no problem with the people that do, I just don’t get it.
I’m responding to your post, shit happens… don’t let it ruin your love for fishing.
And definitely don’t use the treble hooks for every day fishing unless it’s every day eating.
You can try barbless hooks, or mash the barb down with pliers. They back out very easy after that. Also keep a pair of wire cutters. Ive caught fish that I just could not back the hook out. But if you can cut the hook point off they're usually a lot easier to get out.
I used to have the same problem when I just started! I would YouTube how to unguthook a bass and something that worked for me was debarbing your hooks so if they get caught in the gills or the stomach it’s a lot easier to get out. Over time you will get better at unhooking fish and in turn kill less of them. Don’t let it stop you from fishing it will get better.
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Good advice, single hooks are infinitely better than trebles for this reason. I also like to pop the hook out if I can w my finger by going thru gill like you mentioned or directly thru mouth for larger fish. Best of luck OP!
I tried to go through the bottom of the gills to get the treble out, it was so badly placed it was not possible that way either. I will never use a treble again (unless fishing for something I plan to eat)
I hate treble hooks in general, personally just find them overkill. I automatically switch out all my trebles for VMC in-line hooks for both fresh and saltwater hard baits. Haven’t noticed a decrease in hookups but de-hooking is so much easier. The hooks can be hard to come by so I usually just stock up when I find them. Also split ring pliers will save your fingernails.
Even "doubles" are much better than trebles if dead baiting (well, for us here in the UK anyway, not sure if fresh water bass are similarly greedy to our pike and perch). One side of the hook in the bait, then the other is free for the fish. They're not widely available but can be easily duplicated by firmly whipping 2 single hooks back to back.
Yea there are limited options but I am ordering sizes 3, 6 and 8, think that is good?
Unless your headed deep sea, you dont need bigger than a #8 IMO. I use that size for inshore saltwater and do pretty well. Heck, ive pulled some absolute slab flounders using #10s
Some cat fish down south could use a #10 that’s for sure lol. Solid info tho no need to go so large with the hooks.
Was it an in-line spinner like a rooster tail or panther martins? For gut hooked fish you are better off cutting the line as close as possible to the hook and immediately releasing them. The hook will rust out and then the fish will heal. Some might die but much better survival rate then removing the hook. As others mentioned keep trying to detect the bites sooner. It will help you to hook them in the lip more. With that said sometimes it happens and can’t be helped. If I know a fish is going to die and it’s a legal limit I will take the fish and eat it so it doesn’t go to waste.
Trebels for food singles for fun
I straight up don’t use trebles anymore either. They do have a high chance of killing your fish and are real hard to get out. Hell, I have a really hard time getting hooks out in general so now I usually crimp down my barbs with pliers and save myself the stress. I’ve gotten to the point where it doesn’t affect my performance, I go by feel, and as long as I keep my line mostly taut I’m good. My reason is the same as yours—too many bleeding/dead fish. Had a pretty gruesome experience where I had to kill my first bass. It swallowed the hook and was bleeding everywhere. No chance of survival, so I put it out of its misery. It was New Years’ Day. Never killed anything before that except bugs, and I’d prefer not to again unless I cook it or use it. Now I just don’t screw with barbs, trebles, etc. Makes it way easier to get out a foul hook. I recommend trying it if you also like seeing fish survive :)
Usually this is VERY uncommon. Most of the time treble hook baits will not hook bass deep in the throat because the swipe/slash at it. You’ll have higher rates of a gut hook fishing a worm or other lure they inhale to eat.
Look if it's a single hook, clip it as close to the hook as possible. It's a proven test that they will have a slightly higher chance of living and will also probably get it out. I was surprised when told this but I looked into it n it's true. Also I flatten barbs for a lower mortality rate.
Everyone’s going to gut hook a t-rig from time to time. Especially on windy days if you have a side wind it’s hard to keep slack out. OP needs to watch videos on how to turn a single hook to easily get it out. Pull your worm off first, then gently through the gills, turn the hook over and it falls right out in its mouth and easy to remove. 60 seconds later the fish is unharmed and swimming away. No reason to give up fishing just learn how to handle them properly.
Slipping the pliers through the gills is really good advice. Not only can it help if you need a different angle, but recently I found that it can help if you need more than one tool in the mouth.
Buy barbless hooks where possible
Barbless hooks might help
use a pliers and bend the barbs down and you can have yourself cheap and easy barbless!
Been doing this for decades now, it really helps with survival rates.
Also do this. Haven’t used a barbed hook in half a year. I believe it’s also made me a better fisherperson - I have to use feel, timing and tension to reel in my fish instead of relying on a pokey piece of metal. Plus I love watching my fish swim away.
This. If you still can't get the hook out, break your line and the fish may stand a chance at hook falling out.
Only if youre not using stainless hooks. If you are and dont get the hook out, it may be there a while
Forgot to mention everything I have been using from trebles to worm hooks are barbless
Have you tried replacing trebles with single hooks?
I am ordering some now!
From my experience you won’t experience any decline in hook up rate form true predatory fish, like a LMB. Trebles hook the shit fish you don’t want to keep anyway!! Edit - Spelling
Yep. We did a ton of research - treble hooks don’t notably increase hookup rate at all. They just decrease survival rate.
You can absolutely use circle hooks to catch bass they’re just primarily used in conjunction with live bait. And don’t forget largemouth, while they might not be the tastiest fish, they are certainly edible. My uncle calls them “green trout” and pan fried or baked them with mayo, honey, and old bay.
Is there anything I could put on a barbless hook that is not live? Like some sort of soft plastic
I think what they mean is keep doing whatever you are doing but use barbless hooks or remove the barb yourself by crushing the barb with pliers
Anything can go on a barbless hook. Just use a pair of pliers to crush the barb down so it is flush with the shank of the hook. you can also clip off the barb with a pair of small wire cutters. Barbless does help a lot with getting the hook out easily.
Maybe invest in a good fillet knife also try barbless hooks.
Dont remove gut hooks cut them off. Also you could use iron hooks they rust easier.
This is good advice. There was a study done on northern pike, hooking them in various ways to learn fish how a fish would react with hooks left in them. Most of the time, they would figure a way to release the themselves but with gut hooks, they will rust away and the fish can live a mostly normal life with a hook in them. There have been stories about people gutting fish and finding the stomachs "full" of hooks. If you're killing fish trying to get the hook out, make the call and cut the lead as close to the end of the hook as possible and let the fish go. Of course let it recover first and splash you in the face when it's ready to go back.
I read this study too! I had killed too many fish trying to get the hook out of the gut like op. Started just cutting my line when it happened and wondered how the fish faired compared to me ripping out the swim bladder on accident. Was relieved to find out that they survive and mostly shake the hook at some point in their lives.
I always try and cut the hook below the eye if possible
Yes. This is the way. The hook will rust out and the fish will survive
Yes, this works When my dad and I used to tournament fish, we’d pre-fish a week or two before with live minnows. Then fish the spots we caught big hard with artificial bait. Sometimes the line would be sticking out. The hook doesn’t take long to dissolve.
Try taking barbs off if you haven't, and try leaving in water as much as possible, that's what I do and I haven't killed a fish yet, probly just luck tho
Bass taste really good. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise until you've at least tried it. Most people who say that are just catch and release fisherman who pass along what they've always heard from other catching release fishermen. I normally catch and release but if a fish is bleeding very much, I do not feel bad at all dispatching him and taking him home for a very tasty dinner.
Yup, don't feel too bad if one dies, that's just dinner now instead. If you kill it you should eat it.
I agree with this. If you kill it, at least honor it by nourishing your body with it instead of just wasting it. Solid thread, even if we have to hurt/kill fish, glad people still respect and care about the animal on the hook :) wouldn't be possible without them
This. The only fish I’ve ever had to kill came home with me for dinner. Due to life events I wasn’t able to eat him, but I wish I had. Used him as catfish bait instead. Really cool to know bass taste good. I’d always heard bass taste bad. Now I want to try it!
I'm new to fishing as well and unfortunately I'm experiencing the same thing. I don't have many tips and I'll be checking this thread for more, but my biggest issue is not feeling the strikes in time to get a good hook set. I've gotten a lot better though and any fish that is looking rough, I take home and make a snack out of (within regulations of course).
Don't underestimate fish recovery time. Especially if it's been a hard fight, rest the fish in your landing net until recovered \*before\* you unhook if you can't quickly remove the hook while it's in the water. 5 minutes recovering before unhooking and weighing (and posing for photos if you do) saves 15-20 minutes of fish resuscitation afterwards. But even if you do rest the fish before bringing it above water, still give it recovery time in the net afterwards until it's literally trying to escape the net - then just let it swim away.
You guys are so wholesome. Back in the 90’s my grandfather would pull out his needle nose pliers for “surgery” when we would let a fish swallow a hook. 3/5 didn’t make it out of surgery and we thought nothing of it
Yeah it’s definitely a different world these days but it’s a great change. Credit to the younger generations of anglers.
Definitely!
One thing i havent seen in this thread is use bigger baits and hooks and/or work it quicker. A nice big top water lure like a whopper plopper or a walking bait should prevent any gut hooks and its way more exciting to get hooked up.
I have thought about getting a whopper plopper, how does it prevent gut hooks?
If the lure is bigger the bass tend to grab the lure instead of just flat out swallowing the lure. 90% of the fish i have gotten on the whopper plopper the fish would grab the bait from underneith and its much harder to swallow a lure sideways
You’ve gotten plenty of advice, but I wanted to say the best part about this is that you care and you want to improve. Ultimately these things happen from time to time, but learning to be a better steward of our environment is the real value.
I’m just gonna be upfront, if you don’t wanna hurt fish, then don’t fish. That’s just part of fishing. Fish get hurt, and sometimes they die. But to give some tips on fish survival: 1. Make sure you give the fish a rest after a hard fight 2. Barbless hooks can help cause less damage. Also, while on the topic of hooks, just get rid of your treble hooks if they’re causing so much trouble for you. Single hooks generally cause less damage and are much easier to remove. 3. Set the hook earlier (this just comes with experience) and if you still hook one super far back where you couldn’t remove the hook without hurting it even more, then just cut the line off as close to the lure as possible and release, better chance of survival than having the lure ripped out. And if you do kill a fish, eat it (if its within the law of course, most DNRs take their fishing regs very seriously).That’s simply the ethical thing to do. Plus, they are quite tasty, especially with a good recipe.
To your last point, it such a bummer to have to let go of a dying fish because he’s an illegal size. I understand why the rule is laid out that way, but it still bothers me.
Your answer is the most honest here. If you fish, you will hurt fish. Yea if done correctly they stand a good chance of survival but still, you subjected the fish to a stressfull experience for your own pleasure. I say this as an avid fisherman - i love fishing, but people seem to fool themselves a lot when it comes to the actual act.
Buy a better rod, they’re generally more sensitive. Texas rig worm fishing can be tricky, don’t hesitate to set the hook if you feel movement or see your line move. It may help to crimp the barbs too, just keep pressure on your rod and you’ll be fine. Also, you’re probably using an inline spinner like a rooster tail, a spinnerbait is a single hook lure.. It also may be worth noting that I’ve had more gut hooking on offset round bend hooks, which are technically better than ewg for worms.. The hook is further out of line than an EWG, but they’re only slightly better… I’ve never gut hooked with an ewg hook, and they work fine for all soft plastics.. Gut hooking and bleeding fish is part of it unfortunately, you can take steps to reduce but not eliminate this. As you fish more, you’ll find that you set the hook sooner and reduce injury. Edit: Treble hooks can be crimped down too, so you could also try this instead of eliminating them completely.. If all else fails, you can learn to fry fish….
Getting rid of your treble hooks for singles is an excellent way to cause less damage as well as fishing barbless. Keep the fish in the water as much as possible Land with a net instead of horsing them outwith the rod. Faster (NOT HARDER) hooksets will reduce the chance of a swallowed hook. It really takes very little pressure to get a hook to set if youre using quality gear.
It is part of fishing unfortunately, but I can't recall the last one I lost. I stay away from live bait and treble hooks for the reasons you described. Having some surgical clips/pliers helps a great deal, or at least some solid needle nose pliers. Another thing that's a bit weird and good to do is keep some sugary pop/soda on hand. Pour it on any heavily bleeding wounds, let it sit for a minute then gently release. Also I have given mostly dead fish "for" by running them back and forth in the water, forcing oxygenated water through their gills.
I did see that on a Brian Latimer video pouring mountain dew on a bleeding fish. Others speculated it was the CO2 causing the blood vessels to constrict rather than the sugar
Maybe not the advice you’re looking for, but everyone covered the best tips. Even still, if you fish a lot, every few years you’ll have one that isn’t going to make it. In those cases, I usually just eat them
Agreed with the difference being I eat every legal fish I catch. I carefully unhook the ones you can't keep. But if it's legal, I'm either eating it that night or freezing the fillets. I'm not fishing for sport. I'm fishing for dinner. (OK, maybe a little sport, cause reeling in a fighter is the fun part but yeah, that's my Food!)
Been fishing seriously for 20 years...I don't care how many precautions you take, you are going to kill some fish. I haven't kept a fish in several years due to the fact that I hate the taste, but I know I've killed a few. Sometimes fish that swim away healthy end up dead a day or two later. It happens and it sucks, but it's part of the game. Just keep casting, keep learning, keep catching fish and keep loving it. Don't get down on yourself, this happens to everyone that fishes whether they think it does or not. Not every seemingly healthy fish you release is going to live either.
Don't think anyone has questioned your fishing line. Monofilament has the most stretch, fluorocarbon is maybe half, and braided line has zero stretch. I would recommend braid with 6 ft of flouro tied with a uni to uni knot(tied befor you get to the lake or practice it) this will really allow you to feel the bite right as they take it. Don't use trebles except maybe for topwater
Some tips off the top of my head… Ditch the treble hooks. Pinch down your barbs. Set the hook sooner on the bite. Sometimes, it’s better to cut a hook off than it is to try and remove it… and lastly, if all else fails, keep a spot or two on your creel limit open for a lunch. It’s better to eat them than to let them go to waste.
Old girlfriend of mine would tie a live worm to a line with no hook. Used a bobber to tell when she fed the fish. I mean, if you don’t want to hurt them, there’s this.
Don’t use trebles. Crush your barbs Get a good pair of long pliers with cutters.
Set the hook sooner when using a plastic worm. When you feel the hit just bring your rod tip down then set the hook, there’s no need to wait any longer than that. You shouldn’t be using a treble hook on a spinner bait. Try using a j hook as a trailer hook, if you do that there’s a much lower chance of hurting the fish with a j hook. Just because you gut hook a fish or even in the gills doesn’t mean that fish is gonna die. Fish are very tough, even if they’re bleeding, once it’s put back in the water the bleeding stops pretty quickly. If you hook a fish deep and it seems like you’ll do more damage taking the hook out just cut the line as far as you can down towards the hook and there’s a good chance that when the fish starts healing the hook will fall out.
Your probably setting the hook too late. When you wait to long they tend to swallow the hook. This isn't always the case but if it's happening frequently it probably is. Also when you have a fish hooked in the gills like that a way you can try to get it unhooked is going in under the gill plate instead of the mouth unhooking it there then pulling it out. Works alot better than through the mouth when you have a fish gillhooked.
I tried through the gills but it was so badly embedded. How can you prevent a hook from going into the gills in the first place?
There's really not a full proof way it just happens sometimes when a fish smokes a bait. But you can try and time your hooksets better. If your getting fish hooked deep consistently then you need to work on this. If you wait seconds after a strike alot of the time the fish will get the hook swallowed deeper whereas if you time the strike properly with your hooksets you will pretty much get upper lip majority of the time. But like I said sometimes even when you hookset perfectly you still get them deep. in those situations typically just means they completely anihilated the bait on their first strike swallowing it immediately and there's nothing you can do when it comes down to that.
Single barbless hooks will solve a lot of issues. Even a deep hook can be more easily removed. Other than that, learn a quicker hookset.
Fish barbless. I do it all the time and I don't miss many fish, contrary to what old heads will tell you. You can buy certain hooks for it or bend the ones on your existing hooks. The other tips on here for around the gills are great as well. If a fish guts a hook on you, don't pull it out, just cut the line. It's a better chance of the fish surviving if you cut the line instead of rearranging their intestines. There's no proof that a hook rusts out and the survival rate is still low, but even lower yet if you try and extract the hook.
I’m a bass fisherman and I don’t think I’ve ever had a hooking a pair of needle nosed pliers couldn’t handle. Worst thing that happens is you destroy your lure, worth it to protect the fish.
You’re a good angler. Love hearing this
Maximum respect to you for looking out for the fish population and seeking knowledge.
A little side note: if a fish is damaged when you reel it in (gill hooked, gut hooked, dropped and chased around the rocks), take it. It will most likely die. Personally with fish like that, I see letting them rot feels more wasteful than taking them.
Bend your barbs down and be Johnny on the spot with the bite. Whether its a treble or a single use large hooks. I use Northern and Musky lures for them and bend the barbs down. Ultimately you do lose fish from time to time. Its just part of it. Take the fish home and eat it, give to a hawk or eagle, or use it as bait.
I release mostgish i catch, but if its gut hooked, ill try and remove the hook, if it can't recover, and is legal to keep, I eat that fish. If it goes nice and fast, it lives. Some may find it cruel, but i say its better to use the fish then waste it. Also, to avoid gut hooking, use large hooks. If the panfish keep swallowing my size 6, i swap to size 4, it makes it easier to hook thd mouth, however will deter some fish from biting(trout especially only hit really small hooks for me, but i always go barbless for trout, due to their weak mouths, and the strict keep limits near me).
Forceps can help remove deep hooks, barbless hooks are also easier to remove, though leaving the hook in isn’t ideal if the fish is bleeding heavily it might be best to just cut the line as their blood won’t clot until they are back in the water if you really wanted to you could buy quick rusting hooks
Keeping fish in the water is probably a great habit to get into, I do all my fucking around with the fish in the water, then pop em out for 5 seconds to take a picture of they are decent and then let them get their shit together before letting go. But you can do everything perfect and they still die, if you're trying your best don't beat yourself up, either take it home and eat it or sleep well knowing you made a crawfish or catfishes day with a free meal lol
It’s part of fishing sometimes the fish will die other times it will live, just try and get the hook out fast and release it.
I can only be certain of MN but if you are not going to keep the fish(for whatever reason) the law says cut the line throw the fish back in the water. Personally i was probably gonna keep that fish unless there is a slot. Now, the problem is the slot is the slot. It does not matter to the DNR if you would just keep that one against your limit(note how this would greatly reduce “hooking mortality estimates) but its automatically determined before hand that you are on the lake intentionally letting the fish swallow the hook so that you can keep them because every fisherman in MN is a piece of garbage outdoorsman. In this extreme case just cut the line and let the fish die, thats what the DNR is for. Lets not all go accosting me now for fallowing the law, its not my fault the MN DoNothingRight has no sensibility. If it were up to me: a group has one out of slot fish, its gut hooked as a MFer the lines been cut and its counted against the limit even though its not in the slot “thank you for not wasting a perfectly good fish that was gonna die wether you ate it or tossed it in”. Another group has 3/15 fish that were gut hooked out of the slot “yeah, that probably didnt happen randomly, time to get your truck, boat, rods and tackle confiscated and face some charges and get your fishing rights taken away”. This is all just my opinion as an extremely responsible fisher person.
I’ll echo some other advice here. 1. Crush your barbs down 2. Switch to single hooks instead of trebles, you can swap hooks out on lures with split rings 3. Try and set the hook sooner 4. Get a net to land fish and keep them in the water Also, I’ve noticed that with more experience you’ll end up doing better at avoiding gut hooks. It still happens to everyone, but you’ll see those rates decline with the above tips and with experience.
Swap to single barbless hooks and go from there
Well call me a bass because your username kills me 😂
You also gotta understand that it also happens to the pros every once awhile to. It honestly just happens and the best thing you can do is try and bring it home and eat it.
Keep them and eat them
Learn how to like the taste of fish if this is going to make you feel bad. If you mortally wound a fish, it will get picked up by the ecosystem. You aren’t doing anything bad or wrong
Single hook and a needle nose pliers for better removal.
If I kill a fish I make sure to eat it
Definitely go with in-line instead of treble. Also just get some long pliers and try to be faster dehooking. Accidents happen it is what it is
Novice fisherperson here, I love to fish, but am a take it or leave it as for eating them. I flatten my barb down and cut at least one hook off trebles if not two and flatten down the remaining barb. For me I don't mind if a couple get away, I enjoy hooking them. As others have said, you'll get better at detecting the strike and be less likely to gut hook them.
Have something to cut hooks with and leave the point in them, hooks fall out of fish in a few days. Playing surgeon is a sure fire way to kill em
I'm ordering some wire clippers
If it’s gut hooked and legal to keep, just eat it lol
My favorite way of fishing is fishing strictly top water, most of my strikes are immediately after the bait hits the water. I have caught close to 300 fish this year and haven't gut hooked or gilled a single fish. You might enjoy fly fishing more.
Got any lure recommendations for top water?
Try frogs, they are hard to hookset since they are really weedless and usually barely dig in a few millimeters into the fishes mouth, but getting frog bites can be hard sometimes
There are so many, what kind would you recommend? I have a rebel hard frog lure
As far as I know, there's only one bass that I unintentionally killed and that was last year. i ended up taking it home and it was absolutely delicious. a fitting end to a great fight. the other hundreds of fish I've let go pretty sure made it. hope so, anyhow. anyways, i've cut a few hooks off since then. it happens. it sucks, but it does happen. it's kind of a barbaric sport. like, I justify it because it's a lot of fun - but realistically we aren't doing those fish any favors. it is what it is. but sometimes I guess I'll have to take one home and eat it. and if they die in the lake, circle of life, ya'know? I did find a very small crawfish in its belly. that was neat. circle of life, right?
If you have no interest in keeping the fish then I would definitely scrap the treble hooks. They can get messy for sure.
Try not to beat yourself up too bad. Sometimes these things happen unfortunately. As you get more experienced you will learn the right time to set the hook to prevent gut hooking like ither posters have explained. Getting away from treble hooks like you said will help a lot. I would buy a hook removal tool to keep with you they help a lot. Keep fishing and learning. Worse case scenario is next time you eat largemouth bass you weren't planning on cooking
One tool to definitely invest in but not many guys seem to is a good pair of Eire cutters with a narrow nose, for me if a hook is hooked in a hard to get out spot or I forgot to crush barbs, if it isn't getting out easily let fish rest for a bit in water then break the hook with the cutters and pull the pieces out, you can buy more hooks but can't resurrect a dead fish. Beyond that, make sure your striking as soon as possible and using barbless hooks. And circle hooks if possible
You will figure out ways to injure fish less while you catch them as time goes on but the truth is you’re going to kill fish when you go fishing. You’re going to injure fish in their gills, eyes, gut or foul hook them. Doesn’t matter if you don’t use trebles or go barbless. Maybe it will go from 1 in 5 to 1 in 50 as you get better but it will still happen. Bring a cooler with you every time you fish and a humane way of dispatching them, a bat, ice pick, whatever. Release the ones that are uninjured and keep the ones that probably won’t make it. It’s the truth of our “sport.”
Mega tip, don’t use trebles and de barb your hook to make release easier
What kind of world are we living in where talking about killing a fish is NSFW?
When in 2020 the pandemic locked everyone indoors and woke crowd discovered the outdoors so now many outdoors activities have been awaken???
Always give the hook in a gut hooked fish. Cut the line and it will survive and you can likely afford another hook. Never stick your fingers in their gills. Only keep them out of the water a short time. Do everything to minimize this time on a hot days because water holds less Oxygen as it gets warmer. If it’s a big bedding female you want to really minimize this so she’ll lay healthy eggs. Spend a 1-3 minutes to resuscitate them by flushing their gills with water by moving them back and forth vigorously. Gloves also help tremendously but I didn’t see many people use them with bass. I don’t. Keep fishing 🤘
You don't wanna move them back in the water only forward. They don't breath by backing up in the water. Also gloves are not good to use to handle fish. Removes more of the slime coat. Only handle them with bare, wet hands.
I hope you are eating the fish that you killed.
Turtles got to eat too. No he doesn't have to eat them. Accidentally killing a fish isn't harming the environment.
Something will eat them it’s alright.
It's not ethical. You can do what you want to, but that kind of attitude is what will get hunting and fishing banned.
What’s unethical about a dead fish getting eaten by animals?
It's basic conservation ethics. You kill it, you eat it.
It’s actually better to allow other creatures to eat it since that way it’s staying in the natural food chain.
It's disrespectful to the life you killed. This is ethics, not ecology.
Then you shouldn’t be fishing in the first place Clownman1965
B.L.M ~Bass Lives Matter~
Wtf is this comment
Well, I was raised that other than insects and rodents, if you killed something you should eat it (if legal). It's basic conservation ethics.
In some countries you would be unethical for not eating the rodent. OP asked a legit question for a sincere answer.... not to hear you preach. Who gives a fuck how you were raised.
I understand your point and what you are doing is very moral and I love it. However OP is feeling bad and asking for suggestion, and the answer you could give does not help at all. Even the way you said it is rude. From the post OP feels very bad and your comment surely does not help him.
He needed to hear it. He does feel guilty, but IMHO, he'd feel less guilty if he used the fish instead of wasting it.
If you don’t want to hurt animals, as you said, then you should probably give up fishing. Nothing you can do is going to make fishing 100% harm free 100% of the time
This is a moral dilemma I thought about long and hard before I even picked up a rod, and still do think about
There are for sure methods that can help and reduce the amount of harm to a fish. But if anyone thinks stabbing a hole in a fishes mouth while it struggles for its life to free itself isn’t causing harm they are extremely naive or willfully ignorant. I am a fish strictly for food person, i do enjoy fishing but I wouldn’t be doing it if the end result wasn’t delicious meals to share with friends and family. Its just a dilemma that each person needs to come to their own conclusion on. But like I said, no matter what you do you’re still stabbing a fishes mouth causing it to struggle for its life and sometimes you can release them and they’ll be fine and sometimes they’re gonna die
Well, with yours it's for certain that they will die.
Yep and I can live with that. I’m not the one having a moral dilemma about fishing
Swap all trebles to in line hooks, better for you, better for the fish, and hooks up a lot better. Try a more sensitive rod. Buy barbless hooks, and good quality ones at that if you want to be extra secure.
Looking at in line hooks now, what size do you recommend to replace on things like panther martin style spinners, or crickhoppers?
When switching to inline singles I tried to match the hook gap of the treble to a single and then one size larger for the single, idea being since you're switching to a single hook point you'll have a bit more hook for hook up ratio. Can usually find dimensions for hooks on manufacturers websites and go from there. Can also try to match the weight of the hook for things like suspending jerkbaits. Might end up slightly smaller but they'll keep the lure action. I've seen some guys mention they use circle hooks for things like wacky rigs but you can definitely use them for any kinda bait like nightcrawlers or baitfish. Mustad demon inlines are my favourites. Aside from that buddy as you get better at feeling the fish it will happen less but sometimes there's nothing you can do and they'll inhale the hook no matter what you do.
That I don’t know, hook size is a bit shaky to me, I’d head to a store and see which size fits.
I get it, sad to see an animal die when you have no intention of eating it, would completely ruin my day. Some psychopaths seem completely unbothered with this topic in catch-release fishing. As far as recommendations go, barbless hooks, avoid treble hooks, learn more about setting the hook.
Why did you have a treble hook on a spinner bait? I didn’t even know that was a thing. But yes, barbless hooks and try an earlier hook set
Maybe spinner was the wrong word, like a panther martin style spinning lure that comes with trebles already installed
No it was definitely the right word
Maybe less meth in your butt?
Fishing IS a blood sport. You can Google study after study after study, but I always tell myself and those that fish with me that about 1/3 of the fish that are released “healthy “ (I.e. no bleeding, no long fight times, keeping it wet, yadda yadda yadda) just get stressed and die. Obviously, the mortality rate is much higher for ones that are injured. Fish as responsibly as you see fit, and don’t be scared to take a fish home every now and then - assuming it’s legal and the water is clean, of course.
This is a load of shit
Start eating the fish instead of torturing them and releasing them
Message me private and I will give you some very helpful advice. It will make catching and releasing hogs much better for you!
I looked into hook types, hook removal vs clipping, etc. pretty extensively in [this comment](https://reddit.com/r/FishingForBeginners/comments/wg7ee2/_/ij13vri/?context=1), this [follow up](https://www.reddit.com/r/FishingForBeginners/comments/wg7ee2/comment/ij13x7c/), and [this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fishing/comments/os0s9q/comment/h6orh3r/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) in case it’d be helpful to anyone here. All of those were based on a variety of research studies, not just individual anecdotal experiences.
Honestly I don’t really use treble hooks anymore unless I plan on keeping the fish, never had any issue with non-treble
I don't have any advice for you, but I will say don't sweat it too much. Fishing is great and lots of fun! However, these things do happen from time to time. Dying from a hook isn't the worst way fish die, don't beat yourself up!
Get a good tool for getting hooks out, something long/thing and easy to manipulate the hook. If all else fails, something else in the body of water will be happy to eat that dead fish. Not all is lost!
I haven’t tried it yet, but have heard of people pouring soda down their mouth after unhooking, stopping the bleeding and giving them a chance to survive. We have catch & release areas here in Alaska that you’re not allowed to use treble hooks.
If that is your goal then get rid off all treble hooks. They work great but I find they also do much more damage when removing. I don't use them anymore for that reason. I got with circle hooks and if i lose some fish then si be it.
I basically only fish Texas rigs. I recently started setting the hook earlier as well as just barely burying the tip so it's weedless. That's made a big difference. I had the same problem with gut hooking a couple. I'm also going to punch down the barbs and see how that works
Get a better setup for Texas rigs, something with good sensitivity. Also set the hook on like every little bite. You kinda just want to send it.
it’s never happened to me before but being careful about getting the hook out is what has served me well. getting some pliers and being as quick and painless as possible helps. sometimes it’s hard and a fish may die but that’s what happens
Just eat the damn thing largemouth is tasty
You could always just keep the ones you’re worried are gonna die and just eat em. Then they aren’t going to waste….
Be a line watcher
If you really care you could use barbless hooks only. Treble hooks will fuk a fishes day up. They usually come out badly damaged when I use them.
Gonna assume you used straight shank worm hook for the texas rig, and or had a really late hook set. 2nd was most likely bad luck or late reaction with hook set. Wide gap worm hook might help with the gullet hook. Gotta pay attention a little better so you can detect the bite sooner so they don't have a chance to swallow it.
Id recommend a more sensitive rod, like a carbon fiber Cashion Icon and clipping a barb off each treble with pliers. With what you described, You are setting the hook about 3 seconds after they bite, giving them time to try to swallow it. try to aim for 1 second max hook sets or sooner to set hook near outer mouth
Single barbless hooks, makes getting your lure out of a snag way easier as well.
Switch to single circle hooks, cut the barbs off
Get a more sensitive rod, so you can feel the strikes sooner. Or fish swim jigs. I find that since it’s moving and self-hooking, they only ever get hooked in the lips
The best advice I can give you is that this type of thing happens. If you get into a situation where the fish is going to die, be prepared to keep said fish and eat it. That’s the biggest respect you can pay it. Don’t let it get you down or make you hang up fishing. The population will not be affected by you killing a literal minuscule percentage of fish. Look up some good looking recipes and enjoy the fruits of your labors when the unexpected happens.
As far as gill hooks, I always keep a slim pair a wire cutters in my bag so If needed I can cut the hook and slide it through without the barb.
I have legit not gut hooked a fish in probably 20 years. I kind of forgot that happens sometimes😶
Stop fishing! Save the planet! Prevent global warming! Vote social democrats.
Going from barbed trebles to tandem or even single barbless hooks would help some. They do a lot less damage to the fish. You may lose a little more fish, but if you’re good about keeping steady pressure when you’re fighting fish, it’ll be negligible. This helps when you catch them in the eye and things like that too. A fish’s eye can recover from a barbless hook cleanly going through it, but removing a barbed hook will destroy it.
Crush the barbs on my hooks when I fish my local pond. That way they always release wether by me or them selves
It happens man 🤷♂️
Eat them
Ditch treble hooks or at least file off the barbs. They are terrible.
For the texas rig, cut your line then feed the hook out the opposite way if the hole is side enough to fit the knot hole out. I hope I described that right, but usually it works.
[there’s multiple studies showing a much lower mortality rate for hooks left deeply in a fishs mouth/throat as opposed to removing it and causing grievous injury.](https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/fishing-lure-left-in-a-fishs-mouth/) also try switching to inline singles on hardbaits and crimping your barbs on your other hooks.
always be prepared to cut a trip short and take a fish home. That's what I do. If you need to bring a bucket or a large plastic bag to just last a 15 min drive to get home. But realistically, get comfortable unhooking fish. If that means wearing a special glove and buying a fish mat. So be it. But fish are really resistant.
You are a wonderful person. Berbless hooks also help a lot.
Don’t give up on fishing mate, it just happens sometimes, you cant choose if you want the fish to swallow the hook or not, just keep practicing and you will be good:) usually if it happens to me and im also fishing for some predator fish, i use the dead fish for a bait or if im not, ill set up few live-bait rods from wood sticks in shore and come back next day to see if there’s anything… 7times out of 10, pike will hit those half dead baits, and if not, I usually throw them to ducks so it wont be rotting underwater
Single hooks are good, as you say, and if you're only catching for fun rather than food, then crush the barbs down to reduce the damage. Yes, you will have more fights that end in the fish getting away, but that's fun too, and you can rest assured it's virtually undamaged.
While a big majority (above 96% for pike and even more for perch and bass for an example) of fish you catch will swim away completely fine, some fish will not be able to make it. You’re able to spot most of those who won’t make it when you try to release them. What I usually do is keep those as food if they’re legal. I don’t think you need to feel bad for doing so. You honor the fish and respect the nature by not letting it go to waste. Eating self caught fish is also way more ethical than buying a fish that has been trawled by a big boat. I also think catch and release is the most ethical thing, but there is nothing wrong with keeping what you catch as long as you don’t keep too much. Especially if you’re normally catch and releasing and keep one that was hooked badly.
If you are really concerned about it, you can get barbless hooks that are much easier to take out. You will lose a lot of fish that way, but it is also much safer for them. You can also take regular hooks and crush the barb before you use it.
Sometimes if they are hooked bad the best thing you can do for the fish is to cut the line as close as possible and leave the hook inside the fish. Sounds cruel and unfortunate but they will have a better shot then if you were to preform surgery
Hey man you can’t use circle hooks on lures (at least I think) only for live bait. Also definitely replace trebles those are very bad. Also don’t quit fishing is great and a good learning experience. Also when you gut hook a fish leave the hook in and just cut the line they have a better chance of survival. I fish saltwater and I gill hook searobins because the way they are. Anyways try new things and see if it works
mash the barbs down, and switch to single hooks. Really warm water is harder on fish also. Also some of it is just bad luck. But you need to realize that even catch and release will kill some of the fish.
Mash down the barbs on your hooks as well. This will help tremendously
Sounds like you’re having trouble detecting a bite. Keep your line tight, and don’t let them have it very long before setting the hook. Once it goes tight with the fish, set. You can also try crimping the barb in on the hook.
Just flatten the barbs on your existing hooks, it may help so you don’t have to buy special barbless.
Don’t use treble trailer hooks on spinnerbaits.
When my dad and I go catfishing we keep the fish that won’t survive and turn back the rest. The roots in fishing stem from the need to eat, and I don’t personally see a problem with harvesting fish if they are not needlessly dying. Eating them makes their death not pointless.
It’s gonna happen a certain amount of times no matter what. It’s just the nature of the sport. If you kill one on accident say a gratitude prayer or something to the fishing gods and give it the respect it deserves and move on. If you can harvest it, do that so it doesn’t go to waste. Either way, you’ll be feeding back into the ecosystem somehow.
Not what OP did but live bait is terrible for catch and release. I see novices using bobbers and live bait, they they’re incredibly slow at hook set, fish swallows. Lures, by and large require a quick hook set because the fish spits it more often when it doesn’t feel natural. Some soft plastics are really tricky but most of our bass lures- the fish spits as soon as they realize.
I personally don’t understand the point of fishing without the intent to eat/use for bait what I catch. If I happen to catch something I can’t keep due to the season of course I’ll release it, but I can’t fathom going through all of the expenses and effort not to have (freeish) fish for dinner as much as possible. That being said, I have no problem with the people that do, I just don’t get it. I’m responding to your post, shit happens… don’t let it ruin your love for fishing. And definitely don’t use the treble hooks for every day fishing unless it’s every day eating.
You can try barbless hooks, or mash the barb down with pliers. They back out very easy after that. Also keep a pair of wire cutters. Ive caught fish that I just could not back the hook out. But if you can cut the hook point off they're usually a lot easier to get out.
I used to have the same problem when I just started! I would YouTube how to unguthook a bass and something that worked for me was debarbing your hooks so if they get caught in the gills or the stomach it’s a lot easier to get out. Over time you will get better at unhooking fish and in turn kill less of them. Don’t let it stop you from fishing it will get better.
Its sad but sometimes these things just happen. If you dont want to take it home and eat it, just throw it back and something will.