Does anyone have factual information about the actual length of time it takes for a hook to disolve in saltwater? I have heard from a few weeks to just a couple of days. It’s hard for me to believe it would only take a few days.
You sound a little skeptical. Don’t you want to just try it?
Next time I’m out I’ll drop one in and let you know if it is there the next week. 
So, keep an eye on this post.
“Are you calling my life partner a sissy?” Moe Szyslak
Pulled a flutter hook out a reds anus recently. the lead was out but the hook end was still there. looked like it had been there quite awhile for all the gunk growing and attatched to the leader. the shank was pretty well rusted, but looked like it would have been there for a while longer with out some help. the fish looked no worse for the wear anyhow and put up a normal fight.
Just throw some hooks in a bait bucket insteadof dumping it. I’ve had my tackle box get swamped on the beach and within a couple days all the hooks could be snapped in half. Guess it depends on the coating on the hook as well.
“Fishing is not a matter of life or death. It’s much more important than that!”
quote:
Originally posted by FishMarshalJust throw some hooks in a bait bucket insteadof dumping it. I’ve had my tackle box get swamped on the beach and within a couple days all the hooks could be snapped in half. Guess it depends on the coating on the hook as well.
“Fishing is not a matter of life or death. It’s much more important than that!”
the difference is,in the fish the exposure to oxygen is less which i think really helps the rusting/corrosion happen so fast in the tackle box…
Thing rust faster in salt water… when expose to air
Totally submerged very slowly
Woodfloats?
Bend the barbs on all your hooks.Have long needle nose pliers and you can get most hooks out with out hurting your fish.Use circle hooks that helps big time.Also buy the cheap hooks.I would rather lose a fish then gut hook one and set it free with a hook and leader in it.
Stonoman
I read a report on a study on how long it takes hooks to dissolve in a fish’s mouth. I wish I still had a link to it but the gist was that they really don’t dissolve very fast and were more often “rejected” by the fish’s body by growing calluses around it that slowly pushed it towards the surface. Some hooks caused infections worse than others. Cadmium plated hooks were the worst for causing infections and stainless were the least infectious. The study left one with the impression that, ironically, stainless hooks probably caused the least fish mortality.
I caught a spottail several years ago that had a steel leader sticking out of its side. I could tell there was still a hook buried in the fish’s stomach but he seemed fine otherwise and fought like any other healthy fish.
There is one absolute in my world. There is always a difference between a fisherman’s guess and scientific study. I have found a few studies about gut hooked fish. I’m putting the list of reading material together for you. Most is available on the web.
Til then, here is one sentence from the Maryland DNR concerning stripers, in brackish water: “Bronzed hooks were the likeliest to fall out, though 70 percent remained after four months in brackish water.”
Well, you asked for it! 
Here is some “factual information about the actual length of time it takes for a hook to disolve in saltwater?” Also, there is some overlap with catch and release information. I tried to break the information into groups. Finally, some of the information relates to fresh water but, you should find it useful.
Gut (esophagus) Hooked fish information:
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John Foster, Recreational Fisheries Coordinator for the Fisheries Division of the Tidewater Administration of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources:
http://www.nesportsman.com/articles/article11.shtml -
Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6N-4W6XVTH-3&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=5c2591b04ea50cd6f8e7f12b4efe58fb -
Fisheries Conservation Technology Unit (FCTU) of the NSW Department of Primary Industries Study:
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/274669/Bream-the-survivor.pdf
Catch and release information:
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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:
http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=5913 -
SC DNR:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/mrri/insh_fish/reddrum/gonefishin.html#smres -
SC DNR:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/mrri/insh_fish/reddrum/catchandrelease.html
Other information:
Chopin, F. S., and Arimoto, T. 1995. The condition of fish escaping from fishing gears - a review. Fisheries Research, 21: 315-327.
Muoneke, M. I., and Childress, W. M. 1994. Hooking mortality: a review for recreational fisheries. Reviews in Fisheries Science, 2: 123-156.
Hey Bigger, thanks for the info.
Thanks for those articles!
It seems like it boils down to the fact that gut hooking is bad, no matter type of hook or if the leader is cut off or not. And that non-offset circle hooks are significantly less likely to cause a gut hook. Therefore, the best chance at recovery that a fish has when it’s caught and released is to use circle hooks. At least that’s my take on the articles.