Hello to all!! Does anybody know what happens to a fish that swallows a hook and gets away? Will the hook disintegrate or the fish die? We caught a few nice CC out of the pond and put them in the fish basket, and the basket had a hole in it! We didn't know about the hole. We have been sick about this. We have had a bit of bad luck lately catching fish and they wrap around a log and break the line. I don't even want to fish the pond anymore. Haven't seen any floaters, and it's been 6 days. Will they be ok? We use the barbless hooks and circle hooks. Any chance they will be able to get rid of the hooks? Thanks in advance!!!

I don't know for sure, but I've lost fish in the pond, and released fish that swallowed the hook and haven't seen them dead. It all depends on the hook, but I'll bet that if they aren't made for salt water (corrosion resistance) that they'll either dissolve or fall out relatively quickly.

I have had fish break the line when using a floating lure and normally find the lure within a couple of days floating near shore. The fish seem to be able to shake free of the lure.

Circle hooks are great, and you can make them barbless by bending down the barb just like any other hook.

Helper,
This is an age-old question that we just doesn't seem to have a good answer. We know that there is a certain percentage of mortality, even when the fish are just unhooked and released.

Yet, I've caught fish in my pond that have had hooks coming out their anus, and I've caught fish that have had hooks in their lips that I know were there at least several weeks.

Just last week I kept about a 9-inch bluegill and a 13-inch bass that each swallowed a hook. I let them swim in an aerated bucket on the dock for several hours before bringing them up to clean. Each as somehow cleared the hook from their throats, and the hooks in both fish were well into their stomachs.

As for fish baskets -- they just ain't what they yoosta be. I quit buying them because they rust out so quickly, and I ran into the same issue you did. Instead, I have several small aerators that clip onto the sides of a 5-gallon buckets. They have a little air pump that feeds an aquarium-size airstone. They are pretty inexpensive at places like Cabelas, BassPro, Gander Mountain, etc. Mine use two C-size or D-size batteries, which seem to last forever. They will keep a fair number of fish alive for quite a while.

Regards,
Ken

I made my own basket from netting and PVC. It's square, and it has a lid that flops down. It isn't very portable tho, it's 4' square.....

Thanks you guys! I also have a 5 gallon water can that I use and an aerator that runs on "D" batteries. CC were too big to put in the water can. I checked around the pond again this evening when I fed my babies and still no floaters. We do alot of research on PB, and are so grateful for all of the info. We have really learned alot! Thank you again!