REMOVING HOOKS FROM DEEP HOOKED FISH

by

Eric Bergersen

Centennial Bass Club

Anyone who has fished for black bass for any length of time has probably deep hooked a fish or two. For the more hard core bass angler it is a fairly common occurrence. High incidence of deep hooking can be caused by a number of things including how aggressive the fish happens to be, the species of bass (spotted bass are particularly bad about engulfing lures), the type of lure, the fishing style, and the reaction time of the angler.

Not all fish deep hooked end up dying but it does increase the probability that this will happen. Water temperature, playing time, time out of water, hook location, extent of bleeding, and fish size all influence the ultimate fate of the fish upon release. Of these factors, temperature is probably the most important–all else being equal, a fish caught and released at low temperatures has a better chance of survival than one caught at high temperatures. Playing time is also important. A fish played to exhaustion will have a longer recovery period than one quickly landed and released. When a fish is removed from the water it’s gill filaments basically collapse on themselves. The longer a fish is out of the water, the longer it will take for these filaments to regain their function once returned to the water. We have all seen fishing show hosts hold fish out of water for all to admire for extended periods as they drone on about the beauty of the fish, how they were caught, the weather or whatever–its enough to make a person scream! The best thing you can do for a fish is get it back in the water ASAP. Hook location and extent of bleeding associated with it will make a difference in a fish’s survival. Heavy bleeding is not a good sign–fish don’t have much blood. Other than being very attentive while you are fishing, there isn’t much one can do about where in the fish a lure ends up. Sometimes they just eat it and it becomes your job to remove it quickly and cleanly.

Fish hooked in the forward parts of the mouth generally aren’t a problem–pop out the hook and away they go. Fish hooked more deeply are the ones to worry about. When a fish ends up with a treble or single hook imbedded deep in its throat or stuck in a gill arch, what can an angler do to remove the hook with minimal damage to the fish? Treble hooks can be a problem. It is often difficult to get one barb out without sticking the fish with another. Use a good plier or hook remover and work quickly but be careful. A good side cutter may help if you can get at the hook–remember, hooks are cheap–don’t hesitate to cut them off if they won’t come out easily.

One of the more aggravating hookups to deal with is the single hook stuck deep in the throat. You really can’t reach in with a plier and back it out and often it can’t be reached easily with a side cutter. If you have a thin side cutter with a long snout you can carefully slip the tool under the gill cover and between the gill arches and snip the hook. Using forceps or a needle nose plier, you can then reach in and grab the barb end of the hook and remove it. This may mean having to push the barb through some soft tissue to exposed it so you can reach it after the hook has been cut. It is important to get all of the hook out of the fish if possible–quality high carbon steel hooks don’t rust quickly. Removing a hook in this manner should minimize the trauma to the fish if done quickly and carefully. A good quality, sharp side cutter is well worth the investment and everyone should have one in their gear. Good forceps can be had from most fly fishing shops and veterinary supply stores.

Another tool that I have found to work really well for cutting hooks is a plier like nipper called a DeBarb Fish Medic. This tool has a long snout with cutting blades positioned near the tip at right angles to the length of the tool. You can reach straight into a fishes mouth and nip the hook without touching the gill filaments. It also has a small magnet incorporated in the cutting head to help remove hook pieces after being cut. As with the side cutter, you still have to remove the barb end of the hook with a forceps or needle nose plier. The tool is capable of cutting most hooks commonly used in bass fishing. I have yet to find a hook size that I use that I couldn’t easily cut with this tool. Northern Bass Supply carries the Fish Medic tool.

As fish go, bass are pretty tough and can take quite a bit of rough handling without going belly up but they do have their limits. Anything you can do to lessen the stress associated with being caught will increase their chances of survival once you send them on their way. If you find yourself poking around inside the fishes mouth trying to get at the hook you may be doing more damage than it is worth and it is probably better to leave the hook in and turn the fish loose.

If you want to look at an interesting interactive program that allows you to play with some “what if?” fish hooking scenarios go to http://www.colostate.edu/depts/coopunits/ then click on the “software” link. Then you should see a link that says “Fish Survival program”. Click on it and you should be able to download the program. This program was written for trout but the basic principles apply to all fish. It allows you to look at the affect of different playing times, extent of bleeding, fish size, temperature, and other factors that individually or in combination influence mortality in released fish.