Releasing injured, bleeding fish?

Interesting discussion about trophy fish going on. For me the thought of keeping a big fish never even crosses my mind. The decision to release is practically instinctive.

With that said, a few years ago I had a nice eye’ in the 8 lb. range come to the boat that was bleeding heavily from a hook in the gill. Everything I’ve heard or read says the fish would’ve been a goner so I kept it. I actually filleted it out and cooked it that night. Kinda reminded me of a Simpsons episode I saw where Homer accidentally kills/cooks his pet lobster by trying to give it a hot bath.In the end he’s paying homage to it by eating it, all the while bawling about how he killed his friend and commenting between chomps on how good he tastes.

Anyway, sometimes those fish inhale those ringys so far they get a hook-set to the gill. I’ve actually caught a few that had the jig through the mouth, out the gill and snagged onto the side of the gill plate. Just wondering if anyone has seen any actual studies/data on the possibility of injured fish surviving after being released. Even though I have released bleeding fish I’ve wondered what their chances were. What if they are just bleeding a little? Better chance in cold water?
Chris

I dont know of any studies but I would have kept a heavily bleeding fish too. I believe if the it would of dies also. Might as well just go ahead and eat it. I hate when I get a fish to the boat that is bleeding. Last fall while casting for musky a small one aproximately 30 inchs inhaled my spoon and was bleeding real bad when I got it to the boat. It really sucked seeing that fish floating there belly up with nothing I could do about it.

I have seen the same thing many times..they usually don’t make it. I have actually went and dipped injured fish out with the dipnet because they swam away, then floated back to the top. If its gonna perish, it might as well be on my plate. As for the short musky, well, take solace in knowing that the eagles gotta eat too.

I once caught a 32 inch northern, and i was foolish enough to hold on to it by the gill while i waited for my sister to bring down the camera and get a picture of it…it wasnt even that big, and when i released it, the fish was just floating in the weeds. The other fisherman next to me ended up keeping it.
I have also caught small bluegills out ice fishing and tossed them to a nearby hole. Granted, they aren’t bleeding, they become stunned and just sit there floating with all their fins flared. Usually though, they will swim back down the hole after a while, but i really dont know what to tell you with the bleeding fish.
Hope it helps,
Cade
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Fish ruler: 1″ 2″ 3″ 4″ 6″ 8″ 12″ 18″ 28″ 36″ 49″ 60″

I had a 22″ walleye on the 19th (Sat.) inhaled that ring worm deep, and ripped a gill . I personally dont think they will live, at best a slow death. I kept it, but gave it to my fishing partner. Assumed it was a female but wasn’t sure. Dont even want to ask… ……..Anyway I’m off to see if I can learn a few new spots……Murf

A couple times a season my boat will have a larger fish come to the boat bleeding from a swallowed crankbait, etc., and if they can’t be released with confidence that they can survive, we add them to our catch for the day. It doesn’t happen often thankfully. In a situation like that I hate to see a larger fish go under the knife but it makes more sense than just throwing it over for the scavengers.

well with everything being said and that I don’t eat fish I release just about anything if its bleeding it still has a chance to live so why not give it that chance. if it doesn’t well than I guess the Eagles get it.
Myself I wouldn’t want to eat that big of a fish anyway.
all though a couple of times I have had big fish bleeding so bad that I put them in my livewell to see if they would live and they did all day so at the end of the day they were released.
I guess my feelings are if its not dead it still has a chance.

I agree… I’m not talking about a little blood qualifying a fish for the livewell.

I only go that route when the fish is basically a goner. It’s remarkable how much a little patience at the side of the boat or a little “alone time” in a livewell will do to perk up a fish that looks to be on its way out if you give them a chance. The few fish each year over 20″ that we do end up keeping usually get a crankbait deep and during the fight they rip a gill or two in half and they more or less bleed themselves out before they hit the net. Sadly those fish just aren’t able to recover.

Guys:

I actually remember reading about one of the muskie studies in Muskie Hunter magazine that was done on the Chippewa Flowage near Hayward. They were using transmitting device that had to be surgiaclly installed. These fish were caught by hook and line. Apparently one of the fish was hooked really bad through the gills. They did put a transmitter on it and followed it daily for a short time period. It was caught before freezeup that year. I agree that if more than one gill raker is ripped, my preference would be to let it ride along with me to see if was going to live. Still upright, it goes back.

Mark