What to do if a pike has a trace already in it

[Sheps31]

I have read on a few threads, that people have caught a pike with a trace already in it's gut, which they have managed to get out. How do you go about this if the hooks are out of site?

luckily I haven't witnessed this yet, but if I do and there is a way of sorting it out, I would like to know
Thanks

[davelumb]

From the old PAC website:

UNHOOKING
With your pike safely in the net and carried ashore, place it on a large, padded unhooking mat. Look to see where your hooks are before proceeding to handle the fish. Insert one or two fingers under a gill plate, keeping them well away from any hooks. You might like to wear a gardening glove on the hand you do this with. Lift the pike's head carefully and its mouth will usually open. Maintain this hold while you use a pair of 10-12 inch artery forceps to grip and remove the hooks - top hook first, then the lower. It is now that you will appreciate the use of semi-barbed hooks. If the hooks are in deeper near the throat, insert the forceps through the gaps in the gills below your 'holding-hand'. Please do this with great care and preferably under instruction if for the first time.

When fishing with lures, which tend to have bigger and thicker-wired hooks fitted, you will benefit from the use of pliers as opposed to forceps. Always carry a strong pair of side-cutters in case you need to cut through the hooks to aid unhooking. 

When you are a lot more experienced you may want to unhook pike in the water, thus minimising contact. Despite the awesome look of all those sharp teeth, the pike will not purposely bite you. Don't be frightened, treat the pike with respect and confidence. If the fish is small, you may find it easier to lift the pike to unhook it, as shown on the left. If the fish is bigger, then it is easier to unhook the fish by kneeling astride it, as on the right.

If the hooks are difficult to get out, do not cut the trace, unclip it. Put the pike in the landing net and into the water. Then seek help from another pike angler, do not feel embarrased, we have all been there. More information for dealing with this situation can also be found on the next page.

COPING WITH DEEP HOOKED PIKE
Despite your best efforts you might still occasionally hook a pike further back than you would like, you might find yourself fishing near someone who has deep hooked a pike and needs assistance, or you might land a pike which has someone else's lost trace down its throat. Even when hooks are out of sight the pike can generally be unhooked safely provided you take care and follow the guidelines outlined here.

On some occasions the act of pulling on the trace will result in the bait (which is almost always still attached to the hooks when a pike has swallowed it) simply popping out of the pike's throat - hooks and all. This is not always the case, but in any event if you can see the bait it is always a good idea to grip it with a pair of strong forceps and try to pull it out before starting to remove the hooks. Getting the bait out of the way makes it much easier to see what you are doing when operating on the hooks.

When there are two of you one opens the pike's mouth as described on the previous page while the other pulls the trace using any line attached, or if necessary gripping the swivel with another pair of forceps. The pull should be firm and sustained until the pike's stomach starts to emerge into the throat. Once the first hook on the trace becomes visible - working with the forceps either down the throat, or very carefully through the gills - it can be inverted and un-hooked. If necessary, bits can be cut off the hook in order to remove it with minimum damage to the fish. Carry on using exactly the same approach with the second hook - assuming that it is a standard snap tackle. Once the hooks are removed the stomach will normally retract itself.

If the problem trace is not yours it is unlikely you'll have a clue where the hooks are if none are visible but you should still try the above procedure. If the trace has already been cut pull the cut end with forceps. If this is not possible, cut and remove as much of the hooks/trace as you can and release the fish. It is reasonable to conclude that hooks left in a pike will eventually disintegrate by a combination of digestion and rusting (assuming that stainless steel hooks have not been used and for this reason they should not be). Whenever possible attempts should be made to remove any and all hooks.

Should you be fishing alone, pull the line or braid with your teeth to raise the hooks up. If there is no line attached to the trace then a piece of leather, or a pad of other material, can be attached to the swivel by means of something resembling a paper clip and this again pulled using your teeth. Be ready for any sudden movement of the fish though!

Do not forget that you are dealing with a living creature and time is of the essence. It may even pay to interrupt proceedings by putting the pike in the margins to re-charge it's batteries before continuing. The fish should not be out of the water for longer than two or three minutes at a stretch.

To summarise, the best way to avoid deephooking pike is to use good bite detection, to pay attention to it and to strike as soon as you can. Placing the hooks towards the rear of the bait will further reduce the chances of a pike swallowing them. The use of barbless or semi-barbless hooks will make unhooking much easier should this happen. However, barbless hooks should not be used as an excuse for leaving pike to swallow baits. You might also like to consider using double hooks rather than trebles, especially when fishing with deadbaits. Always carry adequate unhooking gear - two pairs of forceps and a pair of wire cutters. Try wherever possible to remove all hooks - but don't over stress the fish in the process.

[The predator]

Good advice there Dave.
Two bits spring out.....use barbless hooks and don't be afraid to ask another angler for help.....it makes it much easier

[Andrew]

ive had to do this twice. both fish were not mines but people ive had to help on the canal

In both instances neither angler had adequate unhooking tools, cutters, clue.

The first pike was about 12lb and people had started to gather around the bloke playing it with a birds nest on an imploded starter kit reel so I made him walk back up the bank to bank it

I chinned it for him and both trebles were out of sight so I asked if anyone had any more experience than me dealing with a deep hooked pike having not ever done it before and nobody did but I had read that pac article dave posted months previously and decided to take control of the situation.

A slow, steady, consistent pull on the trace seen the gut come out fairly easy until I could see the first trebles and chopped the points off then a rest in a net for a few minutes and on to the second treble which got its points chopped too and another good rest in the margins before releasing. it couldn't have went any better, wither or not it made it through its ordeal later ill never know but I done my bit.

the second pike I had to deal with I still feel s**t about. It was a small pike of about 3lb (again, not mines) both trebles well out of sight but this time the gut just would not move, I believe the trebles had hooked something else outside of the gut preventing it from coming out so rather than pulling I felt the best course of action was to leave this one be and cut the line at the swivel

ive heard quite a few contradictions to the pac article over the years regarding cutting the trace vs leaving the trace so someone else might have better luck if it was to be caught again. It makes sense to me since ive seen some seriously skinny pike with faces like tackle boxes still try to feed and having a length of trace left has always helped us remove the entire trace, all 3 of them one time!.

[Sheps31]

Thanks for the advise everyone.

I only really lure fish for pike and perch and haven't had any deep hookups so far, but after reading threads where people had caught pike with traces already in them, I felt I should be armed with the knowledge to help them out!

Cheers
Wayne