Ned and other finesse baits causing deep hooking?

[holleybob]

If you deep hook a smallmouth, with just about any bait just cut the line off short and put him in your livewell running full tilt for a couple of hours. Cannot even count the number of times that bait, usually a tube is sitting in the bottom of my live well. If I had tried to dig it out, he would be dead.

Great advise, but what do you do with one that is less than legal size ? Seems like the ethical thing to do but not sure the Game and Fish guy is gonna buy it.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Yeah if you gut hook a fish that just means you pretty much suck at this C&R thing, and you should prolly remove your jersey, sell your glitter-rig and go back to bank fishin' and eating everything you catch until you get it right.

What!!!!

I just got my 8' Pond Prowler back with it's new glitter wrap.

Man, I can't stay ahead of Ned.

Pete

[Bill Babler]

Sub-legal go back in the pond, everytime.

[dtrs5kprs]

Great advise, but what do you do with one that is less than legal size ? Seems like the ethical thing to do but not sure the Game and Fish guy is gonna buy it.

Cut it and swim it.

[holleybob]

Cut it and swim it.

That's what I've been doing. I worry about fish mortality though. I've almost placed some less than legal ones in the livewell to let them breath a bit then get after the hook removal again. I just can't bring myself to do it. After reading Bill's post about catching fish with old hooks in their mouths maybe I should not worry so much.

Thanks for the reality check.

[dtrs5kprs]

We humanize them a bit too much. They survive by eating things that are spiny, pokey, pinchy, and all around sharp. If you have ever seen one passing a crawdad claw backwards, you will understand.

[Chief Grey Bear]

We humanize them a bit too much. They survive by eating things that are spiny, pokey, pinchy, and all around sharp. If you have ever seen one passing a crawdad claw backwards, you will understand.

They are designed to eat those things.

A hook embedded in the soft tissues of the throat are not natural. And with the non-corrosive hooks being used today, it's nothing more than a death sentence. One that is long and painful. But hey, turtles have to eat too.

[dtrs5kprs]

Gosh Chief...I thought you were on vacation or something.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Ehhh, I won't comment on the number of gut hooks a particular bait seems to have or not, I think it's more how a particular person fishes the bait and their particular experience and knowledge of the bait.

I don't care what Babbler claims, gut hooked fish don't magicaly spit them out. And hooks are made from better, less corrosive steel. That in its-self will raise the mortality rate that may have been lessened by a lesser grade steel. Should the Ned recieve more negative gut hook press than any other soft plastic presentation? It probably depends on the person themselves.

[dtrs5kprs]

Have seen a bunch with a perch or jumo gizz stuck sideways in them too. Even nature rolls snake eyes once in a while.

Bottom line...only way to guarantee you don't hurt one is to not catch it. Lot of folks are doing no damage at all to the fish population every day.