what to do when fish swallows the hook and how to clean pan fish

Question
My son, age 9, loves to fish for pan fish in our small no motor lake near our house. Sometimes, the blue gills and bass swallow the hook.  I've been using needle nose pliers to get the hook out, and I haven't been too successful. Can you recommend a better technique than mine?  I try to push the hook back the way it came gently.  Should I be less gentle?  Should I pull up instead of puch down? Sometimes, if it is not too deep, I can get it out, but what do I do if I can't?  We have mostly been "catch and releasing", but I feel bad if one swallows the hook and I can't get it out.

Also, I wouldn't feel so bad about it if I wasn't releasing them, and eating them instead, but I don't know how to clean a pan fish.  My dad always did it when I was a girl, but I never paid close attention.   How big a blue gill or small mouth bass should I keep to make it worth my while, and how do I clean it?

Thanks
Mom from Michigan (and a fellow engineer!)

Answer
Hi "Mom from Michigan",

My kids are 4,4,and 6, so I know the feeling.  Until they get a little quicker at setting the hook, you are going to get some gut hooked fish.  

The needle nose pliers are a good start.  Personally, I have a curved hemostats clipped to my shirt the whole time I'm fishing with the kids.  They are very small in diameter and grab a hook really well.  Most tackle shops carry them for fishermen now and they run $3-4.  

The next thing you may want to invest in is a hook disgorger.  These can also be found in a tackle shop for $2 or so.  They are made for this very problem.  It's a plastic device with like a bulb shape on both ends (two different sizes).  You slide your line into a slot and slide it down into the fish's mouth and over the hook.  Then you push down removing the hook and the hook is protected by the device as you slide it out of the fish's mouth.  They work really slick.

The other thing you may want to try is extra long shank hooks.  You can get small hooks for panfish with really long shanks that aid in removing hooks.  They don't swallow them as far either.

Last resort is cut the line and leave the hook.  A fish will break down a small hook like that in a short time and loose it on it's own.  Use bronze hooks as opposed to gold or nickel plated hooks so they break down quicker.

I wouldn't recommend eating the Bass.  They have a weedy taste.  But the Bluegills... oh yes!!!

You can keep 6 inchers, but I prefer at least 7-8 inchers minimum.  

The easiest way to clean them is fillet them.  Get a cheapie scaler ($2) and scale both sides really well.  Now, using a 5-6" fillet knife and holding the fish by the head, make a vertical cut right behind the gill cover.  When you cut down to the bone, stop and turn the blade towards the tail and follow the spine right down to the tail.  Now you have a fillet that probably has a little rib cage on it.  Get your knife under it and trim it out.  A little "Shore Lunch" coating and hot grease and you are ready to go!

You will butcher a few at the start.  Everybody does.  But, you'll get the hang of it.  It doesn't matter how perfect they look.  They all taste good.

Google "fish filleting" and there are some great tutorials with pictures.  It's not brain surgery.

Good fishing!