I'm a big fan of letting the fish keep the hook if it looks a little deep or a difficult extraction and have caught more than a few with trailing leaders from the last guy who got broken off.
I guess I was just curious how impaired a bass is with a hook in the gullet and how long until a non-stainless hook rusts out? It's alot easier to cut the line than save a hook and must be easier on the fish.
I don't like or use circle hooks but I DON'T gut hook many fish with an octopi I just pull the trigger a little sooner.

if I think it's gonna be a tough removal or if it's too deep to reach with long pliers then the fish can keep it, I've heard different opinions on how long it takes for the hook to breakdown, anywhere from a couple day to a couple weeks, notsure if it hurts the fish or not, I also make sure I set the hook earlier, I very seldom gut hook one

I'm pretty much all catch & release here... :wave:

SO: any time I get a baited gut- hooked Bass (or generally hooked too deep to extricate without causing further damage)... I simply cut & leave it there. I use Mustad Beak hooks that rust quite quickly... & like you I've observed that (larger esp.) Bass can & do easily survive & even still do feed with hooks and/ or rigs stuck in their maw!


Approx. survival rate of released Bass w/ hook left in?-- I'd guess 30- 75% depending (on a # of other factors)...

Deep- hooked Bass' survival- rate if kept because it's deep- hooked? Zero! :skulz:


The KEY here with the Bass' survival in mind, is to of course use mono. or mono. leaders only... SO you can slide a clippers/ cutter way down & cut the leader or mono. very close to the hook-- the less leader/ trailer of any type on the hook, the better!

Guys who insist on using wire while chunkin' / fishing bait for Bass will be the ones having problems in this regard... :rolleyes:

Steel needs air to make rust, so unless a fish comes out of the water for a bit, I think it takes quite a long time.

http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/showthread.php?t=50017

Steel needs air to make rust, so unless a fish comes out of the water for a bit, I think it takes quite a long time.

Erm...

There's oxygen in the water....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust

anything in past the start of the gullet is theirs.. and some odd foul hooks that are buried in bone or other hard areas that would/take longer than a minute to make any progress on.. i like to have dehooked and back in the water in under two minutes.

but circle hooks :kewl: ( cant be promoted enough for chunkers) haven't had one deep hooked since the change over. had one unfortunate guy this year though. got it in the flesh just before the gills. came out plenty easy. but there was blood. not too bad... but we all know blood attracts the predators so even though he seemed healthy enough when he swam away odds probably weren't good for the lil fella. but like i said first incident with them since the switch over last year. i miss a couple here and there.. which could be user error or just because of how the hooks behave during the hooking process.. but missing a few is better than gutting a few.

on the flip side dead striper still benefit the food chain.

http://www.starfish.govt.nz/shared-graphics-small/ocean-foodchain-sml.gif