Deeply Hooked Fish

[NBR]

There is a tool called "DeBarbIt that reaches right down to the hook and snips it off. A built in magnet pulls out the remains with most hooks!

[Tyler Holm]

That sounds like a great technique. I'll have to give it a try.

Fish do have an innate ability to choke up a lure out of their stomach or mouth. I've put walleye in the live well where it totally swallowed the large treble of a daredevil. All 3 hooks were totally gone, but the spoon itself was just in the mouth. When I went to clean the fish, the daredevil was in the bottom of the live well. Couldn't believe it.

A few friends and I would consistently fish walleye from shore at this small pond back in South Dakota. We always used 4# test mono and occasionally would loose a jig to a 20" walleye or so. When cleaning a fish, I always look in its stomach to see what is has been eating, and on 2 different occasions, I found jig (exactly like the ones my friends and I use). Both times, the fish was in perfect condition. The hook on the jig was still there with minimal rust. I don't know how long the hook had been there, but both times I simply sharpened the hook and cleaned off some of the surface rust and put it in my box for another trip.

FYI: From reading this forum, I just signed up to receive In-Fisherman Magazine. Thanks