Hooked!

After not getting hooked in more than 4 years, this June, twice in the same week, I had a striper drive a treble hook past the barb into my hand. Though the experience is certainly unpleasant, if you have a buddy with you, hooks in the hand, arm, leg, or really anywhere except the face, are no big deal and should not require you to miss any more than a few minutes of fishing. (editor’s note: Jimmy is not a doctor, so please don’t consider this medical advice.)

Both times I was hooked this season, I opted to push the barb through the skin and have my buddy crush the barb with his pliers so I could back it out. Ideally, you should keep a pair of bolt cutters – many fishermen swear by Manley Super Pliers –  in your truck or backpack or on the boat, as cutting the barb off is more effective than pinching it.

On both occasions, I was casting again within minutes of being hooked, and after a little alcohol and Neosporin on the wound after getting home, I was none the worse for wear. If you don’t have your tetanus shot however – and why the heck are you fishing without a tetanus shot – things could be considerably more complicated. And definitely see a doctor at the first sign of infection.

Another method, which I performed for the first time on a fellow surfcaster this fall, is wrapping a piece of fishing line around the bend of the hook, pressing the eye of the hook down to the skin and yanking it out with one swift pull. Having never seen this technique performed in person, I was a little queasy at the prospect of ripping a hunk of flesh from the hand of this fisherman. But, the hook popped out easily and painlessly, according to the other surfcaster, and after a quick rinse in the suds, he was back to fishing. There are several YouTube Videos like the one below, showing how it’s done.

The ER is always an option too. OTW editor Kevin Blinkoff, after witnessing my second hook-in-hand experience, insists that should that ever happen to him, I’m taking him right to the Emergency Room instead of performing some kind of “half-assed surgery on the rocks.” I suppose that will depend on just how well the fish are biting when Kevin gets hooked.