Catfish/horned pout?

Question

I was catching catfish the other night at a local pond. The first two were small and hooked in the lip. I used pliers and flipped the hook out w/o a problem. The next two were about 10 and 14 inches. They were hooked in the side of the mouth and I could not get the hook out. I tried and tried. I felt bad for the fish, but thought it better to cut the line and let them go. They were Gamagatsu (sp?) circle hooks that I usually use for waky rigs. Any tips on hooks or how to get the hooks out w/o hurting the fish?

Answer 1

If you don't want to rip the hook out using needle nose pliers then you can push the hook thru the mouth until it pops out of the fish - then take the pliers and cut off the barb of the hook or just cut the hook so the barb part is removed and then slide it back thru the fishes mouth and it won't catch.

I realize that sometimes it's hard to get it out of some fish so I do that - only drawback is you will have to replace the hook.

Answer 2

try your best if u can't get the hook out ask some 1 for help put the fish in a bucket and ask a other fisher man if he will help some are really good  i'm bad at getting the hook out but,this is how i do it grab the fish by the top of head that lil sharp part and pull or go to ehow how to unhook a fish

Answer 3

Turn the hook in a circular motion as you remove the hook.

Answer 4

heat the hook it dont hurt them!

Answer 5

If you go catfishing alot, it you should carry a set of needle-nose pliers. It gets the job done fast and efficiently. If you dont want to haul around the pliers, you can get a pair of forceps (hemostats) and clip them to your vest or do as I do; I wear a lanyard with a pair of nipper (toenail clippers) and I clip the forceps to the lanyard. I never go fishing without it. That way you can clamp splitshot on to your line,(without having to use your teeth to "bite" them on) , unhook fish, and the nippers are so you dont have to use your teeth to bite through your line when changing hooks, lures, etc.