Survival of gut hooked fish?

[Mad_Dog]

I was creek fishing for speckles today, using worms and a #10 hook. There are always a lot of little ones, 3-5 inch snakes, but I caught a fantastic one today, 7 inches and nice and fat. Beautiful colours on him, but he was big enough to swallow everything, I couldn't even see the hook eye. I figured trying to get it out would just do more damage, so I cut the line off as deep as I could, and let him go. He swam away strong, and he wasn't bleeding, so I was wondering if anyone knows how often a fish hooked like this survives? I know the MNR reg book says to do what I did, and I've heard stories of how the stomach acid gets rid of the hook pretty quick, but I was hoping for some hard facts, if there are any. I feel bad when a nice fish gets hooked like that, he must be king of the creek. Thanks...

[tvand]

i once caught a bass that was in the process of passing a hook it was very corrodided with the barb being completly gone i just grabbed it with my needle nose and pulled it the rest of the way out

[wolfe]

We were recently discussing some things that fish have coughed up or passed. You can probably find this thread a few pages in, and it might interest you.

I caught a decent largemouth bass this summer that had fishing line passing through its arse -- there was a very tiny, rusty hook just caught on the edge of the skin, half in, half out of the fish. With a pliers, I was easily able to take it out and the fish was released probably a whole lot happier than he was a few moments before.

I've often wondered the same question, especially when there is no bleeding whatsoever, but the hook is down in the gut. Maybe there is a better chance of survival than I originally thought. I'd like to hope so, anyway.

W.