No not my eye the fishes eye. I'm just wondering what is the best way to handle the situation when you happen to hook a bass in the eye or anywhere around the eye that could damage its eyesite. I was bass fishing lastnight and my buddy hooked one directly under the eye but still in the eye socket. I took it out as best I could but didn't as far as I could tell damage the actual eyeball itself. The only damage was some of the skin in the socket but it wasn't anything to bad. Anyway let me know what the best way of handling this situation is for the fish's sake.

Just do your best.  

It's a drag but he can get by with just one if he has to.

Wont the fish die if it gets a hook in its eye?

Wont the fish die if it gets a hook in its eye?

No

I have caught a few with only one eye(might be why I caught em').One-eyed fish don't die they just swim in circles! ;D

If you really wan't to get it out with minimum damage to the fish,I would cut the barb and point off the hook if it were exposed,if not I would expose it and cut it,then just pull it out.Just as if you hooked yourself.

I also have caught many fish with only one eye.

As the others have said, just do the best you can.  I have hooked 2 different bass in the eye, and it is sad, but bass are very resiliant, and will survive with only one eye.  The would most likely survive with no eyesight at all, since they use other senses to feed, in addition to sight, they use their lateral lines, taste, and sense of smell when feeding. Don't sweat it, the bass will be ok, but I like what CJBasswacker says to do, great idea.

I CAUGHT A SMALLMOUTH THE OTHER DAY WITH ONLY ONE EYE AND HE LOOKED QUITE HEALTHY. HE WAS QUITE CHUNKY, I DON'T THINK HE MISSED ANY MEALS.

I was with my friend when he caught a 5 pound, 1-eyed largemouth... Was perfectly fine and healthy (Except for the 1 eye thing...).

Hooking a fish in the eye usually happens (or at least in my own experience) when using spinners, buzzbaits, jigs and the like.  The single, long-shaft hook goes in through the mouth and out through the eye.

When removing the hook, you can do two things: 1) if the barb is pointing away from the eye (like in the ill.) work it out gently, you may only wind up scratching the skin around the eye 2) if it looks like the barb will hit the eye, try to flatten the barb w/ a pair of needlenose first.

I've got a really hard hookset when fishing soft plastics. Seems like half of the fish I pull in, its hooked right through his eye, or right there in along the edge. Its sad. I gotta rip this hook out his eye and make him look like a freakin pirate the rest of his life. I guess thats better than gettin eaten though huh?

I have never caught a fish with one eye but i DID catch an eye and no fish, swear to god, and man is that a akward sight, a single eye on a hook staring at me. i think it was a white bass, cuz after i set the hook it kinda just suspended at the top of the water and i saw it for a second. I would suggest pressing the barb down, or if being a single hook, cut the line and take it out through the back of the hook. if that makes any sense.

They live with just one eye. Last year a buddy of mine caught a 12.25# largemouth with just one eye. The missing eye was all mangled (probably from a hook). I have since seen this bass roaming around. I can tell because the messed up eye is clearly visible and she is clearly a 10+ pound fish. I wonder how big she is now... :-?

Yea... I probably did that.

You won't be able to get a hook out of a fishes eye without costing him that eye- you just need to cut your barb off and slide it right out.  There isn't a worm hook or treble that is worth more than a fish's eye to me.  It won't kill the fish to rip his eye out, but I can't imagine he would ever get huge hunting with only one eye.  Call me a softie, but I snip barbs when I hook a fish in the eye or stomach.