Fished Stillhouse (launched from Dana Peak) out of the kayak from 10 to 3 yesterday. I caught four small LMBs; total weight probably about 6 to 7 pounds. I caught them all on a 4" Watermelon Senko rigged on a 1/4 oz lead jighead, fished through grass/weeds in about 20' of water. Sounds like a good day, except that second and third fish swallowed, and I mean swallowed, the jighead. The the first fish was hooked right through upper lip. The second fish swallowed the jighead, and was bleeding, so I cut the line and released him with the jig/Senko in his mouth. The third fish was the same way, so I cut line and released him the same way. As I continued to fish, I heard a splashing behind me. The second fish had floated to the surface and was now dying like five feet from my kayak. So I paddled over and tried to revive him, but no luck. I felt pretty bad. All I could do was hope that the third fish wouldn't suffer the same fate. I fished for about another hour and caught one more (hooked through the lip), but still felt bad about what happened.

I guess it happens, but I stll felt bad. Was there something I could have done better? Even if the jigs had been barbless, they had swallowed them so far that I don't think it would have mattered. Is leaving the hook in the fish the best thing when they are deep hooked, or bleeding badly? Let me know what you guys think.

Caught a fish the other day with about 3 inches of what looked like an old power worm hanging out of its exit hole, buddy and I kinda chuckled, fish looked skinny so we did some surgery and pulled the rest out, come to find out the worm was still attached with a screw lock to about a 4-5/0 hook still in good shape, we were able to get it out and revive the fish (5.33 lbs) and back into the water to be able to feed. So I guess sometimes they can get the stuff through! The head on the fish suggested it should have gone a lot bigger, just couldn't keep his system working

at some point when they are injured so bad they can't swim away, keep the cycle of life going and fry 'em up.

I think you should give up bass fishing.


Just kidding, if it is obvious they aren't gonna make it, take them home and eat them.
Plus you can cut out your lure and reuse it.

theres really not much u can do, try to get the plastic off the hook or if its not to deep try to cut the hook. we all hate deep hooking a fish but it happens

+1 Had to do that to a 5 1/2 lber and it hurt to eat it, but had some good filets off of it. It's gonna happen sooner or later, just try to be a bit better on the bite detection. That's why they swallow it, because we don't sense the bite and set the hook only after we feel weight on the end of the line. A more sensitive rod will help, but only so much. Good luck.

+1, Happens to everybody sometime. Part of the sport. If it's a legal fish, keep it and fry it up.

Some guy's use circle hooks because they can slide up the gut of a bass with minimal damage, although I've try'd them before and if you try to hookset much at all you'll miss fish. At least that's what happens to me when I use them. Hookset is really just applying pressure from reeling. I don't like it, it takes a lot of the fun out of it, but that's me. You may want to try it.