A landing mat. Nothing else u can really do the rapala weight and release sling is perfect for this. It's made for big pike and Zander but I use it for everything because it always fits in my bag.
I use this one
https://www.rapala.eu/eu_en/weigh-release-mat
It's not padded wich would be better but it folds down to the size of a small to medium tackle box. I don't have room for a padded one. if u sit in the same spot all day get a padded one but if u move at all get a non padded one.
Make sure it's always wet before u put the fish in. I like if possible to dehook and take pics while the fish is still in the water and in the sling. They stay really calm making dehooking a breeze.
Getting cut up from pike is they way to go. In the netherlands we (affectionally) call those pike knuckles.
Grab hem by the gill and hold on for life. Never let go, you won't know where your fingers end up when sliding out. Grab a pair of sturdy pliers for unhooking.
An unhooking mat is also a good option.
Laying a fish on the ground briefly to unhook it probably causes less of a health risk to the fish than sticking your fingers up in its gills, which a few comments have recommended.
Holding them upside down works quite well to relax them enough to unhook. Generally pike are quite hardy so don't be too gentle as this can actually make it harder to unhook and does more damage to the fish.
You can safely hold a pike by the bottom gills - no armor or teeth along there, just at the sides. If you hold them there, they'll stop thrashing around.
A net and pliers is the best way, don't even take the fish out of the water.
You can grab a pike *behind the gill plates, over the head,* and lift them that way to get the hook out. The tail-end of the gill plates provide a place for your thumb and forefinger to rest and lift the fish's head up for hook removal.
You can also carefully slip your fingers under the gill plate, and lift by the base of the jaw...but the gill rakers are sharp as hell, so you have to be very careful to not skin your knuckles on them.
Once you've caught enough pike, handling them is pretty simple. When I fish for them in my canoe, I do the over the head, behind the gill plates grab, tilt the head, pop the hook out, and set them back in the water. Most of the fish's body stays in the water, supporting its weight. I rarely bank fish for pike, but if I do, I bring a net. If I don't have a net, I bring the fish close and do the behind the head grab like normal.
The only time I do the gillplate grab is if I'm getting a photo of the fish and lifting it from the water entirely, in which case I have the cameraman ready, grab the gillplate and lift, using my left hand to support to body, and aim to have the fish out of the water for less than 15 seconds.
I think people really underestimate just how tough northern pike are. They are fine if they lay on the ground, I let them kick a bit before holding their head down and taking the hook out. Its important to hold them down by the head (not too rough of course) otherwise they can turn around and bite.
That is called liplock and is actually not good for the fish if you CR. It can break the bone joints of the jaw with permanent damage. Though with the big boys it can be difficult to handle otherwise if the fish isn’t tired enough
Weird, what is the proper way to hold it? I got toasted for this picture of me holding a pike last fall
https://preview.redd.it/uhgrgr4zcr5d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0009924e923b5ce5704cf80527fecbf0ed8ea42
I guess there is no way that is perfect, best to just try and be as gentle as possible. I’d say the issue in your pic is you have your thumb up the gills, even though to me the hold is otherwise solid
They make these things called fish grips. Made of thick plastic and work like vice grips but won't harm the fish. Sticking your hand in the gills will absolutely hurt the fish. If your keeping it no problem but releasing you want to try to cause the least amount of damage possible
Gillgrip and a pair of long pliers. You can likely buy special pliers from a fishingstore for removing hooks, and learn to grab them in the gills. But keep fingers away from the teeth and sharp bits in their mouths.
There's a corner of the gill plate you can hook your fingers into that isn't sharp. I've never been that badly cut by them but then again I've been fishing them since I was a wee child.
Keep it partially within a big rubber landing net if the fish is too heavy and use the gill(plate)grip.
The gillgrip allows for perfect control of the head of the fish as well as opening it's mouth automatically. It's what everybody uses in the Netherlands which is basically the land of catch&release pike fishing.
I accidently killed one over the weekend. they're assholes. swallow the bait straight into their gills and stomach. thrash like no tomorrow and sharp things everywhere
yeah I took a day off and stopped fishing that day too. even bought the extra long gripper for next time. i don't like killing fish I'm not eating. even if they're a dumb mean dinosaur
You can tell by the comments most of these jokers have never fished a day in their life.
Stick your finger up and use the gill plate. It will not harm the fish if you don’t aggressively do so. Also just don’t get into the gills and damage them.
If the fish isn’t being served for dinner get it back in the water quickly.
Work gloves, grab behind the gill plate but not too deep, hold tight and use forceps / pliers. My fingers stay away from those teeth at all costs.
If it’s a big one remove the hook in the water and get a little wet!
Winding them up in the net with just their head sticking out always worked for this size fish. For the big guys we used fish cleaning gloves to give us grip, then held them under the gills. Landing the big ones was always a two-person operation though. A club helped when we were keeping and eating them.
It sounds awful but if u squeeze his eyes a little bit his mouth will open really wide and u can take the hook out real fast without him snapping at you
Sometimes there isn’t much you can do tbh. Big fish especially with teeth or sharp gill plates it can be hard. A way to protect them and people mentioned are landing pads but wet fabric can also help, if your fishing pants legs are wet or you have a wet towel, that’s a bit better than nothing. When working with saltwater fish, (sitting down in a chair.) if they’re too big to simply hold with one hand I’ll use some fish grips lay it belly side down on my thigh and use my free hand on the mouth, sometimes I hold it vertically along my chest or in front of my chest, depends on the hook and the fish. Sometimes you’ve gotta just get a bit dirty though
There is an are under the hill you can grab onto without city up your hand at all. Hold it there, then vertically insert the players where you need to.
Hold the head securely right around the gills, if that alone isn’t enough you can still hold it that way but use your elbow and arm to pin it to your side. Promise this works. I’m from the Midwest and that’s how we did it without all the fancy gear and stuff.
I’ll hold the line tight, grab the bend of the hook with pliers, then angle it so the hook tip points to the water, most the time the fish will shake itself free by the second wiggle
under the gillplate, lower jaw, there's a thumb-sized indentation in there for easy unhooking, just as mother nature intended it.
Also bring pliers with you, 1 needlenose for unhooking, and 1 wire cutter for if the lure is stuck in its gills you can crack off the hook without damaging the fish too much if you're planning to release it.
Sometimes I unhook the fish by cutting my line, and removing the lure through the gill opening instead if its easier to unhook there.
If you damage the fish too much, mess up its gills etc. You gotta cook it bro
Edit: If grass is moist and theres no heatwave, don't worry about putting the fish there. Grass is fine, don't put it on concrete or something like that. If you have a net, try netting the fish and keep it in the net while unhooking. The net itself will carry enough moisture for the fish.
https://preview.redd.it/yshpewrlkt5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de15be3a39f797663f0f6788ab1d57aede709dc6
Rapala makes a plastic grip lock.. allows you to hold the fish up while using pliers to unhook with the other hand.
I see many recommendations for fish grips and pliers. OP, two things... One, the Rapala mini-grips are really good and can handle all sizes of fish. They aren't just for smaller ones. Two, get fishing specific pliers that are made for use around water and are resistant to rust. These two things are inexpensive quality of life upgrades that help you safely unhook a fish much quicker and get you back to casting and catching.
I couldnt say, but controlling the head i assume would help with the thrashing. But dont get those thin metal clamp grips. They tend to rip through the mouths of bigger fish.
Yeah surprised you're getting down votes. People here don't realize that this slime regenerates fairly quick and pike are rubbing it off against underwater brush regularly for a new coating
Late reply but they constantly and continually shed their slime coat by rubbing up against rocks, brush, logs, etc to remove the bacteria and debris captured in the slime coat. They reproduce their slime coat within seconds. Touching or laying it on a surface like grass does it no harm if it is for a very short period of time. The production and shedding of their slime coat protects them from harm just like it does in the water
A landing mat. Nothing else u can really do the rapala weight and release sling is perfect for this. It's made for big pike and Zander but I use it for everything because it always fits in my bag.
Nice, thank you. I'll look for one!
I use this one https://www.rapala.eu/eu_en/weigh-release-mat It's not padded wich would be better but it folds down to the size of a small to medium tackle box. I don't have room for a padded one. if u sit in the same spot all day get a padded one but if u move at all get a non padded one. Make sure it's always wet before u put the fish in. I like if possible to dehook and take pics while the fish is still in the water and in the sling. They stay really calm making dehooking a breeze.
Yup. That holds water. A good pair of surgical hemostats is also a good tool to have for when the hook is deep.
I would even go further and say having a assortment of a couple different pliers and hemostats is super useful. And ofc a good wire cutter
Yup. Gotta be prepared.
I lay on ground one foot on fish and use pylers
Getting cut up from pike is they way to go. In the netherlands we (affectionally) call those pike knuckles. Grab hem by the gill and hold on for life. Never let go, you won't know where your fingers end up when sliding out. Grab a pair of sturdy pliers for unhooking. An unhooking mat is also a good option.
This is the way. Learn the “kielgreep”
\*kieuwgreep :P
Kiemengriff
Laying a fish on the ground briefly to unhook it probably causes less of a health risk to the fish than sticking your fingers up in its gills, which a few comments have recommended.
I was thinking the same thing
I hold him like a giant carrot and finesse it out of the mouth
That sounds sexy as hell.
There was no holding this guy.
Holding them upside down works quite well to relax them enough to unhook. Generally pike are quite hardy so don't be too gentle as this can actually make it harder to unhook and does more damage to the fish.
You can safely hold a pike by the bottom gills - no armor or teeth along there, just at the sides. If you hold them there, they'll stop thrashing around.
I was always taught to grip it really firmly right behind eyes/gills.
i leave it in my rubber coated landing net
I also leave it in the net, makes handling and grabbing em easier.
A net and pliers is the best way, don't even take the fish out of the water. You can grab a pike *behind the gill plates, over the head,* and lift them that way to get the hook out. The tail-end of the gill plates provide a place for your thumb and forefinger to rest and lift the fish's head up for hook removal. You can also carefully slip your fingers under the gill plate, and lift by the base of the jaw...but the gill rakers are sharp as hell, so you have to be very careful to not skin your knuckles on them. Once you've caught enough pike, handling them is pretty simple. When I fish for them in my canoe, I do the over the head, behind the gill plates grab, tilt the head, pop the hook out, and set them back in the water. Most of the fish's body stays in the water, supporting its weight. I rarely bank fish for pike, but if I do, I bring a net. If I don't have a net, I bring the fish close and do the behind the head grab like normal. The only time I do the gillplate grab is if I'm getting a photo of the fish and lifting it from the water entirely, in which case I have the cameraman ready, grab the gillplate and lift, using my left hand to support to body, and aim to have the fish out of the water for less than 15 seconds.
Plastic jaw grabbers. The metal ones cause damage
I think people really underestimate just how tough northern pike are. They are fine if they lay on the ground, I let them kick a bit before holding their head down and taking the hook out. Its important to hold them down by the head (not too rough of course) otherwise they can turn around and bite.
I've never used anything besides a jaw spreader or hand in the gill. They are tough fish......not gonna hurt it.
Every mfer on this sub allergic to just wearing mfing gloves
Hold it like this https://preview.redd.it/wp7nikkswq5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa0ea7bd9fee8ad7c540cee08be41f057a9b0d1f
That is called liplock and is actually not good for the fish if you CR. It can break the bone joints of the jaw with permanent damage. Though with the big boys it can be difficult to handle otherwise if the fish isn’t tired enough
Weird, what is the proper way to hold it? I got toasted for this picture of me holding a pike last fall https://preview.redd.it/uhgrgr4zcr5d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0009924e923b5ce5704cf80527fecbf0ed8ea42
Ive never seen anyone hold a fish like a kitten
Henceforth I'm going to hold kittens like fish
I guess there is no way that is perfect, best to just try and be as gentle as possible. I’d say the issue in your pic is you have your thumb up the gills, even though to me the hold is otherwise solid
Plastic fish grips they work kinda like vice grips but don't squeeze that hard
lol that fish looks like a dog that just got in trouble
Lmao he got busted snacking on a beetle spin I use for crappie
🤣
Nice fish, almost as big as the bluegill i caught last week
This was my dads, about 20# caught on rainy lake in Canada/
Get an airplane or semi truck length grade pliers
They make these things called fish grips. Made of thick plastic and work like vice grips but won't harm the fish. Sticking your hand in the gills will absolutely hurt the fish. If your keeping it no problem but releasing you want to try to cause the least amount of damage possible
Gillgrip and a pair of long pliers. You can likely buy special pliers from a fishingstore for removing hooks, and learn to grab them in the gills. But keep fingers away from the teeth and sharp bits in their mouths.
A landing mat and get some BIG pliers
+1 for landing mat and you definitely need pliers if you’re catching pike (and don’t already)
There's a corner of the gill plate you can hook your fingers into that isn't sharp. I've never been that badly cut by them but then again I've been fishing them since I was a wee child.
Keep it partially within a big rubber landing net if the fish is too heavy and use the gill(plate)grip. The gillgrip allows for perfect control of the head of the fish as well as opening it's mouth automatically. It's what everybody uses in the Netherlands which is basically the land of catch&release pike fishing.
Single barbless hook.
I use a single hook z man jackhammer most of the time.
I accidently killed one over the weekend. they're assholes. swallow the bait straight into their gills and stomach. thrash like no tomorrow and sharp things everywhere
That sucks when it happens.
yeah I took a day off and stopped fishing that day too. even bought the extra long gripper for next time. i don't like killing fish I'm not eating. even if they're a dumb mean dinosaur
You can tell by the comments most of these jokers have never fished a day in their life. Stick your finger up and use the gill plate. It will not harm the fish if you don’t aggressively do so. Also just don’t get into the gills and damage them. If the fish isn’t being served for dinner get it back in the water quickly.
Work gloves, grab behind the gill plate but not too deep, hold tight and use forceps / pliers. My fingers stay away from those teeth at all costs. If it’s a big one remove the hook in the water and get a little wet!
Easy you put it in a pan instead
Same thing happened to me yesterday
Danco makes a plastic fish grabber that goes in their mouth. I use it for pike.
Buy a hook out tool
Getting the hook out is not my issue.
https://scheels.scene7.com/is/image/Scheels/04436110500?wid=1200&hei=1200
Get a net, or buy a pair of those cut protected gloves.
Use a needle nose, pliers
I bring a towel and wrap them with it and use my pliers skills to remove the hooks. Sometimes they go back in the water with a hook 😞
Lots of great advice and things I never thought of so thank you all!
Winding them up in the net with just their head sticking out always worked for this size fish. For the big guys we used fish cleaning gloves to give us grip, then held them under the gills. Landing the big ones was always a two-person operation though. A club helped when we were keeping and eating them.
My boy got torn tf up 😂
It sounds awful but if u squeeze his eyes a little bit his mouth will open really wide and u can take the hook out real fast without him snapping at you
Slime layer
Use medical tongs I think they're called? The ones that latch closed.
Glove and pliers.
Gorilla tape it down to the ground
Sometimes there isn’t much you can do tbh. Big fish especially with teeth or sharp gill plates it can be hard. A way to protect them and people mentioned are landing pads but wet fabric can also help, if your fishing pants legs are wet or you have a wet towel, that’s a bit better than nothing. When working with saltwater fish, (sitting down in a chair.) if they’re too big to simply hold with one hand I’ll use some fish grips lay it belly side down on my thigh and use my free hand on the mouth, sometimes I hold it vertically along my chest or in front of my chest, depends on the hook and the fish. Sometimes you’ve gotta just get a bit dirty though
Nice fish
There is an are under the hill you can grab onto without city up your hand at all. Hold it there, then vertically insert the players where you need to.
Hold the head securely right around the gills, if that alone isn’t enough you can still hold it that way but use your elbow and arm to pin it to your side. Promise this works. I’m from the Midwest and that’s how we did it without all the fancy gear and stuff.
Use pliers
I’ll hold the line tight, grab the bend of the hook with pliers, then angle it so the hook tip points to the water, most the time the fish will shake itself free by the second wiggle
Net and pliers
under the gillplate, lower jaw, there's a thumb-sized indentation in there for easy unhooking, just as mother nature intended it. Also bring pliers with you, 1 needlenose for unhooking, and 1 wire cutter for if the lure is stuck in its gills you can crack off the hook without damaging the fish too much if you're planning to release it. Sometimes I unhook the fish by cutting my line, and removing the lure through the gill opening instead if its easier to unhook there. If you damage the fish too much, mess up its gills etc. You gotta cook it bro Edit: If grass is moist and theres no heatwave, don't worry about putting the fish there. Grass is fine, don't put it on concrete or something like that. If you have a net, try netting the fish and keep it in the net while unhooking. The net itself will carry enough moisture for the fish.
hand inside the gill plate but don't tough the gills or lip gripper. 5 lip grippers.
What fish is that?
Pliars
Use a jaw spreader. They’re like 2 bucks and they don’t maim the fish.
https://preview.redd.it/yshpewrlkt5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de15be3a39f797663f0f6788ab1d57aede709dc6 Rapala makes a plastic grip lock.. allows you to hold the fish up while using pliers to unhook with the other hand.
Break or file the barbs off your hooks.
Be a man. Just lip the pike.
I see many recommendations for fish grips and pliers. OP, two things... One, the Rapala mini-grips are really good and can handle all sizes of fish. They aren't just for smaller ones. Two, get fishing specific pliers that are made for use around water and are resistant to rust. These two things are inexpensive quality of life upgrades that help you safely unhook a fish much quicker and get you back to casting and catching.
I long handled set of needle nose pliers.
A .410 shotgun?
in a net, or just hold it by the belly... thats not a crazy big jack, shouldn't be an issue.
What's the problem with putting it on the ground?
One thing that sometimes works is heavy work gloves, sometimes you can hold them by the lower jaw that way
Being on the ground isn’t gunna hurt a pike, they aren’t trout. Pike are pretty hearty
hold it by the gill and just pray it would snap 😂
Bring a decent sized rubberized net and keep it in the water while removing the hook with a peang.
LIP that MF'er!
Get some fish grips and you can at least keep his head off the ground while unhooking.
Won't the weight of the fish harm him mouth if he thrashing around while he is clamped?
I couldnt say, but controlling the head i assume would help with the thrashing. But dont get those thin metal clamp grips. They tend to rip through the mouths of bigger fish.
Yes it can. I had a 36” pike tear his jaw thrashing against jaw grippers.
Good to know
They can definitely punch through the cartilage if the fish thrashes. From your other responses, I don't think this is the best option for you.
Didn’t in my experience. Handled a 32” northern with no issue img
Should have thought of it before going out fishing… Anyways landing mat + long pillers, help dealing with hooked pike.
Step on it lightly with one foot to keep in place, use pliers
This has to be the worst advice i ever read on this sub....
"slightly" Step on it that must be wonderful for the slime coat.
Yeah, the bottom of my fishing boots has to be the cleanest surface in existence...
Stop fishing.
I'm asking how to avoid putting on ground. I have no issue if I do lay it down. I heard it was bad for them to be in grass?
A wet landing mat, weigh sling or an IKEA bag is great for handling pike
Grass is better than rocks and such, but it's not great.
Worse to be grabbing it over and over wiping away the fishes protective layer. Do it quick and your fine. You will do more damage all other ways
Yeah surprised you're getting down votes. People here don't realize that this slime regenerates fairly quick and pike are rubbing it off against underwater brush regularly for a new coating
Underwater brush is wet. Grass on the bank is dry, which is why it removes slime.
Late reply but they constantly and continually shed their slime coat by rubbing up against rocks, brush, logs, etc to remove the bacteria and debris captured in the slime coat. They reproduce their slime coat within seconds. Touching or laying it on a surface like grass does it no harm if it is for a very short period of time. The production and shedding of their slime coat protects them from harm just like it does in the water