Making the best out of hooking yourself...

[JestersHK]

So one of my last trips down to taneycomo with my brother in law we spent a night in the ER... 

Now he's a tough ol bird and will usually cut or push them through, but this one caught him in the side of his finger, buried down to the eye with just a tiny part of the tip poking out from under his fingernail...

We tried getting it pushed through, but there just wasn't enough shank to get it moving.  So off to the hospital at some wee hour in the morning we went.

As we joked about how much this fish was gonna cost him we finally got back to a room and after numbing him up we're able to cut it out.

So now his insurance company wanted to try to recoup some costs I guess and was looking for a 3rd party to blame, or find a way to workman's comp it.  They sent him a form and he decided to have some fun with them when he sent it in.  

Kind of hard to read but he basically said it's the fish at fault, good luck finding him... His name is spot and he's got a hole in his right cheek lol.  He even sent them a pic (although not of the same fish)!

Can't wait to see their response

 

[jdmidwest]

Looks like I started a new fad this year back in May. 

Still does not do better than the two index fingers on the same treble hook that I pulled off. 

[moguy1973]

String trick should have worked on that one if you took the hook off the split ring. Could have saved yourself a night at the hospital. 

[jdmidwest]

A new pair of side cutter pliers are in all of my bags now since the incident. 

After they got the flopping 10" trout off the hook of the Flicker Shad lure, the next step was to take the lure off the hook.  Leatherman failed, could not get close enough.  Snap ring pliers would have helped, but all buddies were afraid to get to close to the hook to work the ring off.  Sobriety was still a factor.  A rusty pair of side cutters was found in toolbox of local bystander river lot owner and much effort was put into separating the lure from the hook.  But that is always the best way to prevent another hook penetration while removal of the offensive points.

The sidecutters came into play in TN last month when I pushed the hook thru with a little cut from a precision surgeon.  They cut thru the wire easily and was back fishing in a few minutes.  They allow you to get in close to cut heavy wire or hooks.

I don't think I have ever sank a single barb hook in my body.  It has always been trebles on a lure with multiple hooks.  Until this season, it has been the Rapala product that has caused most of my hookups, followed by Heddon Torpedos.

[Al Agnew]

String trick might not have worked on that one.  You gotta have a skin surface to push the eye of the hook against...I think it would have been tough to push the eye in the right direction when it's hanging out there in mid-air.  Pretty sure I could have gotten the hook out of Semble's throat with the string trick, though.

A good pair of sidecutters and a length of heavy line of some kind should be in every angler's tackle bag...I keep a couple feet of old 6 weight fly line in mine.  Along with some instructions on how to use the string trick.  Heck, it's been a good 6 months or so since I've had to get a hook out of myself using the trick.

[Terrierman]

2 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

String trick should have worked on that one if you took the hook off the split ring. Could have saved yourself a night at the hospital. 

String trick almost always works.  Just takes a little nerve to do it.  But it's over in a flash.  Works best with two people.  One hooked who can push the back of the hook down and back towards exit and a buddy with a little mean streak to yank that string like he means for that hook to come free on the first try.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Pinch the barbs!!  I took a hook under the finger nail last week with an 18 inch rainbow flopping around on the other treble.  I told him I have let go thousands of trout but now it's self defense and I put the death grip on him.  Got him subdued and got the hook out.  I'm not gonna lie you will loose more fish on pinched barbs but I really like the initial strike so if they get off after a little tussle I'm fine with that.

[jdmidwest]

11 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

Pinch the barbs!!  I took a hook under the finger nail last week with an 18 inch rainbow flopping around on the other treble.  I told him I have let go thousands of trout but now it's self defense and I put the death grip on him.  Got him subdued and got the hook out.  I'm not gonna lie you will loose more fish on pinched barbs but I really like the initial strike so if they get off after a little tussle I'm fine with that.

If you are going to release them anyway, why worry about loosing them?

I could spend several days pinching barbs.  But, I have started mashing them down on the Flicker Shads.  That special crook is a pain to pull out.

[fishinwrench]

I would imagine that using the ol'string trick on a Triple grip, or an Excalibur rotating treble would rip a hell of a gash out of ya.   Even a kirbed Eagle claw would kinda defeat the mechanics and geometry of "straight pull".

IMO it isn't a "fishing hook" if it lacks a barb.

[Al Agnew]

20 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

I would imagine that using the ol'string trick on a Triple grip, or an Excalibur rotating treble would rip a hell of a gash out of ya.   Even a kirbed Eagle claw would kinda defeat the mechanics and geometry of "straight pull".

IMO it isn't a "fishing hook" if it lacks a barb.

I've gotten an Excalibur out one time.  It wasn't a problem, mainly because the hook is thin wire and has a small, sharp-edged barb.  Just have to push down hard on the eye, and really give it a jerk.  I don't think it made any bigger of a wound than any other hook.  As for the Triple Grip, I don't think it would be a problem, either.  The hook that absolutely won't come out is that outbarb hook--can't think of who makes it--that has the barb on the outside.  I refuse to use those hooks.