So, the catfish thread got me to thinking. The other night, I was watching my rod tip and it dipped about an inch and then went back to normal. I turned the reel a couple of turns and felt no resistance. There are a lot of bluegill and other fish that will bump the line and some will even drag the bait a foot or two, so I waited. After about 30 seconds, line started playing out and I set the hook and the fight was on.
I landed a approximately 30 inch channel cat and the hook was completely out of sight through the gullet orifice. While I was inspecting the fish to determine if there was anything I could do, it did a classic crocodile roll and twisted out of my hand and fell about 4 feet from where I was sitting and into the water. The drop broke the line and the fish was gone.
My question, what is the consensus regarding the survivability of a fish that has swallowed the hook completely where it's no longer visible in the mouth? I've heard that they dissolve. There was no blood and the fish hadn't been gilled.
