20+ years of fishin and it finally happened….

20+ years of fishing and I finally hooked myself for the first time this morning. Had a smallmouth really squirming around and my hand slipped right as I was pulling the flicker shad out with the pliers, driving one of the hooks on the back treble deep into the top of my finger just under the finger nail. With the weird angle on flicker shad hooks and how deep it was in I decided to just go to urgent care. They decided pushing it out and cutting the barb was a bad idea so they cut it out. Needless to say, with all the nerves in that part of the finger, right now its hurting so much I want it to fall off haha. Also have to spend 10 days on penicilin since its a highly infectable area. Have seen alot of friends impale themselves, especially my musky friends and wondered how they manage it, stuff happens I guess! Lesson learned though, going to make sure I am always using barbless hooks, I usually do but today was too lazy to bend them down (oops). Just thought I would share my fun day on the water!!! All 10 minutes of it

You know if you rip that hook out it’s not much different than snagging a finger on a nail. Band-Aids and back to fishing.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

You know if you rip that hook out it’s not much different than snagging a finger on a nail. Band-Aids and back to fishing.

I thought about it for a while, but I am chicken haha. Def not looking forward to the bill though.

You know if you rip that hook out it’s not much different than snagging a finger on a nail.

LOL!

Brian Klawitter wrote:

You know if you rip that hook out it’s not much different than snagging a finger on a nail.

LOL!

My first lesson on fish hooks was when i sat down on my dad’s big musky bait.

3 5/0 trebles in my arse, through my jeans.
I jumped up onto his working bench and right onto the hooks.

Dad’s remedy….
Take the pliers off his hip (Farmer) and jerk em out.

I LOL now, but cried like a girl back then. Probably 10yrs old.

Pull your skirt out your face and yank er out next time….

I’m just kidding. Funny how soft some office guys can be though. Working construction one gets use to doing their own surgeries just to duct tape it up and get the job done.

Hope all heals well and right back to fishing you can get!!

I hate this topic, but am drawn to it like a passerby on the freeway next to accident. I got one in the hand once… and paid to have it taken out. A total mistake… the butcher had me bleeding all over before even trying to pull the hook, just from the shots. Then the bill without insurance, I hope to never do that again.

Since then, I have cut one out, and yanked another. Can’t imagine one under the finger nail though… cringe at the thought, and that may be something I wouldn’t do on my own. Only difference is the pain killer though.

From the experiences… I am now much more careful, but sure it will happen again. Always have a side-cutter in the boat for when it does.

This thread hurts just thinking about it….

I have yanked a small aberdeen from the underside of one of my toes. That took some time to get the courage but we were in a remote area.
The last time I yanked one was from my wife’s shin. I had swung a fish in the boat right into her. The Lure broke with one treble deep in her leg. I gave her the choice and she chose pliers. She chose wisely because it was a nothing deal afterwards. No blood or pain. Lucky. She never lets me forget it though.
Around the fingernail would make me think twice about pulling myself.

Fingernails melt with a little heat…FYI.

Anyone who’s had that fun infection under a nail knows this

Chuck Melcher wrote:

I hate this topic, but am drawn to it like a passerby on the freeway next to accident. I got one in the hand once… and paid to have it taken out. A total mistake… the butcher had me bleeding all over before even trying to pull the hook, just from the shots. Then the bill without insurance, I hope to never do that again.

Since then, I have cut one out, and yanked another. Can’t imagine one under the finger nail though… cringe at the thought, and that may be something I wouldn’t do on my own. Only difference is the pain killer though.

From the experiences… I am now much more careful, but sure it will happen again. Always have a side-cutter in the boat for when it does.

This thread hurts just thinking about it….

I think anywhere else on a finger/hand I would have been more inclined, but with it being right under the fingernail, yowza, that said, if there was a next time I think I would just yank it out, hopefully there wont be that next time though!! Going to be alot more careful thats for sure!!

Weird…I went 50 years without hooking myself, and what finally got me was a Smallmouth and a Flicker Shad. Shoved the hook point all the way through and mashed the barb down, it backed right out. I didn’t cry but i did use a bunch of words my kids don’t think I know….

I’ve had one yanked out of my palm and I yanked a hook out of my brothers palm in the same year…keep it clean.

Jez, we are fisherMEN guys!!

I took this out with my teeth.

Yikes that does not make for a good day! I’ve been there I sunk two hooks of one treble in my leg and when I went to rip it out one came out the other one just straightened out a little and just about made me pass out. So I went in and let the dr. deal with it. Hopefully it all heals up well for you and you can get back out on those hungry fall smallies before it gets too cold.

I was up in the Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, northern Ontario, Canada two days paddle from the put in/take out when a walleye and Flicker Shad got me in the thumb. I pushed the hook through, took my Leatherman and cut the hook, pulled the hook back through, and soaked my thumb in hand sanitizer. Triple antibiotic and a bandaid for 24 hours and I was good. The guys with me still cringe at the thought. I had more pain when I nailed the web of my hand with a framing nailer doing something stupid just minutes before a big trip with the family.

Took a hook from a treble through the meat of my pinky while ice fishing on Lake Oahe during a blizzard with two hemostats we pulled her out that didn’t hurt nearly as bad as smashing my hand between the tailgate coming down and the crank on the trailer both happened on the same day thought I broke my hand couldn’t even hold onto a beer can

Happened in Canada 20 years ago…fishing partner put a musky treble deep into his thumb…
Got out my very sharp Buck folding knife and just like a surgeon, sliced his thumb down to the hook, removed it and butterfly taped that baby tight!
He fished like that the next 2 days. Got home and had the doc throw a few stitches in.Never even whimpered!

I dropped a fish a month ago and had a hook slide under my nail the length of my thumb and slide out the bottom. That hurt. Just cut of nail off yesterday as the new nail was growing under the bad nail.

I have cut a few of them out. It is very easy when they go all the way through. Key is to have a decent pliers/snippers so you do not have to stop the fishing trip.

The below picture was trying to hand land a decent walleye and end up playing tug-a-war with the fish on a treble and me on the other. That was interesting since I was fishing solo that day

To the folks that do the self removal of hooks.

Just be careful around tendons.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

To the folks that do the self removal of hooks.

Just be careful around tendons.

This was my biggest worry and why I chickened out on self removal, I knew it would hurt so that wasnt an issue, I was worried I would probly do damage to something important. Decided to head back out today, with a jig and plastics this time haha, tad gun shy about trebles now

Fish grip… Few reasons above why I like them above.

Especially little pike… They’ll slip right through your hands

I’ve been hooked at least a dozen times in the last 20 years. The worse was when 2 trebles got me in the hand while they were still connected to a wiggling 10 pound pike, very scary that fish was struggling. I had to give it the death grip which I hate doing, since I like to return 10 LB’s and over to the water. Just get the pliers and yank it out pulling in the direction of the barb (not against it or it will tear the fleash). Keep bandages on hand and go back to fishing it’s never stopped me for more than 10 – 15 minutes.

Where’s the pic of the fish?

belletaine wrote:

Where’s the pic of the fish?

Wasn’t big enough to warrant a photo

My best so far was a 36″ muskie that buried the back treble of a Super Shad Rap into the meat of my thumb while still pinned by the front and wrapped in the net-she chose that moment to thrash around. Was by myself, took forever to get her unpinned and back into the water with one hand. Sat there and stared at my other hand feeling sheepish for awhile, decided against stopping fishing and grabbed the pliers. Counted to three through gritted teeth and yanked. Must of popped a nerve or something, because the thumb went numb but functional and I finished out the day just fine.
First time was 25 years ago in Canada, far from anywhere-pliers saved the day there too.
I’m not claiming to be tough, I’m just saying that if you’re as accident prone as I am you learn to grit your teeth a lot!
Be safe everybody!