Say you were fishing and you catch a bass, walleye or other game fish with a minimum length limit, that somehow swallows your hook and gets gilled. Now, would you throw the fish back or keep it? Whats the law on that?
Personaly, I keep them, because it would just go to waste.
Years ago the Wisconsin DNR did a mortality survey on deeply hooked fish. They found that fish have a reasonable chance of surviving if you just cut the line and leave the hook in them. Doing surgery is bad for the fish. I’d guess that stainless steel hooks would be bad, too.
I’d throw the fish back. It may survive, and if it doesn’t SOMETHING will eat it. Gulls, turtles, crayfish, pelicans, something will have a use for it. And I think that the Conservation Officers would expect you to release the fish too. Otherwise a lot of people could come off the lake with “badly hooked” fish.
Rootski
No, I would not. Hooking mortality studies have shown that many more fish survive from being caught and a subsequent release than has been previously known. If there was a “it was hooked deep” exclusion we’d have opened the door to allowing any person that wanted to keep a short fish or a slot fish the opportunity to intentionally injury gills, eyes or throat with the purpose of making the fish “keepable.”
Some might say throwing that fish back is a waste. I say wasting regulations designed to improve a fishery is a far larger loss.
Plain and simple… keeping that short fish would be illegal.
Rootski.. you and I posted basically the same thing at the same time. Like minds… 
gotta let’em go. it’s illegal to keep them. When I was a kid I was casting a jointed pikie minnow and got a big backlash in my reel. When I finally got it out, a undersized musky had the back treble in its gill rakers. There was no way I could save it, so I had to watch it lay dead on the bottom of the lake. I’ll never forget it. Was a beautiful fish. Kind of took the fun out of fishing for a while. It was a waste, but it’s a big fine for a kid. If you have a single hook, and a fish swallows it, don’t hold the fish by the line, and cut your line an inch or two outside of it’s mouth. From what I’ve read, this is supposed to allow them to feed while the hook dissolves.
I’ll just echo what these two said. Cut the line and let it go. I lose quite a few hooks this way but it will give the fish a good chance of survival. By the way Joe, I do know what you mean though. Your intentions are good but it’s best to follow the regulations and just cut the line.
Ditto. The law is the law. Morality doesn’t factor in. If it dies something will make use out of it.
Got to throw them back.I cut the line down towards the hook.I’ve actually had fish get rid of those deep hooks when in the livewell for awhile.When the water is cool and were on the lake for a few days we will leave a few fish in the well if thats all we have.By the time we clean them I’ve had times when hooks will be laying in the bottom of the well.Now this hasn’t happened alot,but it has from time to time.Anyone else notice this?
Ryan Hale
I have to agree–throw them back. I don’t like to see fish wasted–but I love to fish too much to ever keep an undersized fish and get caught–just not worth it!
–Whitey
Throw them back. I get a deal on hooks here where I live so it’s no big deal to lose a hook now and then.
Scott Moran, the conservation officer for Lake City on down, used to be my neighbor, and we are still good friends with him. I once asked him about keeping a gut hooked fish that was protected and his reply was, “The seagulls have to eat, too.” This put in into perspective. Even if we don’t eat it, something else will. It won’t go to waste. Thanks
Tony
The law is the law, and in Ga., short fish can be worth 150.00 each….Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms. Years ago my Pa and I decided on the way if we were “fishing to fish” or “fishing to eat”, and on the “eat days” they ALL got kept, regardless of size. I still do that occasionally, for fish fries and such, but I do it knowing the consequenses if I get caught.
Quote:
Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms.
Railroader-Did you take this quote from “Josey Whales”? 
The DNR puts size limits and slots into effect to help a fishery become a better fishery for all of us. We all benefit from this whether we like it or not. And its the law. I don’t know what the fine is but lets say its like having a choice of paying the money in a fine or getting a new rod and reel combo. Which would you choose? For me its simple-the money would go for rod and reel combo. No doubt about it. 
Thanks, Bill
Yep, One of my favorites..
Coincidence that this question came up this weekend. I hooked a hammer handle pike Saturday afternoon that ended up with the front treble from a rattletrap locking his jaw shut.
One hook in the bottom of his mouth, one through the top, and the third hooked into the bottom jaw from the outside. If that wasn’t bad enough, the hook shank was caught around the bone of his upper jaw and had worked it’s way about half way up toward his snout from the back end of the bone (by the gills, hard to explain unless you saw it I guess). His jaw was locked so tight by the hook that I couldn’t even get a hemostat in to grab the hook.
I ended up cutting the hooks in as many places as I could get to and turning him loose. Hopefully he can figure it out, poor fella.
Gianni, whats the min. pike limit there? We aint got one, so people keep anything they git. Yes, I have actually seen 1 footers being kept. Just crazy.
From everyones posts, I will cut the hooks now, and give him to the gulls n worms.
Pretty much in agreement with the folks who say let it go. We are merely players in the great stage of nature and mortality is a fact of life–potential for getting a ticket is a lose-lose situation for every critter but the government. My pals Edwin Eagle and Gerald Gull tell me that fish mortality from human predators makes life a little easier for them, too! there is much to be said for letting nature take it’s course…great to just be along for the ride with all senses on full alert! 
No minimum on pike here, but I was in no position to keep it even if it hadn’t been a hammer handle. I was just sneaking out and getting in a few casts on a trip up North for wifey’s family reunion.
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