Swallowing the hooks!

[Tarpon4me]

I've noticed that alot of the smaller sharks i've been hooking have been swallowing the hook. I've been forced to cut the leader off at thier mouth to try and prevent from injuring the fish anymore than I have to. I like to catch and release sharks and try to put them back as safely as possible. I was wondering if any of you have had this problem and if you have any suggestions as to what I can do to help prevent this? The hooks I use are standard issue 10/0 mustads with a long shank.

I was thinking of grinding the barb off the tip so it would be easy to get the hook out in the occasion they did swallow it. Any thoughts on that? How many fish will I loose on the count of doing this?

I'm trying to avoid spending loads of money on larger 12/0 or 14/0 hooks. Those things are pricey, and considering that alot of times I have to leave the hook in his jaw for safety reasons anyhow, it would really get expensive.

Thanks for your thoughts guys and gals! [cool]
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[SC_flyguy]

I use alot of circle hooks, They seem to always snag fish in the lip. I was reading a article in the South Carolina Wildlife mag and it also suggest circle hooks. One thing for sure....Once you hook a fish with a circle hook....they rarely ever have a chance at spitting it out. I use alot of barbless hooks our pinch the barbs down when flyfishing for trout. It works pretty well but you will loose a few fish.
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[Tarpon4me]

I like circle hooks, but for sharks, your hook up rate goes way down. Plus, you really have to get a monster hook to use for big sharks, as the gap is much smaller in reference to the actual size hook. But, it would work to keep the gut hooking down. I tried circle hooks before for sharks, and I wasn't impressed. With that said, i'll give them another try. Maybe I just had an unlucky run with them.

The trick with circle hooks is to set the hook while the fish is moving away from you. Maybe i'll just have to be a little more patient. The problem is most of my shark fishing is done strait down under the boat. LOL

Thanks for the reply flyguy! You've talked me into another trial with the infamous circle hook. []
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