# REMOVING SWALLOWED LURES



## grinner (May 15, 2008)

RECENTLY HAVE HAD 2 LURES SWALLOWED BY FLATHEAD. BOTH SMALL HARD BODIES AND I WAS ACTUALLY FISHING FOR BREAM. I USUALLY TRY TO LET FLATHEAD GO AS I THINK THEY COP A BIT OF A FLOGGING BUT I HAD A LOT OF TROUBLE GETTING THESE OUT . ANY SUGGESTIONS ON A GOOD TOOL FOR REMOVING TREBLES


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## puddles (Oct 16, 2007)

i always debarb my hooks, dont loose fish if u keep tension on the line.
long nose pliers are best to remove lures


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## Flump (Apr 17, 2006)

Try sugical forceps, really good even on smaller fish with much finer jaws and longer than the normal fishing pliers


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## beefs (Jan 30, 2006)

Barbless hooks and long nose pliers will give you the best bet of getting the hook out without injuring the fish. If your not sure if it will survive then its probably best to knock it on the head and take it home - save it suffering a slow death.


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## PatrickC (Apr 28, 2008)

if its mouth can fit it in its stomach i either put it on the plate, burly it or bait it lol not much you can really do with it in my oppinion


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## Blaen (Jul 4, 2006)

Even when using barbless hooks and long nose pliers you sometimes need to resort to surgery on your capture. Dispatch them quickly and do the deed, and take your Flattie home for tea. It's just my opinion but I think Flattie are the best tasting fish around.


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

Remove the head of the fish too unhook then replace the head on the fish


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## beefs (Jan 30, 2006)

rawprawn said:


> Remove the head of the fish too unhook then replace the head on the fish


This then arises the question of whether a surgical glue or metal staples is the preferred method of reattachment? I've heard the glue will leave less scarring. This is obviously important for the fishes emotional development - especially in the formative "teen" years. This is especially relevant to vain fish such as snapper and bream - flathead and snotty trevallae are, obviously, less susceptible to the tauntings and juvenile bullying so prevalent in todays mangrove nursery areas.

Ahhh... _"Fish Head Removal for De-hooking and the Subsequent Reattachment Methods: A Study into Pescatorial Emotional Development"_ - a great read for beginner and experienced fishermen alike - i'm sure other avid bookworms such as RawPrawn would agree.


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

beefs said:


> rawprawn said:
> 
> 
> > Remove the head of the fish too unhook then replace the head on the fish
> ...


I don't carry glue or staples. I usually just put the head back on a throw it back. I have noticed the head and body separate upon hitting the water on occasions, but I figured once the fish works out he has swum off without his head he will come back and get it before too long.

BTW The boook is a great read beefs


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## colzinho (Aug 6, 2007)

if you guys removed the fish's fillets at the same time as the head you would have a nice feed too, while still maintaining a catch and release ethos.


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## beefs (Jan 30, 2006)

colzinho said:


> if you guys removed the fish's fillets at the same time as the head you would have a nice feed too, while still maintaining a catch and release ethos.


Sheer, unequivocated brilliance. We are genuinely at the forefront on this site*

Not to mention the last few posts are testament to my theory that you can identify brilliant, logical, forward thinking minds by their choice in avatars :lol: .

*Please note that at no stage should it be revealed what exactly we are at the forefront of. Mum always said if you don't anything nice to say then dont say anything at all.


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

colzinho said:


> if you guys removed the fish's fillets at the same time as the head you would have a nice feed too, while still maintaining a catch and release ethos.


I feel so stupid now........I have thrown so much good food away. How many months after the first filleting and subsequent release do you think the fish would be in condition for recapture and filleting again? This could be the equivalent of Jesus on the mount. I could feed on the same fish 100s of times over a period of years........hypothetically of course it's crazy to think you will catch the same fish twice.


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## lucifer (Feb 21, 2008)

dont think its to stupid ,theres a vid on youtube which;........man fillets fish still alive only removing the flesh and then releases in a tank and the f^$ker still swims .Ill search for it and post it up,it is stuffen weird.


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## lucifer (Feb 21, 2008)

found it ,dam it was in metacafe


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## Baldy (Oct 1, 2007)

Theres a gadget called a degorger[spelling?] mostly made of plastic but ive seen some old wooden ones.

Theres a bit of a knack to using them, keeping tension on the line is the key, its a bit hard to explain here but most good tackle shops will have them and will be able to show you how to use one.

I kept losing them, leaving them on the bank mostly, so I dont have one to take a photo.

The ones Ive used are designed to remove single hooks so you will still have trouble with trebles but at least it stops one point from being able to dig back in, you just have the other 5 points to catch on something :lol:

Ive had the same trouble as you and even using long nose pliers/fly fishing forceps and the degorgers....some fish dont make it, sometimes you get lucky so its worth a quick try. The degorger is the only thing that has a chance of getting a hook out that you cant see, they are designed so you guide it down the line[which is where the tip about keeping the line firm comes in]

It reminds me I need to get another one, I plan to break out the bait soon and thats when they are real handy, the soft plastics and jigheads are great in that respect because I hardly ever guthook fish with them.

Cheers
Baldy


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## paffoh (Aug 24, 2006)

Tool of the trade back in the 80's, perfect for Flathead.

Plastic degorger tools are available from places like Big W, K Mart etc etc...

PS - Never tried them on Lures, have one with me at all times though.


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## beefs (Jan 30, 2006)

Baldy said:


> Theres a gadget called a degorger[spelling?] mostly made of plastic but ive seen some old wooden ones.
> 
> Theres a bit of a knack to using them, keeping tension on the line is the key, its a bit hard to explain here but most good tackle shops will have them and will be able to show you how to use one.
> 
> ...


THE SENSIBILITY OF SUCH SUGGESTIONS DISGUSTS ME :?


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## Baldy (Oct 1, 2007)

Oi Beefs.....









Read em and weep... yokel :twisted:

Cheers
Baldy


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## beefs (Jan 30, 2006)

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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