if they swallow the hook cut the line???

[MNcz]

Here is the WI trout regs guide link (if you feel like looking through it): http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/regulations/2009/documents/0910TroutRegsLowRes.pdf.

They forgot to give me 1 at Fleet Farm in Hudson when I bought my WI license w/trout stamp.

It says for C&R seasons you're supposed to clip the line if they swallow the hook. This sounds insane to me. Doesn't a fish almost certainly die, quite a bit more slowly and painfully if you were to release it with a hook in it's mouth?

[deets22]

ripping a hook out of the gullet of a fish will pretty much kill it. hooks don't last long when left in fish. the part hooked in the fish usually dissolves within a couple weeks probably less. i go through many a hook to spare a trouts life. when they are so far down its not worth it to go after. i can afford another 25 pack for 5 bucks. last weekend i spent alot of time tying new hooks, i tried to be fast on the hook set but the brookies were really hammerin the worms. hopefully i saved some fish.

[MNcz]

ah i see. had no idea they were that hearty. i think size 10 hook is about right for trout. that is what i'm using now.

thx

[merkman]

That is a tough one indeed.

Especially if the fish does die with the hook in it.

Then what happens to the critters (fish, mammal, or birds -to include Eagles and Loons-) that eat the dead fish?

I am not sure what the "best" answer is.

[reinhard1]

when fishing live bait i set the hook quickly. i may miss a few but rarely have a gut hook situation occur. if it does i keep it if it is leagal to keep it. i have realeasd larger fish over the years when i have snipt the line. this is true with all fish i catch. good luck.

[mainbutter]

Estimates of deep hooked/cut line survival are around 30% long term depending on the study.

Estimates of deep hooked/ripped gut survival are around 1%.

It saves some fish.

[grate8]

it's woth it to consider giving up bait when c &r. i stopped a long time ago.. brookies do have a nak for swallowing quick

[bobbymalone]

anybody try circle hooks? I have used them everything from carp and cats to walleye and 95% of the time they are hooked right in the corner of the mouth.

[MyFishHasRabies]

Outdoor Canada had an article on fishing myths and they cited a study where two tanks with fresh and brackish water had fish (white bass, i think) in them and they monitered the dissolve rate of hooks placed in the fishes' lips. I can't quote exact results as I don't have the magazine here with me, but i know they were not good. I think it was less than 1 in 10 that dissolved. I can't say what you SHOULD do when they swallow it, but it's looking like cutting the line isn't necessarily the best choice. Of course, it's possible the stomach acids do a little bit better on the hooks, but i doubt they actualy dissolve the metal.

[MyFishHasRabies]

ah! so just after posting that i found a link to a copy of that article:

*Please read forum policy before posting again, thanks*

Myth #4 : Hooks left in fish will quickly dissolve.

Truth: This is one of the most harmful myths. Maryland's recreational fisheries coordinator, John Foster, kept throat-hooked striped bass in holding tanks containing 50 per cent seawater and measured the time it took different types of hooks to dissolve. After four months, not a single stainless-steel hook had disintegrated, while 83 and 80 per cent of nickel and tin-cadmium hooks, respectively, remained. Worse, the cadmium-coated hooks had poisoned one fifth of the fish. As for bronze hooks, which should have deteriorated fastest, 70 per cent were still embedded, this when the saltwater should have sped up the rusting process. Foster concluded anglers should do everything possible to carefully remove hooks before releasing their fish.

[deets22]

thats interesting. i wonder if there are any other studies at all. leaving the hook is the advice printed in DNR regs. maybe cutting the hook would be a better alternative. good info.

[TRZ II]

Might as well keep it if it's legal. Trout are very tasty, especially brookies, don't care so much for browns, i feed them to my cat. We used to get alot of them down near redwing years past. Good eat'in. Plus hooks are expensive and can add cost to your fishing trip.

[MyFishHasRabies]

I assume someone would only cut the line if it were impossible to get the hook out without making the fish unreleasable (dead). The myth of the dissolving hook seems so interesting that im surprised nobody has tested it sooner. I mean, if fish have a chemical that dissolves metal, wouldn't we care to know what that chemical was? I know I would.

[Scudly]

I used circle hooks exclusively for trout this summer. 90% were lip hooked. I think what is more important than the hook itself is never leave slack line. Always be active, the minute your bait hits the water, start to feel. Leave little slack, pull up on the line for slight tension so you can feel the slightest bites. Two taps and I set the hook.

If deep hooked and legal, keep. If deep hooked and not legal, cut the line at the mouth unless you believe you can easily remove the hook without injuring the fish.