17 replies to this topic

[KingMidas]

So today when I was out at a local pond I got a hit on my t-rigged havoc craw fatty that I wasn't expecting. My 2/0 hook ended up coming out of the fishes eye. I HATE it when that happens. It always makes me feel bad for blinding a fish and I subsequently called it a day and headed home. Does anyone have any tips on how to stop that from happening? ATM I can't think of anything to avoid that but hopefully someone out there has a tip to at least make it less likely to send a hook through a fish's eye.

[SirSnookalot]

I think it's unavoidable.

[BassHunter_Hunt]

it's just one of those thjngs that happens. maybe it happens when there is too much of a delay betwwen bite and hook set

[00 mod]

Sometimes it happens. Can't control that always! Only thing I could think of is use a cricle/octopus hook. But the only styles it lends towards are wacky and drop shot.

Jeff

[georgeyew]

Only thing I could think of is use a cricle/octopus hook. But the only styles it lends towards are wacky and drop shot.

I use 3/0 circle hooks 90% of the time and I have never hooked one in the eye. On some smaller bass, the hook has come close to the eye socket, but they were all hooked around the corner of the mouth.

[Brandon Dozier]

Although not always possible, a sweeping sideways hookset is a good way of avoiding hooking a fish in the eye. But don't feel too bad if you do wind up hooking them in the eye. They still eat!

[Red Earth]

quit fishing altogether is really the only 100% way to never hook a fish through the eye again

[MarkH024]

I would like to add that at least KingMidas shows that he cares about the fish and its survival which I assume 99.9% of the Bass Resource users do as well. I have witnessed some pretty foul things with people handling fish before and those people don't deserve to have fishing privileges. So props to you KingMidas for at least attempting to find a preventative method to this. It is going to happen, so just do you your best to remove the hook the best you can. If you feel really bad, you can always snip the barb off and try to ease the hook out but the fish will be blind most likely anyway. Best of luck

[nycgrip]

i use this

http://www.cabelas.c...80;cat104505480

cut the hook and avoid further trauma to the fish, it sucks doing it on tungsten weighted hooks but oh well. and use this for gut hooked fish

http://www.cabelas.c...80;cat104505480

it flips the hook 180 and makes it easy to get out.

[Bluebasser86]

No way to avoid it. Don't feel too bad, I've caught lots of bass that were partially or completely blind and having no problem feeding. If a bass loses it's vision it have other ways of finding food that still make it a completely capable predator. A fish living in super muddy water can't see it's food right? Pretty similar situation, they can't see their food so their other senses take over.

[Austinz33]

Hate that when it happens! Just gotta move on

[tstone]

I've caught some good sized one eye bass, they'll live.

[BassHunter_Hunt]

Wouldn't they die of infection....unless they are too BadASS (BASS) for germs to mess with.

[clayton86]

My Nephew hooked a nice 5lber threw the eye some years ago in a private 20acre pond we fish. We have caught one eye joe as he maybe she has gotten the nick name at least once every year always in the same area hes well over 7lbs now and pushing 8. They just adapt and live on.

[200racing]

i have friends with a pond that is mainly smaller bass. i use a 1/0 hook it seems to hook up more in the front of the mouth around the lips more. when i first started i was used 2/0 and 3/0 like on the lake and it seem there was more trauma to the face region.

ewg hooks seem to come through the face more might try the O'Shaugnessy Worm Hook