I have a bad track record with gut hooking trout. I need help, I’m tired of hurting them. I had to harvest an 8” today because it was too injured from swallowing 2 hooks! (I think it was because the hooks had gotten tangled)I would’ve preferred to let it go, but it never got back to swimming upright.
Stocked trout in the local lakes, they like floating brightly colored floating things because it’s what they were raised on.
The method that works for me is to cast out to approximately where the trout are lurking, and then let it sit for several minutes. They see the power eggs, and then strike pretty softly… easy to mistake the rod motion for choppy water if there is any. It isn’t until they strike *hard* that I either notice, or manage to get to the rod to reel them in.
I don’t know how big of a hook should I move to, and/or different bait?
I might crimp the barbs down. I’m tired of trying to remove these deep hooks.
Posted by shouldbepracticing85
3 Comments
Well pal, the answer is that if you’re fishing with bait, be prepared to harvest them.
The specific answer is to cut these off and tie on a 1/8 oz Kastmaster
Circle hooks are designed to only hook the mouth. You still might hook deep with an offset circle, but it’ll be far less than a j hook.
Fish lures; you will almost always gut hook trout with that type of bait rig