What ever happens to the fish that get away!

[eastbayanglers]

I have a question i hope some people here can answer, so i like to use lighter line & from time to time i lose a bigger fish, what happens to the bait & hook after i break off. Do those fish eventually dislodge the bait/lure & hook & spit the bait out or swallow it? I just know today i had a good one hooked up & it looked to have choked the bait, & Snap!
Thanks in advance.....

[Burke]

I don't think there is a simple answer to that question. Everything that you mention can happen. Hooks rust and will eventually break, but it takes a long time. A few times, I've caught a fish that had a second lure in it's mouth. Unfortunately, sometimes the fish die. I have snagged a broken line/lost lure a couple of times and there was a dead fish with the hook/lure still in it's mouth.

[Jim Wilson]

I snagged a trout at Del Valle that had the hook and line hanging out its ***. It was trailing the hook like a fighter jet ready to land on and aircraft carrier. I pulled the rest of the line out and released it. So, a lot can happen when a fish breaks you off. That trout was able to pass the hook luckily.

[WRB]

Resolve the broken line problem. Breaking off bass shouldn't be an issue when bass fishing.
Define your tackle, reel,line, knot used and we can make a few suggestions to help you.
A percentage of bass don't survive after being caught even after releasing them intentionally.
Some bass die from eating discarded soft plastics because they can't digest it.
Tom

[Robb R]

I caught a 4.6lber on a spinnerbait once and it had some line coming out it' s arse , I carefully pulled on the line and a 4/0 hook with a brush hog eventually came out . The hook WAS NOT rusted at all , I suspect the hook had been in that bass 2-4 days . Bass seemed totally fine when I released it .