Unhooking a fish

Yesterday I wrote about unhooking a fishing hook from your hand so I thought I would continue the trend today and talk about unhooking a fish. I have also previously written an article on releasing fish, which can be found at my previous post catch and release.

Unhooking fish can be a daunting task for new anglers. I actually know a few people who were put off fishing because of this alone! Get yourself a good landing net (knotless mesh if possible for the fishes protection), a set of long nosed and needle nosed pliers and a good quality garden glove.

1. Firstly the most important part of this process is not injuring the fish or yourself. Stay away from any spines or sharp gills and remember than some fish have big teeth! Always support a large fish and treat it gently.
2. Use the glove (wet it first) to hold the fish and use the pliers to push the hook back through the hole it originally created. 9 times out of ten the hook will pop out and the fish can be released/put on ice.
3. If the fish has swallowed the hook deep, but you still want to release the fish cut the line off as close to the hook as possible and the hook will rust and come free in a few days not harming the fish. Never try to extract a hook from deep within a fish as you could harm the internals and injure the fish.

These two videos show the process and equipment quite well and even though they are based in Britain the same basic equipment and techniques apply around the world.

Removing a fish hook from your hand (or body!)

Firstly I must apologize because this blog has been completely untouched for about a month now after a 90% drop in visitors overnight which I have been trying to solve for a while. Today the search numbers are back up a little so hopefully things are going in the right direction (fingers crossed). Enough of that boring stuff though!

As an angler you have probably had a hook stuck somewhere in you at some point during your adventures. Many anglers visit the hospital to get the hook removed, but sometimes our fishing adventures take us far from the hospital and we need to remove the hook ourselves! This little technique is one every angler should know, but I am unsure if sticking the hook in your arm to practice (or demonstrate on video) is a great idea. I advise people to always keep a pair of these clamps in your tackle box, but this method can also be used with string or fishing line to pull on the hook.

How to Bridle Rig a Live Bait.

Bridle rigging a bait is one of the most popular methods of rigging a live or dead bait. It is a method most often used for trolling for large game fish like marlin and sailfish, but can also be used for live baiting from a drifting or anchored boat.

Bridle Rigging is a popular method of hooking a live bait because the baits can swim naturally and often live for much longer than other rigging methods. As this method requires a needle through the eye socket of the fish it is considered a slightly gruesome method of attaching a bait by some people. This has lead to the common occurrence of hooking the bait through the tough "nose" area in front of the eye.

This technique also works well for rigging skipping dead baits for trolling. This method can be used with any small baitfish, but is generally used on large baits (skipjack tuna) for slow trolling for big fish!

How to Bridle Rig a bait

You will need:

• A hook (circle hooks are best)
• A rubber band
• A bait needle

The following video shows the correct technique

My fishing list - All I got for Christmas

My fishing presents this year consisted mainly of hooks, sinkers, swivels and other terminal tackle that I really needed. At todays boxing day sales I was busy helping my wife ward off the bargain hunters and I forgot to visit the fishing section of my local department store and probably missed out on a bargain or two.

What I want to know is what fishy things did you get for Christmas?

Please leave a comment via the comments button.

Bait Profile - Prawns

Prawns are one of the most versatile baits available for recreational fishers. They can be used alive or dead, cooked or uncooked, baited whole or in sections. They can be used for most species and are especially good for estuary and reef fish species. In most situations prawns are used frozen and while they can produce very good catches in this form, live prawns are certainly a top bait.


How to catch prawns?
Most rivers, estuaries and lakes have prawn stocks to some degree. They are usually gathered at night using a bright torch and a scoop net or a drag net. They keep well in a well aerated bucket and keeping them cool is very important.
In the North and West of Australia they are also caught using cast nets, which is a particularly popular technique in the parts of the country that contains crocodiles. However, drag/seine nets are often still used in these areas (with caution)
Note: Always check local regulations in regards to nets.

Scoop Net ----------- Cast Net ----------- Drag/seine Net
(click to enlarge)

How to hook/rig a prawn?
Live prawns should be hooked lightly through the tail so that the hook does not pierce the internal organs. (see picture)


To hook a dead/frozen prawn the hook (the size depending on the size of the bait) is pushed up from underneath the last segment towards the tail and out through the top of the shell so the barb is exposed.

To hook a prawn piece (used to catch bait and small fish) use a very small hook and hook the prawn flesh through once or twice.