injured Pike - my wife cried :-(

[scotty8]

Hello, my wife caught a 34" pike today, casting with a large Strike King lure.

We did everything by the book, XXL hookless net, fish handling gloves, long pliers etc...

However when we netted the Pike, the upper part of the left side of his mouth was ripped away.

I was able to remove the hooks, and the big fella swam away slowly after holding his tail for 2 or 3 minutes.


BUT my wife is an emotional wreck from the damage to the Pikes mouth.

I told her the Pike was badly injured on his mouth, but he will likely survive ( we hung around about 20 minutes to see if he floated up dead )

She dont believe me - can anyone add their 2 cents so I can confirm or deny my wifes concern - Thanks for your help...

 

[chosen 1]

Pike are the most stuburn fish! I've caught pike that have been hit by boat props attacked by larger fish, still have lures in there mouth, ripped up gills. If you take your time releasing them ( sounds like you put in the effort) then they can and will survive. A pike with a busted lip will have no trouble surviving! She should be happy she caught such a large fish this time of year! Just good to hear that she let it swim away and it didn't end up on the table. 34 inches is a great beading size pike so the fact that it swam away is great! hope to see it's spawn in 5 or so years.

 

[Joel52]

hmmm... might want to rethink taking the wife fishing. Emotional distress after traumatizing a fish can lead to much more serious problems. On a lighter note, if it swam away, the Pike's probably gonna live - no worries.

 

[scotty8]

hmmm... might want to rethink taking the wife fishing. Emotional distress after traumatizing a fish can lead to much more serious problems. On a lighter note, if it swam away, the Pike's probably gonna live - no worries.

Thanks - your so right, I put the rods away right afterwards -

 

[FrankTheRabbit]

Agreed. Leave the wifey at home where she can cook what you catch instead. Lol

 

[Mykester]

Use barbless hooks

 

[getin]

Pike is half gator half fish ) So it will survive! My wife does not even touch the fish. I put the worm on the hook, unhook the fish, and she gets the fight

 

[RedSkullz]

PIke are very resilient. Trust me if big male pike grabbed ahold of your wifes leg, the pikes female partner saw the ripped flesh, she would likely join in on the feeding frenzy.
But seriously, the pike will survive likely. I think that more pike are mortally wounded by slime removal than by surface wound's. I think its great that your wife has an emotional attachment to the well being of the fish. I also think that we need more anglers that actually care about the fish. However, if wounding a fish is that emotionally taxing for her, maybe she should look at a different hobby.
Hope that helps

 

[antoniojay]

It should be fine, generally if it can still open its mouth and it swam away, it would heal. If it couldn't open its mouth properly...I guess it'll have to eat smaller meals

 

[hammercarp]

I think that part of the mouth is attached with a thin membrane which is why it was easily torn in the fight. So it is not likely to cause the pike to bleed to death. I think it will heal and the pike may have a bit more trouble catching it's food. But I am sure it will go on to terrorize it's fellow fishes for years to come.

 

[Alfiegee]

Pike are a very resilient fish. I have caught pike with numerous scarrs and even chunks of their bodies missing, presumably from attacks by bigger pike or muskie. A young 3 footer will be fine after a small mouth injury. It probably ate a few 10 - 12 inch perch today which wouldn't look bad on your table or mine. Women will be women.
I used to have a pet tarantula in an aquarium. A girl friend asked me if I could take the spider out, so I did. Can you picture the old cartoons were a woman sees a mouse and jumps up on the nearest chair and does the hokey pokey while screaming MOUSE!! That's what my girl did, she jumped up on the bed and screamed. She was the one who asked me to bring Deliahla out of the tank in the first place. Lmfao. Women are soft, that's why we love them.

Alfie.