PWT - foul hooked tournament fish?

[hmm]

I was wondering what the definition of a foul hooked fish is for PWT events?

As many of you know, trolling big cranks (like Reef Runners, or big stick baits), sometimes the fish comes in with hooks all over his face, and sometimes, the one in his mouth has come out during the net job. If the hook comes out of his mouth, but he still has them in his face, is the fish considered foul hooked by the PWT?

In BASS, they only consider the fish to be foul hooked if you casted at it while sight fishing, and snagged it. I wonder how the PWT defines this???

[hmm]

I was wondering what the definition of a foul hooked fish is for PWT events?

As many of you know, trolling big cranks (like Reef Runners, or big stick baits), sometimes the fish comes in with hooks all over his face, and sometimes, the one in his mouth has come out during the net job. If the hook comes out of his mouth, but he still has them in his face, is the fish considered foul hooked by the PWT?

In BASS, they only consider the fish to be foul hooked if you casted at it while sight fishing, and snagged it. I wonder how the PWT defines this???

[hgmeyer]

I thought "foul hooked" was anything behind the gill plates.... Now I'll have to look it up...

[hgmeyer]

I thought "foul hooked" was anything behind the gill plates.... Now I'll have to look it up...

[definition]

foul hooked definition-When you are young enough to the business that ehtics still mean something to you and you throw a fish back that was not hooked in the mouth. As your career progresses, foul hooked means- i better figure out a way quick to justify keeping this fish.

[definition]

foul hooked definition-When you are young enough to the business that ehtics still mean something to you and you throw a fish back that was not hooked in the mouth. As your career progresses, foul hooked means- i better figure out a way quick to justify keeping this fish.

[reelman1]

Regardless of what BASS or PWT says don't most states say that if the fish is not hooked in the mouth it is considered snaged and must be released? In wisconsin I don't think the warden would really care what BASS or PWT rules say, if the fish is snaged and you keep it you are in violation of the law and will get a ticket. Plus if you violate a state law aren't you supposed to be DQ'd from the tournament?

[reelman1]

Regardless of what BASS or PWT says don't most states say that if the fish is not hooked in the mouth it is considered snaged and must be released? In wisconsin I don't think the warden would really care what BASS or PWT rules say, if the fish is snaged and you keep it you are in violation of the law and will get a ticket. Plus if you violate a state law aren't you supposed to be DQ'd from the tournament?

[SUPERTROLLER]

How are you going to prove that any given fish was foul hooked? Is every fish at a weigh-in going to be checked inside of it's mouth for hook holes with bleeding or holes torn through just behind the lips? Unless the anglers involved throw the fish back, as honest individuals should, how are you going to know? The net guy could just say that it was lightly hooked in or near the mouth and the guy holding the rod may or may not have been able to tell how well it really was hooked. I've had fish flip off next to the boat just as I was dipping for them. When I was lucky enough to net them, we kept them. They were brought to the boat by hook and line but brought into the boat only by the net. No hooks still attached. I think this is still a legal fish fish. Not sure where it fits in a legal definition. Should we have thrown them back because they were not hooked in the mouth? They might have been but how can we prove it? I think even if a fish has an obvious wound somewhere else on it's body, you'll be hard pressed to prove they weren't hooked in the mouth. Someone could also just make a hook hole inside the mouth to cover up a good snagging job.

[SUPERTROLLER]

How are you going to prove that any given fish was foul hooked? Is every fish at a weigh-in going to be checked inside of it's mouth for hook holes with bleeding or holes torn through just behind the lips? Unless the anglers involved throw the fish back, as honest individuals should, how are you going to know? The net guy could just say that it was lightly hooked in or near the mouth and the guy holding the rod may or may not have been able to tell how well it really was hooked. I've had fish flip off next to the boat just as I was dipping for them. When I was lucky enough to net them, we kept them. They were brought to the boat by hook and line but brought into the boat only by the net. No hooks still attached. I think this is still a legal fish fish. Not sure where it fits in a legal definition. Should we have thrown them back because they were not hooked in the mouth? They might have been but how can we prove it? I think even if a fish has an obvious wound somewhere else on it's body, you'll be hard pressed to prove they weren't hooked in the mouth. Someone could also just make a hook hole inside the mouth to cover up a good snagging job.

[ams]

In the PWT, the way you will know if a fish was foul hooked is the amateur in the boat will say so. There have been several pros kicked out of the PWT for life after an am turned them in for a serious rule infraction (like trying to stretch a fish that was under the minimum, or upgrading in a no cull event, etc).

This is one of the things that keeps this sport honest. If there is a well understood definition about what it means for a fish to be foul hooked, these guys will abide by that rule...Most will tell you that it's not worth loosing all of your sponsors and getting black balled from the PWT just to keep a fish that shouldn't be kept.

So, the question of the original post seems to have been lost...What does foul hooked really mean? Some people think it means that if the fish was hook while trying to eat the bait, it's not foul. Some think that no matter what, if the hook isn't in the mouth it's foul. Some think that if the hook is in the lip, but outside the mouth (when the mouth is held closed) it's foul. Some people think that even if there is a hook in the mouth, if there is another hook anywhere else, it's foul.

Just saying "it has to be hooked in the mouth" is not a precise enough definition.

[ams]

In the PWT, the way you will know if a fish was foul hooked is the amateur in the boat will say so. There have been several pros kicked out of the PWT for life after an am turned them in for a serious rule infraction (like trying to stretch a fish that was under the minimum, or upgrading in a no cull event, etc).

This is one of the things that keeps this sport honest. If there is a well understood definition about what it means for a fish to be foul hooked, these guys will abide by that rule...Most will tell you that it's not worth loosing all of your sponsors and getting black balled from the PWT just to keep a fish that shouldn't be kept.

So, the question of the original post seems to have been lost...What does foul hooked really mean? Some people think it means that if the fish was hook while trying to eat the bait, it's not foul. Some think that no matter what, if the hook isn't in the mouth it's foul. Some think that if the hook is in the lip, but outside the mouth (when the mouth is held closed) it's foul. Some people think that even if there is a hook in the mouth, if there is another hook anywhere else, it's foul.

Just saying "it has to be hooked in the mouth" is not a precise enough definition.