Frank,
After being born and raised in Tampa, I’ve taken the next step in life and relocated to the rural life of Southeast Georgia about four years ago. I never did much freshwater fishing in the Tampa area except when I was a kid fishing with my father (I’m now 54 years young). Saltwater was my passion and is still missed greatly. But I have a small pond on our property, @ 1.5 acres, that has some nice bluegill and specks. It also harbors some respectable bass. Just this evening I walked to the pond with a small Zara Spook and landed three bass in the 1 -1.5 pound class within 15 minutes. The next strike was a nice bass, in my book, of around 3-4 pounds; unfortunately after two jumps and some good pulling, my line broke. My question is how long does it take for the hooks to rust out in fresh water and do you believe that that bass will survive?  I hate to lose a breeder of that caliber in such a small body of water. Maybe I should start using a leader but I like tying directly to my ultra-light with 6-pound test. If it wasn’t for TBO.com I never would know what’s happening, I read every day. Thanks, and keep fishing!!!—Earl Brown, Nicholls, Georgia

Earl:
I wouldn’t be too concerned about that fish—odds are it will survive just fine, unless the lure happens to be deep in the throat, which topwaters rarely are. I’ve caught a number of bass with plastic worms, hook and all, in their gullet, and they all seemed to be fat, healthy and hungry. If the plug is on the outer lip, odds are good the fish will eventually throw the plug as the wound opens up a bit. In future, though, you may want to flatten the barbs on your hooks a bit—this makes it easier to unhook fish for release, in any case. I’d avoid the leader with 6 pound—causes more trouble than it’s worth in fresh water; just keep that drag very light and cut off the lure and the first yard of line frequently to keep a fresh front section. Tight lines. FS