Leaving hooks in fish can cause unexpected problems!

[Dadwood]

Had a fishing session yesterday on the banks of the Thames at Cliffe. I was inundated with pin whiting; I gave up counting when I'd caught thirty!
One or two had taken the hook right down, making it impossible to extract it without injuring the fish. So I cut the line tight against the hook eye and returned the fish to the water. Did I do right? Not sure really because one of them fish floated back to the surface and laid on its side flapping weakly. In a trice a seagull swooped and took it (I told you they were only pin whiting). So while I was believing it was best to leave the hook in and save the fish from undue harm or stress, we now have a gull that's probably got that hook inside him. Doh! Can't seem to get it right!

[BoilieBoy]

But if you dispatched the fish to save it suffering then would you be sat there wondering if you had put it back with a small hook in it would it have survived??Moral dilemma indeed..??

[MRG2000]

Pin whiting are really fragile, lots of em go back to become seagull food ,hook in or out a lot of em wont make it.Its nothing your doing wrong ,handleing them with a damp towel can help .....Fine wire Aberdeen hooks are about the best chance you can give them ,as in size 2 or below they are super thin ,cut the hook as close to the fish as you possibly can.

[..::Pike Pirate::..]

yeah nothing wrong there, MRG is right. if they survive the gulls the hooks will corrode usually, unless they are a different kind of hook (i think steel but i may have forgot?) but theres not much you can do. shouldnt worry about it too much.

[martin56]

Did ya' see the one in last weeks sun - bloke caught a lemon shark with HIS hook thru' the eye of a hook which was left in it's mouth by an angler who had previously had it on. (lucky or what !!)

[LittleFish]

Originally Posted by martin56

Did ya' see the one in last weeks sun - bloke caught a lemon shark with HIS hook thru' the eye of a hook which was left in it's mouth by an angler who had previously had it on. (lucky or what !!)

and if you believe that you'll believe anything

[MRG2000]

Originally Posted by martin56

Did ya' see the one in last weeks sun - bloke caught a lemon shark with HIS hook thru' the eye of a hook which was left in it's mouth by an angler who had previously had it on. (lucky or what !!)

Pictures here looks "interesting "

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...-the-hook.html

[chazyboi]

im going to get him to pick my lottery numbers

[bazzer]

Small whiting that are hooked down deep rarely survive hook removal, best advice i can give is knock the fish on the head and discretely put it in a fish holdall, take them home and give to the cat or your neighbours cat, they love em.

[waltonbrian]

I thinking if the pin died with the hook still in it,the gull had a free fish and gained itself a free hook !!!pain in the bum for the gull i reckon so better to knock it on the head take home and feed to the cat minus the hook.