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Caught a 24" bass one time with about 3" of leader sticking out its butt. Tugged lightly on the leader and it was obvious that it was attached to a hook that was still imbedded somewhere in its GI tract. Could not see a hook anywhere down its throat.
Must have broken off or been released by an angler. Fish must have continued feeding and swallowed the leader. Over time the free end of the leader worked its way through stomach, intestines, etc., but hook was still in place.
Fish seemed healthy enough. Hard to determine how long it had been there. Must have been at least a few weeks. However, this incident pokes holes in the theory that hooks will rot out in a few days from a gut-hooked fish. I never gave that theory much credence anyway.
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