Weird Thing Happened Today During A Hook Set.......

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

 Many of you may have seen this or actually had it happen to you.....I was trolling along the shoreline of a favorite creek this morning when an inviting flooded log looked like a great destination for my tipped silent stinger so in there it went. Just a couple seconds went by when I got the first float movement indicating a bump...The float plunged out of sight and I lifted up on my telescopic to set the hook and my tackle flew up in the air and a fish came out of the water about two feet, returned to the water and subsequently jumped again this time heading shallow...I then realized it was about an eight inch gill fluttering near the surface and I didn't realize why yet....I grabbed the landing net and headed that way but with low water I couldn't quite reach him and he finally went deep and I didn't see him again......Thinking it was over I went to tip my jig again and discovered an entire eye ball was on the hook! Strange set of circumstances but do you guys think this fish will survive or end of prey or just perishing from the injury....It was pretty weird....And me the guy that takes hundreds of pictures a week didn't think to snap a few shots......Go figure!

[Allen Morgan]

You never know.

A couple years ago, I was actively fishing at a floating Crappie Dock on my home lake.  I spotted a Bluegill that had a size 6 gold Aberdeen hook stuck in it's left eyeball.  I tried to catch it, to no avail.  I would ocassionally see that fish hanging around the edge of the dock all summer long.  Haven't seen it since.  That was 3 years ago.

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Good stuff Allen..thanks for sharing!

[John Sheehan]

I've caught big Gills with one eye before that sure didnt look like it was starving .I think the fish has a chance they are a hearty species.That's if a Big Bass ,Pike or Musky arent around .

[Jason Preslar]

i've caught fish with one eye also; healthy too

[Jeffrey D. Abney]

Sounds like the fish has a shot.....it was a first for me after all the years wetting a line.....I do remember giant rainbow trout in a large underground lake in Tennessee going blind from the darkness but still able to feed from their sense of smell......

[Tony Livingston]

I've also caught many BG with only one eye. In most cases they appeared the same  as an uninjured fish from the same water, as far as body condition goes. I'll bet it survives okay.