Fish survival

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adam5016

Sealiner
I remember that the first topic I posted on sealine was regarding the same question and for that fact the same species. caught yesterday. this cracker has a 3/0 mustad in its gullet. there was no way of removing it without tearing its throat out. If it will survive, I don't know (swam off strongly), but at least there is a small chance.

Any thoughts?

light tackle, 38cm, sand/pink prawn.
 

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J_Bay

Sealiner
Look at it this way, if you had pulled the hook out, it would have died for sure, I think as long as it can eat it will be fine. I caught a kob last year, about 3kg's I think, I know it was just legal size.

When I gutted it, it had 2 hooks in it stomach, one was already starting to disappear and was coated in some weird gunk. It also had one in its mouth, so a total of 3 hooks in one fish, two in the stomach and it made it. The only thing that will stop your released cracker is if the hook obstructs food getting down to the stomach, but fish are weird little creatures, anything is possible!!
 
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SPIN A HOLIC

Sealiner
the best thing to do is to just cut the line and never ever lift the fish by the line if possible. thats when the hook is often set in deaper then when you were fighting it.

i posted a pic in the week of a fish that i caught that had a hook in it. will post it again. look at the anal on the fish.

 
 

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J_Bay

Sealiner
The kob I referred to was just over legal size(he went on a fish braai and was apparently very tasty), but he had those 3 hooks in, and it was easy to see why, because they where all attached to very thin fishing line...not sure how such thin line found it's way out to where the kob feed, but it did?
 
A

adam5016

Sealiner
SPIN A HOLIC wrote:
the best thing to do is to just cut the line and never ever lift the fish by the line if possible. thats when the hook is often set in deaper then when you were fighting it.
 
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that's what I usually do. cut the line as close as possible to the hook and off she goes. I like what JBay is saying - found an almost dissolved hook in its stomach.
 
S

SPIN A HOLIC

Sealiner
adam5016 wrote:
SPIN A HOLIC wrote:
the best thing to do is to just cut the line and never ever lift the fish by the line if possible. thats when the hook is often set in deaper then when you were fighting it.
 
Click to expand...

that's what I usually do. cut the line as close as possible to the hook and off she goes. I like what JBay is saying - found an almost dissolved hook in its stomach.
Click to expand...
thats cool then. youre doing nothing wrong. :fishn
 
Marthin

Marthin

Sealiner
Adam specially cracker... these boys eat sea urchins for brekfis and then wash it down with some of thoze sharp crab shells... and just think what cracked mussle shells would do to your insides....

Tough bulletjies... so i wouldnt lose too much sleep over it. Some fish won't make it but i think the majority will.
 
T

The Moose

Senior Member
I remember reading an article (on another fishing blog) about a guy who caught a Kob,that had swallowed his Jighead.I think he was involved in marine research or something. He then took it to an oceanarium or research centre. The next morning the jighead was on the bottom of the tank.

I can't recall all the exact details, but you get the point. Fish are very hardy creatures and combined with the rust factor, I'm sure most will survive.
 
A

adam5016

Sealiner
Just for interest sake guys, this fish and a cracker I caught previously both picked up the bait and came right at me. All I noticed was that I suddenly had a lot of slack in my line. Also both times they had time to swallow the hook deep.
 
C

Carlos Moran

Sealiner
A fish released,no matter how badly hooked,has got a chance of survival,once you break its neck,its got zero chance of survival.
 
P

Patrick

Sealiner
I caught a cape snoek a few weeks back with a 12/0 hook in its belly and it was feeding and fighting strongly (until boated at least). Granted it had probably got there a few minutes earlier from one of the commercials, but it didnt seem to hinder the fish in any way.

Like the guys have said, still has a better chance of survival than trying to pull the hook out.
 
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