foul hooking a fish

[huntfish]

I was watching Alaska State Troopers on tv and they were giving people fines and taking gear from people who were foul hooking salmon and keeping the fish. I don't do much catch and keep fishing but was just curious if that is also a law in PA for trout? Is it a law to release foul hooked fish? I always had the impression that its almost better to keep a foul hooked fish than one hooked normal because it will probably die anyways depending on the severity of the injury.

 

[HopBack]

It is unlawful to possess a fish intentionally or unintentionally snagged.

 

[MKern]

I want to say, without looking, that it is only considered a legal catch if hooked in the mouth and hooked outside of the body it must be returned to the water.

I know it seems weird, because the fish may be injured beyond recovery. However, I believe the rule is in place to deter snagging.

 

[laszlo]

I once foul hooked a trout right in the ******, that's the epidome of being foul hooked.

 

[huntfish]

Haha thats awful. I did not know that was a law here in PA. Good to know. Thanks.

 

[JeffK]

That is the law everywhere I am aware of. The fish may be injured, but putting it back is to prevent snaggers using the line that they accidentally hooked it and it would die anyway.

 

[purplewoolly]

I never hope to foul hook fish, but isn't there just a slight bit of revenge when an over aggressive , in your face, get that weak *~#% out of here refusal gets them snagged in the tail? Maybe that only happens to me?

 

[hooker-of-men]

I've only ever foul hooked a fish in the head, which I took to mean that it wanted to eat my streamer but was an idiot. Counts as a fish caught in my book (though, of course, I released it).

 

[streamerguy]

purplewoolly wrote:
I never hope to foul hook fish, but isn't there just a slight bit of revenge when an over aggressive , in your face, get that weak *~#% out of here refusal gets them snagged in the tail? Maybe that only happens to me?

This happens to me every once in a blue moon when fishing a double streamer rig. You'd miss a fish on the first fly but the second fly would end up snagging them. One of the reasons I don't use them much any more....hate bringing in tail hooked fish.

Happens with dry dropper rigs too. Maybe I'm just too fast with the hookset haha

 

[laurelrun]

Foul hooked a freshly stocked rainbow last weekend. Any one else notice that fresh stockers are more commonly snagged than wild or holdovers? I got this one in the tail and think he actually spit my top fly before getting tail hooked.

Also when I notice a foul hook, I try to horse the fish in to immediately release. Thoughts on whether that's a best practice?

 

[huntfish]

I've foul hooked my number of fish and I do usually get them in as quickly as possible and try to limit them flailing around. I've foul hooked a few native brookies too which is always a bummer.

 

[Biggie]

If you fish the salmon run in NY, you will hear "good hook" or hooked right in the choppers. This is because there is alot of foul hooked fish and the guy wants everyone to know he got this one legit.

 

[wbranch]

I know it seems weird, because the fish may be injured beyond recovery. However,

I've caught fish in in the east and west with huge open wounds in their backs, and sides, from being skewered by a heron and they were fine and still feeding so I doubt if the removal of a trout fly hook from the body of a fish is going to cause mortality.

 

[JeffK]

In the Salmon R I think any hook up in front of the gills is considered OK by most. CO may disagree though.

 

[bigslackwater]

I've foul hooked quite a few. Almost every other outing or so it seems to happen. I've never had one injured that I know of. Smaller hooks usually don't go to deep and if you are fishing barbless they pop right out.

 

[mcwillja]

i hate when fishing tandem flies the fish fair hooks the lead fly then the second fly foul hooks the fish and rips the first hook out. This has happened to me even with 20" length of tippet between flies.

 

[huntfish]

i've foul hooked a brookie so small before that when i was using a size 18 zebra midge it went through the right side of the stomach and out the left side. Barbless hook allowed for me to slip it out easily, and the fish took off when i released it like nothing happened.

 

[bigslackwater]

Fish tend to foul hook my hands when I use a tandem rig! If they take the dropper, be careful grabbing the tippet between the flies, if the fish flops around or takes off, the second fly is going in your fingers.

 

[UncleShorty]

Only ever foul hooked one, a stocky rainbow about 10 inches. Thought I had a nice fish on, it fought like crazy.

Got the fish to net, slipped out the barbless hook and told him to go get his big brother.

He didn't...

 

[ryansheehan]

wbranch wrote:

I know it seems weird, because the fish may be injured beyond recovery. However,

I've caught fish in in the east and west with huge open wounds in their backs, and sides, from being skewered by a heron and they were fine and still feeding so I doubt if the removal of a trout fly hook from the body of a fish is going to cause mortality.

I got one of those last weekend, fish was still crazy strong and took me close to my backing. Whatever it was that got him had its claws in both sides