Influence of Hook Size and Style on Short-Term Survival of Deeply Hooked Bluegills

Catch and release is a common practice among recreational anglers. In instances when fish are deeply hooked, the proper techniques for promoting survival are poorly understood, although evidence suggests that the fishing line should be cut rather than attempting to remove the hook. Bluegills Lepomis macrochirus were used as a model to identify the role of hook size (sizes 8 and 12), style (Aberdeen, baitholder, single egg), and the presence of barbs (only for baitholder hooks in size 10) on survival and hook retention for fish deeply hooked and the line cut. Eight hook style and size variants were manually embedded in the dorsal esophagus of fish, monitored over 10 d, and compared with unhooked controls. There was some evidence that Aberdeen style and larger hooks (size 8) incurred greater mortality over the 10-d monitoring period, while barbless hooks did not improve survival. Hook retention was high (>90%) for all deeply hooked fish. “J” style hooks, such as Aberdeen, and larger hooks may not be warranted for bluegills; however, we suggest that anglers use an adaptive approach when they select for a gear type appropriate to their target catch and simply adjust for alternate gear and techniques if deep hooking persists. Received May 25, 2012; accepted June 5, 2012