Have you ever had a steelhead swallow a spinner?

[bill smy]

So yesterday, I dicided to get out with my son and we got to the spot and put our waders and of we go. We have only just started steelheading in the recent years, but as an avid flyfisher I can read a river pretty well. I chose to go to a bigger river that is always murky because the lack of rain. With the bright sun, we went to the pools with shade. We tried roe with no success probably because there so crappy tied. Can you buy eggs so you can tie them yourself?????

 

I decided to put on a pink worm and my son put on a silver mepps. He instanty started catching small trout around 6 to 10 inches. We got to a big logjam and first cast he gets one!!!!! It does a swoosh and the surface and the reel goes sceaming. Being only 13, my son has learned how to play a fish and not to just reel it in. It comes in and its a beutiful 5 pound female. My son asks wheres the mepps, then I feared the worst. This river has only been catch and release in the last couple years and this fish had inhaled this spinner. It was about 3 to 4 inches inside his mouth. If I tried to take it out it would surely die. So i figured the best way for it to survive is to cut the line. This taught me a lesson that always when catch and release is to use single barbless hooks. But why wouldn't they put that on the regulations? I didnt bother taking pictures after being very occupied at the time even though I had my son there. It was going to get dark and we were about a km up the river so we had to hed our way back. I felt sad the rest of the day. Was this the best thing to do????

 

Bill S.

[BillM]

I'll be extremely surprised if that fish survives... Leaving a treble in it's throat is pretty much a death sentence.

 

Where was the hook? In the gills? If not, a little streamside surgery isn't going to hurt.. Sure it might be deep, but if it's in the roof of the mouth, it will be fine...

 

You couldn't go in via the gillplate and atleast snip off the hooks?

Edited November 15, 2009 by BillM

[timmeh]

Congrats to your son on a nice fish!

 

Another option is reach in and to cut the hooks themselves if you can't pull them out, and not the line. This way you leave just the hook points in the fish instead of the entire lure. And you get your lure back, you just need to add a new hook to it. So it's best for you and the fish.

 

The barbless hooks are a good way to go in C&R zones, I do this on most of my trout spinners anyway. Another thing I commonly do is to cut one of the treble hooks points off, or switch to a single hook. I've never really noticed this affecting my hook up rate at all, plus it's easier to get them unhooked. Dealing with a full treble on a thrashing fish is a pain in the

[StoneFly]

Based on your description, Im pretty sure I know the spot, even big hole you are talking about, I have seen several guys get steelies out of it using spinners before the C&R came into effect, and I even tried it the last time I went out, never thought about the fact that its catch and release only and the damage those trebles can do, usually not something I think about as the #14's I use have never casued a fish to bleed. Food for thought, for me. thanks for posting this. I wonder what the law dictates in this case,...what if the fish went belly up? Your only choice would be to not let it go to waste and keep it,..or just let it die. It is curious why they didnt mandate barbless single hooks when implementing C&R on that stretch.

 

BTW,..I think I would have been inclined to snip the hooks as already pointed out. Although, thinking of the time it would take to get that done,...Im thinkin the fish is a goner anyhow. Im thinkin barbless trebles or barbless single, as long as you keep the pressure, you should have no worries and heck if you lose it,..its catch and release anyways, lol

Edited November 15, 2009 by StoneFly

[Musky or Specks]

If the fish dies you still have to let it go. I've asked the CO's before because its happened to me with a sub legal musky and with a trophy Lake Trout I got through the ice on Simcoe fishing for perch in December. The reasoning is that those less scrupulous individuals would always make this claim in order to keep a fish.

[StoneFly]

If the fish dies you still have to let it go. I've asked the CO's before because its happened to me with a sub legal musky and with a trophy Lake Trout I got through the ice on Simcoe fishing for perch in December. The reasoning is that those less scrupulous individuals would always make this claim in order to keep a fish.

 

And that does make sense, did the CO happen to mention if you can get charged by Killing and OOS or C&R only fish even though it was by accident?

[timmeh]

And that does make sense, did the CO happen to mention if you can get charged by Killing and OOS or C&R only fish even though it was by accident?

 

No you can't be charged in those instances unless it's very clear to the CO you were targeting OOS fish or keeping C&R fish. The CO's realize that occasionally things happen, like fish getting hooked deeply.

[fishinguypat]

put it under water and push the trebles back...it may cause blood but if it gets the hooks out cleanly the fish should be good...you may not want to do this if its too far

[StoneFly]

I respectfully request that you change your name from 'Fishinguypat' to 'ItsPat'

[fishinguypat]

why lol?

[MJL]

If the fish dies you still have to let it go. I've asked the CO's before because its happened to me with a sub legal musky and with a trophy Lake Trout I got through the ice on Simcoe fishing for perch in December. The reasoning is that those less scrupulous individuals would always make this claim in order to keep a fish.

 

Yes this is true.

 

From the Ask a CO web-page

http://www.outdoorontario.net/AskMNR/mnrfaqfish.html

 

Question 124:

 

What should a person do if they were to hook a walleye that would definately not survive if released due to the way is was hooked? Is it up to a C.O.'s discretion or must it still be released?...

 

Asked June 28/00

 

Answer from the MNR

 

I am assuming from the context of your question that the walleye that you were referring to was in some way illegal. Otherwise, its butter and flour time! The answer, if the fish is illegal (out of season, under or over size, over limit, illegal gear, etc.) is that the fish must be immediately returned to the water. By regulation, this must be done in a manner which causes the least amount of harm to the fish. Even if the fish were dead, it must be returned.

 

It's rare to deep hook steelhead with spinners but it does happen occasionally. 95% of the time they hit the spinners and turn, hooking themselves usually in the corner of the mouth. A lot of the time, I don't even really set the hook because they're either already air born or steaming off down river before I realized what has happened.

[StoneFly]

thanks bud