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.8"? That's like the tooth Hooper pried out Ben Gardner's hull in Jaws.
You might be right about the wood not being protected when punctured -- but that's why I'm doing the test; I've been using solvent-thinned epoxy for sealing for a couple years now under the assumption it was best for this purpose.
It seems to me from observing birch drink sealer that end grain (and even tapered ends) really draw in a lot of liquid, so in a way you might assume these are deeply sealed (key word: assume).
I just wanted to get an idea of what was realistic for a bluefish bite depth in birch. I was thinking 3/16" as well, but do you think they really bite that deep into such a hard wood?