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what happened afterwards when fish swallow the hooks

dazzling79's avatar
dazzling79 208 posts
208 posts
dazzling79 says:
Have you ever had a question like me? 
In the past, I hooked a fish and it swallowed the whole bait and the hook together. I couldn't take the hook out from the fish. Should I just kill it or release it with a hook? I wondered about it many times.  

Today I got an answer from my Korean fishing community in NZ. 

Followed by a study in Japan, it is better to release them with a hook when you can not take the hook out of the fish. I could let it go with a hook instead of hurting the fish so much while I try to take the hook out with too much force. 

It could be depending on the cases but most of the hooks come out about 53 days later and 72 out of 77 fish survived afterwards.

So my question was solved!
  
Likes: 2 Login to reply 4 years ago
itsaboat's avatar
itsaboat 1422 posts
This does happen especially if you are targeting a particular fish and there are other fish in the area.

It is one of the reasons why I don't use stainless hooks.

To kill or not...That depends. Often it is the best thing to do. But if you do have to kill the fish make sure to remove the hook before throwing the fish back. If you throw the fish back with the hook still there another fish will end up with the hook. Also check the local rules because you might be able to keep the fish for bait.

If the fish looks viable to survive simply cut the line as close to the hook as you can and let it go. If you can reach into the mouth with scissors even better. If there is blood on the outside of the gill plates then the fish is probably not viable. If the fish looks "lively" and there is no blood or other signs of trauma then there is a very good chance the fish will survive.
Likes: 1 Login to reply 4 years ago
dazzling79's avatar
dazzling79 208 posts
The study says the hook will rot away in the stomach and eventually come out. 
Likes: 1 Login to reply 4 years ago
itsaboat's avatar
itsaboat 1422 posts
Yes. Correct.

The digestive system of fish is just as strong, if not more, than that of birds.

Just like birds, fish ingest all sorts of things that would simply kill other animals. Stones, shell etc. They can digest just about anything. Most fish have a relatively small anal vent which demonstrates this. (for the kids watching this, the anal vent is the bum). Fish don't need a large anal vent because everything is digested and what is not used (the poo) is very small and easily passed.

Some fish, in particular most of the larger sharks, do not rely on digesting and passing alone. Although they can digest just about anything like any other fish, they have a relatively larger anal vent. This allows them to pass larger "waste" items. This is important because the sharks do not always digest everything they eat. Many sharks will expel (ie spew) their last meal if a new meal is there. However, if a new meal is not available then the last meal will have to last until the next new meal. Which means that passing half digested things might be needed.

Leaving a hook in a fish is not going to be an issue. Even if the hook is in the mouth and you just don't want to remove the hook is not an issue. 
Likes: 1 Login to reply 4 years ago
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