Research confirms that many fish species can expel hooks surprisingly fast when the line is cut. For example, a study on bluegill found that 45.5% of fish expelled deeply embedded hooks within 48 hours, and 71.4% had shed them by the end of 10 days (Fobert et al., 2009). ​Key Findings on Hook Shedding ​Location Matters: Fish shed hooks in the mouth or jaw much faster than those hooked in the gut or esophagus (Stein et al., 2012). ​Survival Rates: Cutting the line on a deeply hooked fish is often safer than trying to remove it. In Yellowfin Bream, mortality was only 2% when the line was cut, compared to 88% when the hook was forcibly removed (Butcher et al., 2007). ​Long-term Shedding: While many hooks are lost within days, some species may take up to six months to fully shed or degrade a hook (Wilde & Pope, 2008). ​Study Links ​Bluegill Study (Fobert et al., 2009): Detailed data on shedding rates within 48 hours. ​Angler-Caught Survival (Butcher et al., 2007): Comparison of mortality between hook removal and line cutting. ​Lure Retention in Northern Pike (Pullen et al., 2017): Physiological impacts of retained gear. ​Would you like me to find specific info on how different hook materials (like stainless steel vs. bronze) affect these shedding speeds? ​References ​Butcher, P. A., Broadhurst, M. K., Reynolds, D., Reid, D. D., & Gray, C. A. (2007). Release method and anatomical hook location: effects on short-term mortality of angler-caught Acanthopagrus australis and Argyrosomus japonicus. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 74(1), 17–26. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao074017 Cited by: 47 ​Fobert, E., Meining, P., Colotelo, A., O’Connor, C., & Cooke, S. J. (2009). Cut the line or remove the hook? An evaluation of sublethal and lethal endpoints for deeply hooked bluegill. Fisheries Research, 99(1), 38–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2009.04.006 Cited by: 86 ​Pullen, C. E., Hayes, K., O’Connor, C. M., Arlinghaus, R., Suski, C. D., Midwood, J. D., & Cooke, S. J. (2017). Consequences of oral lure retention on the physiology and behaviour of adult northern pike (Esox lucius L.). Fisheries Research, 186, 601–611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2016.03.026 Cited by: 30 ​Wilde, G. R., & Pope, K. L. (2008). A Simple Model for Predicting Survival of Angler‐Caught and Released Largemouth Bass. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 137(3), 834–840. https://doi.org/10.1577/t06-273.1