I need help please, so many questions

[daveh_cdn]

You guys have already been super helpful and I really appreciate it. I have a bunch more questions and once I figure this stuff out I'll be well on my way to becoming an even more responsible fisherman. Some questions are related, some aren't.

1) Three times in two days the larger sized smallmouth bass have swallowed the hook and it's stuck at the back of it's mouth. We're fishing with wacky rigged senkos on Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap in size 2/0. I can get the pliers in the mouth and get a hold of the hook but it's too narrow really to reverse it in there, also of course the barb is stopping it. I figured that the fish can't survive after being hooked like this so I've been cutting the line, and bringing the fish home to eat (thankfully they've all been over 15"-18" so pretty good for fish tacos. After I filet them I rip at 'em to get the hook out.

An article online mentioned that I should try cutting the line and then pulling the hook out by grabbing the barbed end, and passing the eye through the gut. Makes sense. a) Is this the best method to get the hook out in this situation?

2) Follow up to question 1) above is - Why are they becoming hooked like this? I figure it's because we're waiting too long while they may be nibbling before we're setting the hook or before we've noticed. How do I stop them from being hooked like this?

3) Ok - so we're shore fishing, moving from spot to spot by bicycle. Once we've got a fish we'd like to keep I string it through the gills on a nylon stringer and put it back in the water. Then, when it's time to bike home I take them out and bike them home and then clean them. Unfortunately, or fortunately perhaps they're often alive when it comes to time to filet them. Here's my question - Should I be killing them somehow at some point or just begin to filet them? My friend is saying that I should be clubbing them or breaking their necks or something first but I don't know how to do this.

4) We're fishing the Rideau River from St. Laurent to Rideau falls in New Edinburgh / Lowertown. We've been eating some of the large bass we catch, but when I tell my friends they're always like "gross, that's too polluted blah blah". Would you guys eat the fish from this section of the river? You know better than I do.

It may appear that I don't know what I'm doing, and perhaps to some extent I don't, but at least I'm asking to learn and with all of these questions answered I'll be a much more responsible / educated / humane angler and that's what I'm really hoping to be.

Dave

[CyrusG]

When a big bass takes a senko you shouldn't wait too long before setting the hook. That stretch is pretty polluted i wouldn't even eat a walleye out of there

[lape0019]

Dave,

First off, it seems like you are just waiting too long before setting the hook. As soon as you feel the hit, set the hook. Secondly, if you are catching these fish near where the end of your cast is, there probably won't be much you can do in order to change this. You may just have too much stretch in the line and they have already started moving it down by the time you have picked up enough line to create enough pressure to set the hook.

This brings me to my question. What type of rod are you using (medium, medium heavy. Fast or extra fast tip) How long is it? What type of line are you using? These will all play a role in how you hook your fish.

The longer the rod, the more line you will pick up when you swing. If using braided line , you won't have to deal with any stretch in the line.

I personally do not keep bass. I like sport fishing and only really eat fish I catch once or twice a year (usually perch or walleye). If you read the regs, you are not supposed to transport live fish on land so I guess you will have to figure that one out. Maybe give the MNR a call and get a proper answer from a CO as I am in no position to offer advice on this.

Most people will stead clear of eating fish out of the rivers around here which is fine for me because it means there are more fish to catch! There is also a report on the safe amount of fish to eat from each body of water. I beleive it is on the MNR site as well. I wouldn't have any issue eating a fish or two from that body of water though. Just verify with the report that you are not over doing it.

Good luck!

Adam

[Todd B.]

Dave,

I would also suggest you try using circle hooks, which should solve your gut hooking problems.

[toobinator]

If a fish has the hook in his gullet, you can do either of 2 things.

1:cut the line 6 or 8 inches outside the fishes mouth.
Thread the line back through the mouth and through the gills at the farthest point inside the mouth.
Pull the line taut. This should turn the hook so the back of the shank is facing outward.
Grab the back of the shank and gently pull the hook out.

2:have heavy duty side cutters with you.
cut the hook on the eye end.
Grab the point of the hook and pull it through

Ed

[MichaelGA]

Here is an explanation of what Ed said except in this one they don't cut the line.
It's much easier to cut the line and thread it through the last gill arch.

http://www.significantudders.com/hookremoval/index.html




Also these little things work wonders also.


Posted by CJC on Fish Sniffer ~ June 2007

Assuming that you can see the eye of the hook and you can tell which way the bend is, place the line inside the cut on the head of the tool.


Pull on the line lightly and push the tool in until the hook fits inside the cavity in the head.


Hold the line and pull the hook lightly tight against the tool and push it inside the fish's throat until you feel it come loose


Once ithe hook is free pull tight on the line and hold the hook point against the tool firmly. Then pull the tool out. The hook should slip out easily.

I hope this helps.

[daveh_cdn]

[...]
This brings me to my question. What type of rod are you using (medium, medium heavy. Fast or extra fast tip) How long is it? What type of line are you using? These will all play a role in how you hook your fish.
[...]

I'll check out the details on our rods tomorrow Adam and get back to you. They are all 6'6" with mono (not sure what test, somwhere between 6 and 10, they've each got different line on them).

[...]
If you read the regs, you are not supposed to transport live fish on land so I guess you will have to figure that one out. Maybe give the MNR a call and get a proper answer from a CO as I am in no position to offer advice on this.
[...]

Good idea, I will call the MNR this week. Anyone else want to share what they do in these shore-fishing situations?


Thanks Adam for your suggestions.

[daveh_cdn]

Dave,

I would also suggest you try using circle hooks, which should solve your gut hooking problems.

Todd, do you use them yourself? It sounds strange not setting the hook.

[daveh_cdn]

If a fish has the hook in his gullet, you can do either of 2 things.

1:cut the line 6 or 8 inches outside the fishes mouth.
Thread the line back through the mouth and through the gills at the farthest point inside the mouth.
Pull the line taut. This should turn the hook so the back of the shank is facing outward.
Grab the back of the shank and gently pull the hook out.

Ed, help me understand this one a little more please. So if I look in the fishes mouth and the hook has been swallowed horizontally with the tip on the left and the shank on the right, I take the extra line and feed it through the gills on the left side, the tip side? Then I pull it tight and I could imagine it rotating the shank to the left, exposing the shank for a good grip with the pliers. Unfortunately I think that the barb will still prevent me from reversing the hook.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to clarify.

Dave.

[daveh_cdn]

Also these little things work wonders also.

Wow, I'd invest in one of those. What is it called?

[MichaelGA]

It's called a de-gorger - almost every shop will have them. Costs about a dollar.


Click the link I put under the note about ED's procedure. It has pictures!
They should help you understand....

[daveh_cdn]

Click the link I put under the note about ED's procedure. It has pictures!
They should help you understand....

Yeah, I understand now thanks. Twice in my situation the hook had pierced a section of the gullet. I could see both the tip and the shank. Slightly different from that illustration but I think that technique may still work in some cases like that. If not, I could try reversing that technique to expose the hook tip to my pliers and pull on the tip end.

Also, I've been using needle nose pliers but on the big bass it's pretty far down there and I can't get a good grip. I think getting a pair of those long pliers I see for this purpose will probably help too.

[MichaelGA]

Yup... that is why Ed gave you option #2

2:have heavy duty side cutters with you.
cut the hook on the eye end.
Grab the point of the hook and pull it through

A good set of really long needle nose pliers and the longest side cutters you can find are a must.
A good rule of thumb is the bigger the fish you are going after the better/bigger your tools will need to be.

Hope all this helps.

[daveh_cdn]

Oh yeah man, all this helps big time.

All of my questions are getting answered pretty much, except the questions concerning how / when to kill the fish.

[ganman]

I second Todd's suggestion. Circle hooks are terrific. You eliminate jerking the hook on a panfish or weed, they are more snag free. If the bass doesn't grab it and go which hooks hooks itself all you do is tighten your line on the bass. Hooks it in the corner of the mouth.