Bit worried about some catch and release I did

[momodig]

I went spec fishing the other day. To my surprise the lake was healthy and had 100's of little specs. I caught many, but a few of them swallowed the hook, so I had to cut it off, and leave the hook in the trough of the fish. Will these little specs survive with hooks in their mouth? Any suggestions on how to fish, with out getting some many gut hooked fish?

Thanks

 

[instapump416]

Up size your hook?
And pay attention to your line and set the hook when you think you have a bite?

This way the fish wont have time to swallow the whole thing.

 

[momodig]

I was using a #2 hook it was pretty big. I was using natural worms, they'd swallow the hole thing.

 

[tcp]

Theyll be ok, you did best you could. they may reject the hook, they may just die, by the sounds of it, the population in the lake was healthy and those few that might die wont hurt the hurd.

 

[instapump416]

I was using a #2 hook it was pretty big. I was using natural worms, they'd swallow the hole thing.

Damn, those were hungry fish.

 

[salmotrutta]

If I was the fish, I'd rather die than live with a hook lodged in me. Keep those, if they're too small to fillet then fry them whole. Better you put them out of misery.

 

[momodig]

They were weren't even a pound, really small, slightly bigger then a smelt. I can't keep them that small. I heard that the fish have acid in them that disolves the hooks is that true?

 

[staffman]

They will feed the gulls or the crayfish when they sink.

 

[Almar]

Use artificial baits.

 

[rich_ace_G]

Always bring long nose pliers. makes it easy for you to unhook. was ledgering worms and to my surprise....a bit ambitious going after a full worm...

 

[navairum]

Clamping the barbs makes it a hellofalot easier to pull out the hooks too

 

[fishermandan420]

Use artificials when that's happening. They won't take it as deep. Seems like you got your share of fish so a couple less bites is better than killing fish

 

[Jiggin]

They probably died within a couple hours. You could try crimping your barbs, so if the fish swallow the hook you can retrieve it with minimal damage to the fish.

 

[chinooky]

oops wrong post

 

[Christopheraaron]

Just remember there's a 100% mortality rate for fish you keep, even if only one of those that you released survives it's better than killing all of them. And yes, I would agree you should go barbless and artificial to avoid that.

 

[cptpronin]

Don't feel too bad. There is a good chance you were fishing a stocked lake. Many small spring fed lakes are stocked with brookies so there will be others to take their place next year. If you gut hook a fish and it is in season, better to put it on the stringer and catch another one to make a good shore lunch. Dredged in flour, fried to a golden brown, the flesh flakes right off the little bones and it is one of the best shore lunches.

As for C&R, it's usually best to avoid live bait. Stick with artificial and lures if you can. Power Bait "waxies" work well in place of earth worms.

 

[Shmogley]

Just remember there's a 100% mortality rate for fish you keep, even if only one of those that you released survives it's better than killing all of them. And yes, I would agree you should go barbless and artificial to avoid that.

^This

also try not just waiting for hits if you are noticing they are swallowing it whole.
try to add a slow retrieve that way youll detect the hits that much faster and the retrieve will likely prevent the fish from taking it in so deep before the hook is set.

 

[Alfiegee]

I agree with almost everything that was said in this thread. I have been fishing barbless for Brookies for 40 years. They are my favorite fish. Unfortunately when they are hitting they can be very voracious and often do get hooked deeply. They are also a very delicate fish and screwing around trying to get a hook out of a deeply hooked fish can be lethal, even if you get the hook out and the fish seems fine on release. If you see blood ( in smaller fish anyway ) chances are that fish won't make it. Which leaves 2 options, cut the line and hope for the best on release or catch and keep.
I am almost always a C&R guy, I can count on 1 hand the number of fish I have kept in the last 5 years if you exclude Brookies. I buy the sportsmans license every year, aware of the fact that I do fish Brookies and that some I catch maybe bleeding. I go out to C&R them but it seems inevitable that I will catch 1 or 2 that won't make it. I mostly use small spinners tipped with a small piece of worm or flies for them.
That being said, imo they are the best tasting fish that swims ( I rank them above the coveted Perch and Walleye.) If there is a healthy population where you are fishing then I don't think keeping 2 or 3 will do much harm. Where I fished with my Dad years ago we used to keep small ones that were injured, 6-12 inches. The bigger "spawners" we always released, as well as smaller fish that we could unhook easily from our barbless hooks. We used to get 50-100 fish per day and ended up with perhaps 10 in the creel between us. And unfortunately even 40 years ago at a river a few hrs north of T.O a canoe full of garbage we picked up

Alfie.

 

[momodig]

Thanks for all the input guys, btw it wasn't a stocked lake. Just confirmed, I read on the wiki that fish have acids that dissolve hooks.