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[Nutterbug]

Do you ever have those times when you intend to release a fish because it was too small or any other reason, and end up killing it in a slow and agonizing manner?

Happened just the other day when fishing for trout.  Caught one that was too small for my liking, and attempted to release it to grow some more.  Tried to get it to hold still, but it kept flailing around on the platform for several seconds.  By the time it settled down, I reached into its throat with my pliers and pulled the barbed hook out, which must've torn something and caused it massive bleeding.  Tossed it back into the lake, and soon found it floating belly up with a cloud of blood around its head.

Figured it was finished so I attempted to retrieve it with my arm and keep the catch so that it doesn't die senselessly, but it slowly swam away into deeper water and held a belly up posture there for a few minutes.

Explained it to the guy at the tackle shop what happened, and he told me that it in all likelihood died from blood loss.

[kingpin]

uh barbed?

[HOOK]

Im sure he was fishing in a lake KP which means that barbs are legal unless it says otherwise in the Reg's

[Nutterbug]

Yes, lake.  Though I am feeling regretful of my use of a barbed hook even on a lake, and am thinking of pinching all my barbs from now on.

I suppose cutting the line instead of taking the hook out might have also worked.

[HOOK]

If a fish takes a hook deep into the throat alot of times even cutting the line results in the fish dying, not always but alot. Sometimes its just worth it to take it as your catch quota. I have had trout take it really deep even with barbless and not been able to get the hook out without killing the fish. You could try using a slightly larger hook which i found helped but didnt prevent it entirely.

[Nutterbug]

If a fish takes a hook deep into the throat alot of times even cutting the line results in the fish dying, not always but alot. Sometimes its just worth it to take it as your catch quota. I have had trout take it really deep even with barbless and not been able to get the hook out without killing the fish. You could try using a slightly larger hook which i found helped but didnt prevent it entirely.

I would have killed and kept it if it was gut hooked.  Since it was throat hooked, I thought I could save it with my pliers.  Maybe it was from the fish flopping around so much or maybe I cut a crucial blood vessel/organ while trying to pull the barbed hook out.

[wizard]

barbless hooks are the most effective way to mitigate damage to a fish...especialy with bait where it is often hooked deeper. 
i look at barbs as training wheels....eventually you don't need them anymore.

[andyandy]

i went out to browning yesterday with the intention of releasing everything.. ended up taking 4 home out of 7 because they swallowed the hook

[bklem]

i had a similar experience last week.  took my gf fishing for her first time at sasamat lake and almost every fish seemed to gut the hook.  maybe the last release of trouts are super aggressive.

[vancook]

i had a similar experience last week.  took my gf fishing for her first time at sasamat lake and almost every fish seemed to gut the hook.  maybe the last release of trouts are super aggressive.

it's possible you're hooks are just small so they swallowed them easy. I use size 4 hooks when bait fishing....but even then sometimes they will gulp the hook

[Nutterbug]

Short baits, such as roe and its forms, tend to result in more deep hookings than longer baits like worms, don't they?

[troutbreath]

I failed to release about a 4 lb cutty from Buntzen. Took it home and cooked it up and had a hard time swallowing it.  Only good thing was the dog I had at the time would eat anything.

and bait fishing definatley makes it more likely to have them hooks down in the trouble zone so use a big barbless hook with bait

[sassygrams]

I  realize this is a personal decision, but all my hooks are either barbless when purchased, or upon tieing it to my line I squish the barb with pliers.

As I do mainly catch and release I have learnt that I would like as little damage to the fish as possible, or their dying unnecessarily - leaves me to catch them another day or gives someone else the pleasure.