Pollack that swallow

[Guest gus angus]

try circle streamer hooks from uk hooks they are a hy-brid hook between circle hooks and aberdeens they allow you to put soft lures like jelly worms on but have the lip hooking attributes of the circle hook and because you should not strike with a circle hook just wind down, they are ideal for wreck fishing and drifting rough ground.

[Snatcher]

Sorry sensai!

GRASSHOPPER

[gonefishing]

quote:

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The finger under the gill cover sounds barbaric but it is the kindest and easiest way.

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watch it on big ones...underneath the gill flap, the gill cage has "teeth"...i lacerated my finger when it got trapped in one of these...i dont know if it was the fish's last movement that did it or my kack handed handling, i'm just not going to stick my fingers in the gills again

[Toerag]

I pretty much agree with everything said above, especially the gill technique, including the cuts it gives you! Unfortunately Pollack seem to gut hook themselves more often than everything else. They also take baits as big as themselves which is a real pain as you can't 'use a big bait to keep the tiddlers off'. Personally I cut the line if they're gut hooked especially if they're undersized and I can't get my fingers or forceps through the gills. Sizeable fish are never a problem as they get eaten or given to the local animal shelter.

[Ian Burrett]

I guess it's a matter of practise. I along side my other two skippers will probably remove 20-30 fish each a day through the Gill cover and never have a problem.

We find that the good anglers tend to gut hook less fish than the average dangler as they are more in contention with the business end.

 

Just for interest. Inshore Pollack are territorial and will return to the same marks year after year. We have caught one easily identifiable fish 5 times over a three year period within a 10 yards radius. If you kill a big inshore Pollack, It's place will not be filled next year by another big fish, so if you do kill Pollack you are spoiling your own and others sport.

[jabee]

I unhook deep hooked fish through the Gill Cover.

After a whole week's fishing, my fingers are shredded!

[gonefishing]

just out of interest what do people use for bait/lure, because although we usually keep all the fish we catch (theyre large and brought up from the deep) i cant remember having too much of a deephooking problem...perhaps 1 or 2 a wreck tops.

[Ian Burrett]

Its rare to gut hook a Polllack when using a redgill or jellyworms as the forward motion will create a positive bite. When float fishing it is easy to have slack line which gives the Pollack time to swallow the bait down

[Toerag]

Also forgot to add, using leadheaded lures is great for avoiding gut hooking, they all seem to be hooked in the top lip.

[gonefishing]

ah that accounts for it...always used redgills or sandeel.