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i caught what might be my first fish in years and possibly my first sucker on a fly. i was dead drifting a minnow pattern when i hooked into a average sized sucker. the problem is, the hook was JUST on the outside of the lip.

 

so my question is......was this a fair fish, or did i line it?? it matters all the world to me to find this answer. i don't want to add this to my records if it was a lined fish.

 

any thoughts???

 

edit: this is at the base of a weir dam. the pool is loaded with carp, suckers and possibly a backdrop steel. i have foul hooked a couple of suckers in this area already. that is why i'm questioning if it was a clean hit. if it was a clean hit, then i've got all the points nailed (place, pattern, presentation).

post-52814-0-66061600-1399807230_thumb.jpg

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IGFA rules say it's only disqualified it it was intentionally foul hooked. If it was hooked in the lips on a hit, it's a legal fish.

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Maybe it was taking your minnow and it went in its mouth hook eye first instead of the rear of the fly going in first so the hook grabbed the outside of the lip instead of the inside. I would call it a fair hookup and add it to the memory and the log book. Now if you hooked it in the side or the tail............

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Agree with the others, looks like a fair hook up to me. Had it been the side of the head or anywhere else along the body, I would say foul hooked, but that close to the mouth, it would be good enough for me! smile.png

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Definitely a fair fish. I believe in some fishing comps anything forward of the operculum is considered a fair fish so you are way in the clear by that definition...

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suckers tend to swat things with their nose to stun it before eating.

if it was a long streamer hook it might have been crosswise to the fish hooking it on the outside.

here in Michigan the rules clearly say inside the mouth repeatedly because we have a snagging problem.

I would say this fish hit your fly & because of my 1st 2 statements just got hooked outside the mouth.

I think you can count it.

lining usually is hooked on the far side of the face or mouth.

most suckers lined take it to the body or eye because they don't have an open mouth.

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That's pretty common with suckers. When they come in the rivers in big groups they sit tight to the bottom and flies hit them right on top of the nose because of the mouth location. Hard to say for sure either way if it took it or the fly ran into his nose.

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Seriously, this is a problem for you? Are you fishing for fun, relaxation or moral redemption? If the latter then maybe you need to find another outlet. Helping underprivileged children would be a good way to ease your guilt.

 

Steve

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Seriously, this is a problem for you? Are you fishing for fun, relaxation or moral redemption? If the latter then maybe you need to find another outlet. Helping underprivileged children would be a good way to ease your guilt.

 

Steve

 

artimus just posted the other day that he was just getting back into the sport after he & the wife going through a very rough patch of life. So lets not be so judgmental and run the guy off while he's trying to get himself back to a good place shall we.

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Dead drifted IMO the fish took it and it is a fair hookup. Hard sripping and it got hit in the face, that's different.

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thank you all for the input. i will pencil this in as a fair fish. i do plan on doing some fishing today, hoping for a repeat (same p.p.p.).

 

Stevester: i do fish purely for the fun, relaxation, connection with nature and other people. i'm the kinda guy that heads home with some sun on my face, with a 0:0 record for the day, and still call it a good day. no need for moral redemption needed here, if it is clean,great; if not, then so be it. not need for moral redemption needed.

 

 

Steeldrifter: thanks for the back up, but i think i got this one smile.png dealing with conflicts effectively is all part of my recovery. plus, i remember how critical peeps can be on this board at times. all is good; no harm, no foul.

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Many years ago I was fishing a tiny little stream for Smallmouth Bass. The stream was barely 15 to 20 ft wide at most places, and the banks were well over grown with vegetation. Lots of over hanging tree limbs too. My plan of action was to find the deeper spots, and that was usually where I would find the bass. I came to one hole that I thought had some old roots in it, but turned out to be some big Suckers, stacked in there like cord wood. I would guesstimate those fish to be 18" or bigger. I think I tried every fly I had & all they would do is move over as the fly drifted towards them. I think I even rooted around & found some earthworms, but they weren't interested in them either. Very frustrating experience but a good lesson. That was the only time I saw Suckers stacked up like that, but have caught them in other places on flies. That particular stream had a good population of chubs as well, and some of them got quite large, in the 10" to 12" range. They were usually a lot more willing to take flies than those Suckers.

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Fair enough Artimus. Over the years I have developed a lack of patience with folks who take themselves and the sport too seriously. My problem, I know.

 

Steve

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