Thread: Hook Disgorger?

I knew I'd learn something on here. Thanks for the question. 👏

Thanks to all of you. Ordered some disgorgers off the internet. Hopefully my catches will be in the upper lip until they arrive.

Yeah, dad used a screw driver.

Have used a short piece of small diameter pvc pipe for catfish . Cut a slot for line and hold tight while pushing hook loose .

I use simple hemostats,they have worked for decades
Harbor Freight,Northern tool,Flea Markets etc
$2-3.00 USD at the most
No time for expensive gimmicks
Its fishing after all right?

I use hemostats also,plus I started using long shank hooks.I may be lucky,but nearly all the gills I caught recently were hooked in the upper lip.Im not sure how so many would be upper lip hooked,but i think only 2-3 were hooked down the gullet out of over 100 gills.

I use hemostats, too, but think the disgorger is far better for plain hooks. Having said that, I have stopped using plain hooks with live bait. Instead, I'm using 1/80 or 1/64 jig hooks. This has completely stopped the deep-hooking problem.

For a deeply hooked fish I use the technique Specklocker referenced. I think Al Lindner was given credit for promoting it's use. Don't know who came up with it. Started using it for green carp that took a c-rig or Texas rig too deep. Works every time. Don't have too many crappie or bream stuck that deep. All I use are jigs. The disgorger should work also, but the other technique is especially good when they are gulllet hooked.