Picture this: You're having a perfect day out on the water, feel that familiar tug on your line, and your eyes light up. That is, until you reel in your catch and discover that the fish has swallowed your hook. When it's buried deep in the fish's gullet, safely removing a hook is a challenge.
Nearly every angler has experienced this scenario and wants to do what they can to ensure that the fish survives after being released.
Thankfully, Wired2Fish's Mitch Anderson has laid out the safest and quickest way to remove a hook from a fish's gullet.
Anderson explains that the best way to remove the buried hook is with a pair of needle nose pliers, but not the conventional way you'd think. You'll want to enter the pliers gently through the gills, and grab a hold of the hook from that angle.
In the video, shared on Wired2Fish.com, Anderson safely removes the swallowed hook and returns the fish to the water unharmed.
Catch and release fishing is an important conservation practice and actually started with trout fishing. Circle hooks have the highest live release rates, while J hooks are more easily swallowed.
If you learned something from this video, you can visit the Wired2Fish homepage or their Facebook page for more fishing tips and tricks. The site offers fishing tips, tactics and techniques as well as tackle reviews and boat maintenance pointers. The website also features helpful videos, reviews, fishing resources, instructions for fishing knots and other useful info.
