Old wives tail about gill-hooking a fish

[Uncle Jesse]

Wulff, You know dead fish don't float long down our way, turtles and cottonmouth like bream sushi, taste like chicken.

[Big Bad Wulff]

Good point. I shudder every time I hear the word cottonmouth. Ew. Nasty. My skin is crawling right now

[branhap]

Notice the large scar and exposed gill of this rainbow trout. I think all fish can handle some trauma to their gills.

At the same time, I caught a cutt-bow back in '09 that did not make it on a size 18 dry.. I tried to revive it, without much luck, as luck would have it, a thunderstorm crept up, so I put him in a fish hold (so that way he could try to swim) and left him near the edge of the current. After the storm I returned, and he was still upside down.

He made a good dinner. So it all depends on how deep the hook went and where exactly the hook went I think.

Paul

[Gigmaster]

Cottonmouths are delicious. They taste like pork chops.

Good point. I shudder every time I hear the word cottonmouth. Ew. Nasty. My skin is crawling right now

[Gigmaster]

If the fish is bleeding from the gills, you might as well eat it, because, short of a miracle, it is not going to survive. If you don't, the turtles, and other predators will.