I had the excitement and exilharation of getting into my first fish on my local loch today which is by all accounts very difficult to catch on using flies.
Coupled with that it was my first fish on a fly I've tied myself, so you can imagine I was very pleased with myself.

As I was trying to land it on one of its jumps the line went slack I assumed it had gained some slack and the hook came out but it turns out the leader had come apart at the knot

I have been shown how to make up better leaders by Jim - straight through with a dropper attached using a figure 8 knot, but I've been using up the ones I'd already made up 8lb - 4lb using tucked blood knots to attach them and the dropper on the tag of the 8lb line.

I feel really bad that there's a fish swimming about with 4' of nylon hanging off its mouth, will it be able to get rid of the hook or is it stuck with it for the rest of its presumably shortened life?

It was a decent size brownie, easily big enough to keep, I hate to think of it dying slowly because of me

Do you use monofilament for the leader/tippet? If so, it's 'designed' to disintegrate over time, how long, I guess depends on brand/water conditions. Flourocarbon isn't so environmentally/fish friendly, another reason not to use it. Barbless hooks probably have a good chance of removing themselves. Only time and the fish will know...

Hi euan, from memory the hook will pass through, been a while since i read about this but i do believe either through enzymes or acid in a fish's body that the hook will eventually rot away, and i don't believe its a long process, probably just a matter of days. If a fish is deeply hooked i was taught it was always better to cut the nylon as close to the fly as possible, rather than try to rip the fly out, as it causes a fish less stress.

The main thing is that you actually care what happens to the fish after the incident, and i personally applaud you for having a conscience

Where were you fishing Banton dam ?

Best regards
Jim

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Tanta Stultitia Mortalium Est

Lets get this right, fluorocarbon is no less "fish friendly" than any other monofilament. The reason it is less environmentally friendly is the time it takes to rot away, which is a very long time vs other monofilaments that rot away much faster.

and both take WAY longer to rot than a trout will live for

er, monofilament line will probably take around 5-600 years to bio-degrade (claim the makers of bidegradeable fishing line Biodegradable Fishing Line - Freshly Green ).

Interestingly, I was once sent some biodegradeable line for review. It might bio-degrade more quickly, but it fell way short of any of the properties I want in a fishing line (excessive stretch, high diameter for bs, weak knot strength etc). But that might not stop those who want to regulate fishing for the sake of the environment!

Yes it was monofilament - cheap non brand name, dont know if that means it'll disintegrate faster or slower though?

reassuring to hear that it will get rid of it in a few days, I thought I'd read that somewhere but wasn't sure.

It'd be nice to think that having a conscience was standard amongst anglers and indeed everyone involved in the life and death of any animal. Chickens, rabbits, pigeons etc and even the occasional fish all get the same amount of respect, when I take their life - I try to do it as humanely as possible.

and yes it was Banton dam, far side right down the bottom. I moved after a run in with some numpties where I had been earlier ...they started setting up a tent right behind me!!!

I would say flourocarbon is less fish friendly if it breaks down slower, than say nylon monofilament

I would also hazard a guess that any source suggesting nylon monofilament takes 500-600 years to breakdown, likely has 'green' intentions and/or is quoting lab conditions. The bunches of fishing line I find on the bank are normally in a terrible condition after only a very short time out in the elements.

The hook will rot before the line will ever degrade. I've very seldom removed someone elses fly from a trouts mouth, when i've caught. But bubble floats & hooks now thats another story. Bloody bait anglers, who cant tackle up properly.

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All that glitters, will catch anglers.

im trying to figure how a barbed hook could pass through a fish, and dubiuos of the stomache acids breaking the hook down in months never mind days,
the shedding the hook myth is another i have yet to see, yip, everyone says it but where on earth did they get the idea from?
i was once told by on old guy bankside, in great detail how trout rub the hook against stones until it fell out, i asked him if he had ever seen this, nope, where he heard it from..couldnt remember