Use a ball head jig head instead of plain hook under a small bobber, no split shot, this will significantly reduce the number of gut-hooked fish.

http://journalstar.com/sports/local/outd...d3485ec6bb.html

Quote:
One reason I prefer a small jig head to a plain small hook is that a jig head is weighted; there is no need for split-shot weights. The biggest reason I like the jig heads is that the weight of the lead on the jig head prevents these fish from swallowing the bait. You will not have to extract hooks from gut-hooked fish, and you will have fish that can be quickly unhooked and released. At the most, you may need a pair of forceps for extracting jig heads.

Last edited by Shorty; 09/27/15 06:09 PM. Reason: added link