Found: bass fishing gear in Tapps

[dilbert]

Did you loose a worm hook, green worm, and about 18" of 10lb test line at Lake Tapps? Did you last see it in the gullet a 12" smallie? Well I found it, but I let your fish go.

After I took my hook out of a smallie I caught today, there was still a length of line coming out of his mouth. When I looked closer I could see the eye of the hook just poking out. I gave it a little tug to bring it up enough for the pliers, and used the gut hook removal technique that was posted on the forum here a little while back. Much to my surprise the hook came out easily and there was still a worm attached to it! It looks like the line was cut, leaving an 18" leader coming out of the poor fish's mouth. It was a heavy wire hook and it did have some rust pitting on it. I'd hate to think how long this would have taken to rust away.

[Edgeran]

Well done good sir. I'm thinking you probably saved a life there. I wonder if the owner has seen your posting but is too embarrassed to claim their gear. If it was me I would def. claim it because thats worth at least $.37.....

[tnj8222]

best thing to do if there hooked deep is to just cut line and let it rust out.... atleast this is what i have been told....

on the other hand that looks like a awesome bait for a dropshot!! might want to keep it for yourself lol

[CK14]

best thing to do if there hooked deep is to just cut line and let it rust out.... atleast this is what i have been told....

on the other hand that looks like a awesome bait for a dropshot!! might want to keep it for yourself lol

i had to cut the hook off like that a couple times this morning. one time i caught a largie that had an EWG hook sticking out of its vent. it didn't look comfortable, but it was alive and had passed it through (i pulled it the rest of the way out though).

oh, and that style of bait is killer....

[dilbert]

...

oh, and that style of bait is killer....

Any Idea what brand that is?

What I thought was strange is that there was 18" of line on that hook. It probably could have been cut a little shorter. Mainly, I thought it was pretty cool to catch a fish that I knew for sure had been caught before. If that person had kept it, I wouldn't have had the chance to catch it also.

[Anonymous]

Besides trout I have never not been able to remove a hook. Some people I guess just don't want to take the time. (or know how) http://www.washingtonlakes.com/Forum/vi ... .php?t=561
Good on you dilbert, your a cool guy in my book.
You know that fish might have snapped a line or someone could have got snagged at one point, snapped their line and the fish swallowed it then. I always wonder if fish take my bait once I lose it on a snag or hang-up.


fishnislife

[Kenster]

hey "lifer" i bet your right. had to be a snag, no way a 12"er is gonna break you off unless he was the one that snagged (wraped) you around one of the countless snags in Lake Tapps, which Tapps is most notorious for.

by the way love the Ninja fishing on the golf course... i have allways talked of hitting them like that. Nice photos.

kenster

[fishnislife]

hey "lifer" i bet your right. had to be a snag, no way a 12"er is gonna break you off unless he was the one that snagged (wraped) you around one of the countless snags in Lake Tapps, which Tapps is most notorious for.

by the way love the Ninja fishing on the golf course... i have allways talked of hitting them like that. Nice photos.

kenster

Thanks kenster, down in Cali my buddies and I were known as the "Country Club Bass Assassins" or CCBA on many of the boards. When you live in Palm Desert (next to Palm Springs) and the whole valley consists of 200+ golf coarses you learn adapt. We had many o'late nights out on the coarses tagging big bass. Good times.
You reminded me that I need to add to my photobucket the crazy videos we made while I was down there. Look for them soon.

Back to the thread at hand:
I have heard that bass can get large plastics like senkos stuck in their throats and die of starvation. This is what we believed to have happened to this one. And before you respond, that night we caught a ton of healthy bass and that pond never had any problems in the years I fished it. But many kids would fish this lake with plastics and I believe that this one might have fallen to this occurrence.


fishnislife

[CK14]

...

oh, and that style of bait is killer....

Any Idea what brand that is?

nope, looks like a small companies bait. i use yamamoto cut tails...in a secret color

[Bassmaster2008]

You guys ever hook 1 lb smallmouth bass in the snout area and possibly through the eye socket? I was at potholes this weekend and I did that 3 times. It was quite a touchy situation for getting the hook out. It must be common with the smallmouth just because of their anatomy. I was usin a grub and weedless hook.

[Edgeran]

About that secret color CK.......ummm.......TELL MEEEEEEEEEEEEE! HAHA :rambo: OR YOU'RE WALKING THE PLANK....ARRRRRRR

[CK14]

i've hooked bass through the eye before, i always feel kinda bad...i also hooked one through the top of the head one time, killed it instantly

about that secret color, think eel.....

[Nik]

hooking bass through the eye sucks, but I've also caught a large bass that was obviously blind on one eye, possibly due to being hooked through it at one time. The point is dont think you have to keep a fish just because you eye hooked him; bass are extremely resilient and can live and grow old with one eye.

Also the link that fishinislife provided for removing a hook works wonderfully; if you fish texas rigs then that method will save your hooks and some bass lives.

[bpm2000]

Ive only eye hooked a couple but its usually when smaller fish try to get bold on a large spinnerbait for me - the slam and the large hook = eye poke.

[CK14]

one time on tv i saw a guy catch a bass that was blind in both eyes, it just had to rely on its nose and lateral line.

[tnj8222]

one time on tv i saw a guy catch a bass that was blind in both eyes, it just had to rely on its nose and lateral line.

now thats pretty cool. hes a survivor

[ChrisB]

I have not had to do many hook extractions in recent time, at least not my own. In 2 trips, my girlfriend gut hooked 2 bass. One I took home because it was an 11 incher and bleednig, but the other was ok in the livewell over an hour, so I cut the line. Normally I'll cut the hook as far down as I can, but I left my Snap-On long dikes at home that trip. I'm not too skilled doing the through the gill technique. Reason why is because I don't get enough practice. If you are watching your line, most of the time, you won't hook them deep. Heck, sometimes I set the hook too fast, thanks to line watching, and maybe quality rods

[WCCT]

I make that bait, but I don't use them at Tapps and I like to drop shot them. It is a flat spade tail worm. I know a couple of other people that make it also. I would guess that it was just broke off, and not cut on purpose. The line probably had a fray in it or something.