Sometimes You Stickem, Sometimes You Get Stuck

[jdmidwest]

Annual Pre Memorial Day trip to the Spring River in Arkansas last weekend.  Been a tradition now for many years.  Last year I had to miss it because I was in full blown radiation treatment and too messed up to try.

Left out Thursday nite after work in a full blown thunderstorm.  It had hovered over my path to the river all day.  But my buddies assured me all was dry and fine there.  Storms, wrecks, irrigation systems tossed over, hydroplaning, and just miserable driving for a few hours till I run out of the worst on the other side of Doniphan.  Friday morning was a good one and fishing was good.  Slow at first then I switched over to a Flicker Shad and started hammering them.  They did not look like stockers, most I was catching were brightly colored and finned out.  At the first bluff hole, I switched over to a Ned Rig with a twist.  It was a Ned worm with a flicker fin tail in Pumpkinseed red gold flake.  Second cast, bam.  Nice walleye nailed it and was dragged around for a while.  The tail hung off the net when I banked it and the scale on the grippers showed 3.5 lbs.  My best walleye out of the river so far.  The rest of the day had many more rainbows, but the smallies and goggle eyes eluded me. 

 

Saturday rolled around and the party was pretty slow for a weekend.  Fishing started off good.  First hole, my friend fought a nice big brown for a good fight before he pulled off after several minutes.  We both got a good look.  I had landed several small trout until this one 10 incher took the lure.  When I went to let the trout off the lure, it sunk on into my right index finger past the barb, straight in.  I went to get the fish off with my left hand and the trout flopped, sinking another barb of the same hook into my left index finger.  At that point I was screwed, tied together at the fingers with a flopping trout.  The left hook was on a nerve and painful.  My buddy got the trout off, then cut the lure off.  One of the landowners loaned us his truck and we went to town to get it cut out.  Tetenaus shot and a pair of latex gloves, I was back in the water to continue the float.  The pain wore off 12 ounces at a time.

 

[BilletHead]

           JD,

  That is quite a float buddy. The good, bad and ugly all rolled into one. Nice walleye!  Sure glad you got the fingers unstuck pretty quick. Must of been a pretty good friend. Bet he tried real hard because if you had stayed fingers stuck together very long downing the 12 oz at a time and you had to pee . Which friend would you pick? 

Marty

[jdmidwest]

Sad thing was, completely sober till I got back to the river.  No numbing except the lidocane shots to the fingers, and they hurt worse than bee stings when they went in.  At least 5 in each finger.

I dunked the fingers in river water and ice to numb them.  The left one hit a nerve and I have nerve damage to that one.  Killed the feeling to my tip of that finger, hope it comes back.

Kudos to the river lot owner that loaned us his truck to go to town.  We have spoken to him on several floats, but he did not know us from Adam.  The news is full of evil people doing bad things, you never see the real samirtans. 

I have cut out many hooks, but this one had me stumped.  I tried to push the left one thru, but the nerve and the tough skin on the finger tip kept me from getting it thru.  Yanking it out was out.

First thing back to town was a purchase of several pairs of small side cutters.  All of our tools were too big to get in tight and cut the lure off my finger.  My buddy had a hook removal kit and tool in the first aid, it failed.  My hands were tied, so I could not operate or use pliers.  That helpless feeling from a year ago started creeping back on me, but as always, friends pulled me thru.

[fishinwrench]

Ugh!   Little crankbaits are the worst.

[jdmidwest]

On little fish...  Those have a special bend too, make bigger hole coming out.

[BilletHead]

        I am still thinking of the ouch and your predicament JD. I caught more Walleye and crappie this morning pulling cranks. I was extra careful and oh how I hate small trebles .

BilletHead

[JestersHK]

Ouch!  That makes my fingers hurt... I too hate the little hooks.  Had a crick hopper get me one time on a flopping fish...  2 in the thumb and the front ones caught a finger.  Luckily it was my left hand I was able to work them out.  A little bit of super glue and I was back in the water.  I crimp most of my hooks on stick baits now.  Especially fishing at night for trout.  I say its for the health of the fish, but would be lying if I didn't acknowledge the benefit of hooking your hand in the dark trying to get a bow or walleye out of the net and being able to just back them out.

Glad to see you back on the water, especially after your long journey last year.

[Al Agnew]

Well, that's one time the string trick wouldn't have worked!

[jdmidwest]

Yep.  Or my friends special pair of hook pulling scissor things.  Pushing thru was not an option.

My Dr buddy says the worst thing most people do is cut the hook shank off flush at the skin or as close as possible.  I hesitated to cut the hooks apart in the field thinking they may try the string trick at the Dr. office.  So I rode to town locked up.

[dan hufferd]

Oh man flicker shad hooks are bad news !