Gut hooked bass

Question
Hi Marc
My favorite fishin' hole is a small pond in my neighborhood in Wilmington, NC. After months of walking around it, I took my girls out to fish. Needless to say, not much time had to go by before I realized that there were some big bass in there. In this pond,I catch them the best on what they typically eat, small bream. However, my concern lies in the way I'm catching them. I allow them to run for quite a while, so they swallow the bream, along with my hook, whole. Usually, I typically wind up cutting the line, and leaving the hook (and the whole bream) in the fish's throat. Is this OK for the fish, or is there a safe way to remove the hook? The last thing I'd want to do is harm the fish. But with this method, I've caught such a high percentage of the ones that hit. Thanks a bunch!!

Answer
Leaving the hook is better than trying to get it out if it's gut hooked.  That said, there is nothing good about that either.  

The answer is a better hook system so you don't gut hook them.  I'd try a "circle hook" placed right behind the dorsal fin of the bream.  The circle hook is designed to catch the fish in the corner of the mouth and it usually does about 95% of the time.

When the Bass takes the bream, tighten up the line and start reeling.  You don't "Set" a circle hook.  If you get the fish going away from you the hook will find it's way through the fishes mouth and usually get's him right at the hinge.   

It's hard to believe at first but I have now used them for 4-5 years while fishing live Alewives for Lake Michigan Trout and salmon.  I'd say that 90-95% are hooked perfectly in the corner of the mouth.

Good fishing!