dehook or not to dehook?

[rick_k]

is the current 'official' view to leave a longer length of line, rather than to cut off as short as possible as we were once told?

Fish do get rid of hooks out the back end. A lure caught cod in my boat had about 70mm of line and the shank of a bronze hook hanging astern. A very gentle twist and all was well.

I fish all my lures barbless now, and am thinking of doing the same when bait fishing.

Agree with the circle hook comment. Always mouth hooked, but once they are in.....

[Matt_Campbell]

Recent research has shown that its better to leave a bit of line (perhaps 6-12 inches) hanging from the fishes mouth. The resulting movement helps work the hook free. I find it hard to understand why people just dont leave the hook in and cut the line, particularly when using cr@p hooks.

[eddyfish]

Generally I prefer to lose the hook by cutting the line as close as possible to the hook rather than cause the fish more distress - agree with Poodroo.

During the bream season I always use stainless steel hooks with the barb crushed. Not only does this make de hooking easier for myself and the fish it also increases the catch rate.

If attention is paid most of the fish will be caught in the lip and not in the gills or gut. Maybe only one in a hundred will be badly hooked and if they are to be released I hope that by using a crushed barb it will be a lot easier for the fish to get rid of it.

I was wondering why u used stainless hooks for bream'not trying to be a smart arse just curious.

[mitch92]

I personally cut the line off if i cant extract the hook without damging the fish when i am releasing the fish i catch

[Brett1907]

Thanks for the responses guys. Everyone has confirmed my thoughts, leave the hook in if it is difficult to remove.

I thought the guy on the TV was just doing it for show. I hate it when people on tv do things that could potentially harm an animal just to sell their wares.

Brett

[saurian]

Brett , I've caught barra with hooks and heavy 200 lb handline coming out of there mouths. Slime had built up around the line and the hooks where nearly rusted through.
If I livebait a barra and it embeds the hook deep I will cut the line as close to the hook as possible and release it asap ( Not a keeper etc...)
Stainless hooks take a long time to corrode.
If I was fishing for other species some I would try to remove the hook, ie: sailfish etc...
Ta.

[comeontakethebait]

Just a simple point, but isn't it better to cut the line 5cm or so out from the mouth? Keeps the end from folding over or getting under the fish's gills etc. That's what I've read in most of the articles on catch and release studies.

[tigermullet]

Eddy, I use stainless steel hooks with the barb crushed during the bream fishing season to increase the catch rate. I have found that ordinary hooks are very prone to bending at the point or, if too brittle, will snap off. When using stainless steel hooks I always pay attention and very rarely catch bream anywhere other than the lip or jaw. The few that get the hook deeper are generally 'keepers' anyway and are despatched immediately and put on ice. On smaller fish it is very easy to remove the hook.

[Maria]

I think it depends where the hook is in the fish. Sometimes if it appears as though there's very little chance the fish will survive based on where the hook is, discretion may suggest that you turn the fish into bait to save it from an inevitably slow and painful end.

On the other hand, I do a fair bit of diving/spearfishing and have seen countless fish getting around (some apparently healthy, some clearly not) with hooks in them. The suggestion that hooks rust away in a few days is simply not true.

[thehoodedwarriors]

Ever seen a dog or cat when they get somethign in their paw? They seem to get it out themselves and if the fish is hooded deep in his mouth the last thing it needs for survival is being slashed up trying to get the damn hook out. I say cut the line close and let him go it will either rust out or they will get it out themselves. All works out in the end

regards
the hooded warriors

[Stumpy-USA]

Over here coated hooks are the norm. Plain bronze or steel are slowly disappearing.

I always try to remove the hook. If its in deep I try to turn it and pull it out behind the gills. Its pretty easy to do once you see it done. That being said most of our fish can't take a finger off if they bite you thier teeth are too small.

If I can't remove it without killing the fish I take a pair of nose cutter pliers and cut the line about 8 to 10 inches outside the mouth and try to scuff up the coating so the hook will rust out.

The worst thing you can do is to leave a hook in with a soft plastic still on it. The SP will swell up over time and block the fishes throat. Always pull them off the hook before you release the fish.

I have only lost maybe 2 or 3 fish in the last few years because of a deep hook.