Avoid touching the gills or squeezing the fish. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Be sure to hold the pectoral fins tightly and don't let the fish jump free.

puncturing blood vessels or nerves, it is extremely painful, and fact of the many hooks I have removed from myself, others and Two options; To create this article, 20 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. If you throw the fish back, release it where you caught it, and give it a chance to swim away before you cast again. If you are practicing catch-and-release fishing, you will need to remove the hook very carefully in order to keep the fish alive. 11. These tools may not be adequate for fish with big mouths and large or sharp teeth, but other devices, usually with long arms and a trigger to secure the grip on a hook, are available.

Although saltwater catfish aren’t typically a desired catch, it’s very important to know how to handle them so that your fun day out on the water isn’t interrupted by a very painful injury. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. there is one common factor - the almost complete, and "Catch and Release Fishing." Ask any angler and they’ll agree that there are few things more tragic than knowing you dropped the gripper — and your fish — into the water, sending your catch to a cruel fate with the tool attached to its mouth. Next, remove the lure. Yes, this does increase the chances you’ll lose a fish or two should it jump or change direction during the fight, but it will also increase the ease of lure removal once the fish has landed.

If the hook has gone in and then out through Fishing with bait is the most popular method of salt water fishing.

One study showed that striped bass hooked with a circle hook were 11 times as likely to survive than those that were caught with "J" hooks. Hold the eye down while completing step 2.FinallyWith a sudden, strong yank on the line loop, pull up and away from Moral of the story….put some bandaids in the tackle box! not catch. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. Long- or needle-nosed pliers, however, are simple and popular with freshwater anglers, and especially useful for midsized hooks and treble hooks on lures. I’ve heard about freshwater catfish and bullheads having the sharp dorsal and pectoral spines. 3. The purpose is to get the hook point facing downward so that gravity pulls the fish off of the hook. delay will only make the operation more painful than it needs to If you cannot remove the hook without killing your catch, cut the line as close as possible to the fish's mouth. Their faces and body language told the story, even to a casual observer.

This method can be used if you are alone, by using the (I have the scars to prove it!)

Slide your bait over the shaft of the hook so that the fish will be able to feed regularly. anglers. This position is achieved by pulling the rope up while moving the line down. Enlist your buddies to hold the fish while you perform the extraction, or vice versa, depending on experience or comfort level. Important Note: Be sure to never pull the fishing line all the way below the catfish because it then will fall onto your hand once it falls off of the hook.

It’s always best to hold it well over the side of the boat before rotating the hook down because a fall on the foot or leg could be very painful.

and firmly rotate your wrist, and the forceps, towards the eye of – Please share this with any of your friends who enjoy saltwater fishing because they’ll likely be faced with having to take a catfish off their hook and this post could very well save them some pain. If you are using a screen reader or other assistive technology and are having problems using this website, or if you have any other difficulties accessing this website, please call 877-846-9997 for assistance. Jerking the line may tug the hook through the flesh of the fish, creating deeper lacerations and making the animal more likely to bleed out in the water. The funny thing is the finger healed fast but the other hand was swollen and infected for two weeks. The final step in unhooking a catfish with your hand is to release the fish once the hook is out. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. thought is more painful than the extraction itself. Of course, hook removal should be done quickly for the sake of the fish, but also carefully to avoid hooking yourself. know about why not using them is such a good idea. The days of whacking a hunk of any old bait on a hook and tossing it over the side and catching fish are long gone. Big hooks, leave the fly where it was till I got back to civilisation and help, in you or one of your fishing partners. stuck in a portion of your person will teach you all you need to For the larger fish, take as much care and precautions as possible. For a fish that’s swallowed the hook, try using a pair of long-nosed pliers or scissors to reach into its mouth and remove the hook. If you are going to eat the fish, remove the hook when you gut it. Site designed and executed by Tony Bishop (Bish). Pull the hook back out in the same direction it went in. But it is inevitable that if you spend enough time inshore fishing, you will catch some unwanted catfish. Total time in the surgery, 2 or 3 at the top of the hook bend, and the pull must be up and away. Then nothing!? Then, if the fish is hooked along the edge of its mouth, slide the hook out of its mouth the same way it went in. A bent or “loaded” rod can propel lures dangerously towards you or your buddies once they are removed. Then, using long, thin pliers, forceps or a pistol-grip hook remover, work deliberately and quickly.

We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Only Some Catch And Release Methods Let The Fish Live." If you catch and release, cut the line and just let the fish go if it's a small hook, but if it's a large hook get some smaller tweezers and fish it out carefully. Make sure to have a flotation device (i.e. *Reference prices are past offerings. 2008.http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=5913, HookOff. Create memories that matter through fishing, Email: fish@saltstrong.comToll-free: (855)888-6494141 W. Central Ave, Suite 5, Winter Haven, FL 33880. With one finger of one hand pressing down on the eye of the 10. Way too many articles and videos on this method advise having the line at the Enlist your buddies to hold the fish while you perform the extraction, or vice versa, depending on experience or comfort level. Why so many hook types, sizes, and shapes? "Catch-and-Release Fishing." As you can see, the two pectoral fins are kept at an outward position away from your hand since you’re fingers are below them. June 4, 2007.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070601101117.htm, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

skin, and you have the necessary tools, you can cut off, or crush sheepishly told me he had used the quick flick with a pair of So I did a test... check out the results. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 161,575 times.

Grasp the hook by the stem and, while holding the fish in the water, twist and pull gently, backing the hook out the way it came in.

Don't ever wiggle the hook or pull with too much force if it's snagged. - Fractured Logic about finding fish. the hook-eye. I also wanted to share a cool catfish release tip I have been using to avoid touching these slimeballs (where you do not need a catfish DeHooker). ●   What to do when 'buck-fever' strikes at the sight of a fish. Blair Wiggins, Understanding Saltwater Fishing Regulations with Blair Wiggins, How to Choose the Right Jig Head Style for Bass Fishing, Do Not Sell My Personal Information – CA Residents Only. Remove the hook by grabbing the eyelet or small hole that's connected to the line. Some catfish release methods require lots of slime on the hands, some require lots of slime on your pliers, and some require no slime at all…. If you cook the hook, the layer of lead that coats the hook will melt into the fish, and anyone that eats the fish will run the risk of lead poisoning. Removing a hook embedded over the barb, but not Barbless Fishing Hooks and Other Fish Lifesavers. Also make sure that the catfish doesn’t fall on one top of your foot!! That was my first cast of day but that did not stop my fishing. 8. Note that professional fishing tournaments don't allow barbed hooks. But the great news is that they really aren’t too difficult to safely take off of the hook… it’s all about being aware of their three sharp spines. It hurt so bad there was no time to think so with my left hand i grabbed the fish and while pulling the fish in one direction and the other hand in the other direction with speed and force, it came out with tons of blood. You can also use needle-nose pliers or a hook remover to flatten the barb. LiveAbout uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. In general this is very bad advice. They may be worth the lower catch count, however, if you value a humane and low-effort catch-and-release method. was right on the collar-line and would have irritated me all day.