Hey, you got me with your hook!  #9

How many times have you been fishing with friends, only to have one of them back cast their line so close to you that you hear the snap when they pull it forward.  How many times has that hook actually gotten lodged in your shirt, pants or in your skin or god forbid your eye.  It seems to happen more when you are in the rear of a boat or canoe, but can happen on the shore as well. If it happened, would you know what to do, or not to do? I did some research on this topic so that I would be prepared as we begin our season. I am by no means an expert on hook removal, just passing along what I have researched. As I said in an earlier blog, you always need to be prepared.  Here is some of the information I uncovered.

If you become impaled by a fish hook:

This can happen to even the most seasoned angler. Most superficial fish hooking accidents can be solved out in the field, however if the hook is deeply embedded in the skin, in the eye, or near a tendon or an artery, do not attempt to remove the hook. Seek emergency medical attention right away. If the hook is superficially stuck somewhere in the skin there are a few ways you can remove it.

 Before any attempts at removing the hook, cut the fishing line attached to the pole so the injured party is free and clear. Wash your hands and the injured area with soap and water before removing the hook.

First

 Make a loop about 10cm (6") long, in strong line, 10kg (20lb) plus, and pass it over the eye of the hook, and then up to the top of the bend of the hook.

Then

 Push firmly down on the eye of the hook so the eye of the hook touches the skin.

Finally

 With a sudden, strong yank on the line loop, pull up and away from the hook-eye. The hook should come out the way it went in, and because it will curve out the same way it went in the barb should not catch.

 Very Important

 It is very important to follow 'Step 1' to the letter if pain and discomfort is to be avoided. Most importantly the loop of line must be at the top of the hook bend, and the pull must be up and away.

Way too many articles on this method advise having the line at the back of the bend, and pulling straight back - this will only result in the barb catching and causing pain.

I hope this gives you some idea of how to remove a hook. We have experimented using things like an orange to embed the hook in and it really seems to work well.

I received an email the other day from a friend and one of my readers. Seems she has had a great start to the 2012 fishing season. Sheralyn Morris from Ashland, Maine caught this 4.59 lb brook trout at a lake in the north Maine woods on a mickey finn. The fish was 21” long and had a girth of 13.5”. Sheralyn tells me that she is going to have the trout mounted.  I don’t blame her.