Hook accidents,Whats your worst?????

[eelman]

Here is a good topic!! Whats the worst hooking you ever had on yourself??
Mine was in 1992 at watch hill,While catching numerous bluefish with gibbs GS3 Swimmiers that had 4x strong 4/0 trebble hooks on them,I was perched on a rock about 20 feet from shore that had marginal footing at best.

I landed a bluefish about 14 or 15 lbs,I grabbed the fish and the fish slipped, as it fell the hook on the plug buried into the palm of my hand and came out the other side!!

Imagine a 15 pound weight being dropped with a hook on the end catching your hand!! Anyway, I had my rod in one hand,and a hook in the other with a bluefish still on the plug!! The bluefish did not stay still! it shook violently and the hook in my hand was touching every nerve I have! Try to control a bluefish in that situation,My friend joe came over after hearing me scream in the worst pain I can remember!! He cut the hook loose from the fish and I was off to the hospital with A plug stuck in my hand to have it removed,after it was removed,I headed right back down there and continued fishing.Ill tell you I dont know what I would have done if it were not for joe being there,To grab the fish myself I would have had to throw my rod away,I still feel that bluefish shaking like crazy making the pain horrible.

I have been hooked several times,but that was the worst!!

I was also on charlestown breachway one night and got bit by a bluedog,that requierd 12 stiches to close up!! I was unhooking the fish and casually shooting the breez with some of the boys,unaware that I was lowering my hand right into the aligators mouth,once it locked on we had to beat on its head for what seemed like an eternity to get it to release,I still have a good battle scare from that one,that I love to look at!!!

[Mike P]

Very similar incidents for me. Several years ago on Memorial Day weekend, I was picking at bass in the 30 to34 inch range at Democrat Point on LI, the southern tip of Fire Island Inlet. I had a 7" Bomber that had been re-rigged with those strong 4x Eagle Claw trebles. I had treated myself to a nice Macanudo Churchill cigar, it being Memorial Day and all. I landed a bass about 12 pounds, and not wanting to waste what was then a $4 smoke, I had it in one hand as I held my light in my mouth. I tried to unhook the bass with my free hand--my right, being right handed--and the fish shook its head and drove one of the prongs of the belly treble through the meat of my palm, near the thumb. I was all alone, no one around, and I had to reach around my belly with my left hand to reach the pliers. Being right handed, they were on the right side of my belt--under my waders, of course. Nice Manley ones, and as I didn't want them full of sand, they were under my waders. All the time I'm trying to get my hand past my gut, the fish is shaking. I'm trying to move my hand with the fish's head to minimize the pain, I must have looked like a maestro leading a band!! Finally, I reached the pliers and luckily, the fish had driven the barb all the way thru. It was easy to just cut the shank of the hook and that was that, me and the fish were free. This was back in the 36" limit days, so I couldn't even keep the fish for my troubles. And anyway, it wasn't its fault that I was such an idiot and tried to unhook it with only one hand. I kept on fishing, naturally, after rinsing the wound in the water, but as anyone who is married can guess, I caught holy hell when I got home for not going to the hospital right away. Nothing for them to do, really, except gibve me a tetanus shot--seems like I got my last 3 as a result of fishing.

I also got nipped by a gator. A 12 pounder. I landed it at the Canal, and I was holding the steel leader about 6" from the fish's mouth and reaching for the pliers on the ground about a foot away when the SOB made a lunge straight for my fingers. He got the tip of my right index finger, just raked it as I was pulling away. No stitches, but the scar is still there.

The other fishing injury of note was when I caught the corner of my truck's door in my eye, in total darkness out at Montauk, Labor Day of 1994. Scratched the cornea, and I had to drive 90 miles basically blind in one eye. Blurred vision and zero depth perception. Probably the single stupidest thing I've ever done in my life.

[JohnR]

Knock on wood!!! I've been pretty fortunate here! A few times while releasing a fish from the teaser I've had the fish drop onto the plug and pull the teaser into my hand but where I've been fortunate is that the barb has not penetrated beyond the skin. I have been able to drop the hand almost but not quite as fast as the fish pulled the plug down...

I wacked myself in the head with a 2oz jig once while trying to unfree it from a weedy rock - that hurt. Not hooked but the jig was bad enough...

My biggest problem is falling off a rock and landing, soaked on another rock. I still have some scrapes and bruises from one such night a couple weeks ago <img src="/Images/biggrin.gif"><!--e7-->....

[John M]

I have never been nipped or hooked. I got beat up on bboats offshore pretty good in the past, cracked ribs when a big blue pulled me into the gunnel while I was wiring it. Got cut by a leader real bad once. Numerous scrapes brusies etc, from them big nasty fish.

I have a habit of getting hooked in the shin. Usually its through mywaders, but I have been grazed once......

[JohnR]

JohnM
That "grazed" hook a little close for comfort? Sorta like what Dennis Miller said last night on his MNF debut? " There is no such thing as a minor groin surgery "

[schoolie monster]

Almost identical story to #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& & mike p... two years ago I caught a 24" striper on an Atom popper, hooked by the rear trebles. I had the fish lipped when he started thrashing. I lost my grip and the fish fell. On the way down, the front treble buried itself into my thumb. The fish was pretty green and was flipping out. I grabbed him with my right hand and lipped him. I knew I was in trouble. I'm thinkin', it takes two hands to unhook these things and the hook was buried!

The fish thrashed again and between the pain and my ackward grip, I lost him again. After some extreme pain, somehow (a miracle I thought) the fish came off and I was at least free. I released the fish and then took stock of my situation. It was then I realized that the fish hadn't come unhooked, the back hooks literally broke off. I gathered my gear and walked up the bank about 100 yards to the one other guy that was there. I asked him if he had pliers with cutters. I thought the guy was going to vomit. He turned white and said "no"... he offered me a ride to the hospital, but I figured I'd manage.

So I drove my truck (a damn standard transmission, of course) to the doctor. Took the guy an hour to get it out. The idiot actually asked me if I cared if he cut the hook... yeah, just cut off my thumb as long as you don't ruin my $5 lure.

Anyway, that striper had been my tenth fish in about a half an hour, so I decided to go back out the next day. The weather had turned nasty, but I love fishing on the front edge of big weather systems. So I wrapped up my swollen, oozy thumb and went out.

I probably caught 70 fish on what had to be my best day ever. Fisherwoman was the only other nut out there braving the elements. I'm sure she remembers that day. It was definitely worth it. Didn't feel a lick of pain until I quit for the day. Amazing the healing power of the striped bass.

Like Schoolie Monster, had the same thing happen, had on a double header at the same place schoolie monster got the hook. Had the fish by the lips when the one on the teaser rig began to thrash, as he did the other fish flipped over my hand and drove the back treble of the atoms popper into the side of my middle finger and up to the tip, but not all the way thru. Had to have baitcaster grab both fish and get them off as the thrashing around just dug the barb in a little further. After releasing the fish we tried to cut the hook and try to push it thru, but the hook was imbedded deep and twisted from the fish. There are alot of nerve ending in the finger thats for sure, fish were busting every where, we had already caught over 100 fish in a couple of hours all on top and was pissed that we had to go to the emergency room and have the dam thing cut out. By that time the tide was gone, but we beat em up good the next day. All I can say from that experience is that now I barb down all my hooks and take the fish off the teaser first and then deal with the treble hooks. Yes Schoolie Monster what a day that was, we sure had a blast didn't we. Were are they now!!!!!!!

[John M]

John no problem I litterally have hooked my self between my knee and boot 4 or 5 times....If I hooke dmy self further up I would not have had that happen more than once......and I would not have my daughter today for sure.....

Speaking of which hows the wife doing? Mine goes back to work next week........gonna be interesting......

I never had a major hook accident, but I cut my bait on a tree stump next to my driveway before I head out. At 3:00 in the morning it's pretty dark. After two major finger cuts (both of which would have been stitched had I not opted to fish instead) I have installed a motion detector light aimed directly at the stump.

[JohnR]

Wife is doing good. She is at 6 months now and the last two weeks have had the baby kicking to the point where I can feel it too <img src="/Images/biggrin.gif"><!--e7-->