You got a hook stuck in you.. now what?

Lots of flyfishing; my home river is selective regs all the time (it's open); and even Puget Sound is barbless. Even when I'm targeting warmwater fish I usually go barbless and baitless so I can release non-targeted fish, like planters.

The only time it seems barbless might be a real disadvantage is with heavier lures, like jigs. The weight seems to make them easier to shake.

No pics but....
Just did a charter trip for bottom fish thanks to a coworker who gifted it to me after his inlaws from Missouri backed out 2 days before.

It's late in the trip and we've limited the boat on rockfish and are almost limited on lingcod. decent ones too, most in the 16-25 class. We're using a sliding mooching rig under an 8 ounce banana sinker with herring or anchovies as bait.  I'm fishing the port bow position and I suddenly hear the guy opposite me in the starboard position bring another fish onboard, curse, then talking out loud to himself . I asked if he was ok, and he said he needed a deckhand, put his gear up against the rail and walked aft.

I hear Michael, one of the guys next to me tell his friend, "That guy has a hook in his hand".
Inwardly I wince, remembering this thread of discussion several years ago, and hoping the crew can help him remove it.

I keep one ear peeled back toward the stern and continue fishing and helping the slightly disabled 84 year old next to me stay on his feet.  Eventually I hear the captain tell the guy that he couldn't help him more than putting a bandage and antiseptic on it and immobilizing it as it was buried deeply into the knuckle.  After bandaging and taping it to the fingers on each side, the guy had to set out the last hour and endure 3 more hours of pain on the way to the dock. So, sadly, pretty much this guys day of fishing was over because of a slip of the line or hook.

I'm not sure how or where he got it treated, or if there was anything else that could be done while onboard to help. But it got me to thinking; I carry a small first aid kit in my rail rat bag, but looking at it, i'm thinking it's just a token nod to the hazards we face on the water. So i'm going to start looking at something more comprehensive that will still fit into the gear bag.

Would welcome any suggestions for expanding the aid kit from those who've had more experience in that area.

There are days when sunglasses just won't do, but a $5 pair of clear safety glasses from Harbor Freight should be in everyone's fishing bag. But a handful of them and put one in your shooting range bag, one on your workbench. Hell, stash a set in your glovebox. You never know when you want them.

Next time I get a minor cut I'm gonna experiment with clove oil. This is normally used as an emergency oral anesthetic and every home should have it in case of a cracked tooth or lost filling. I wonder if it will numb skin/flesh outside the mouth (no reason why it shouldn't).

For that matter, I wonder how clove oil does as a scent....

ALWAYS WEAR GLASSES

Last year I yanked on a 6 oz jighead stuck on some kelp.  It flew straight into my eye.  Popped the lens out of my sunglasses and scratched it, but I was able to pop it back in and keep fishing.  That could have been a bad day.

There are a few videos on youtube showing how to remove hooks that are embedded in fingers.  Sometimes the removal method will work, but I'm sure there are lots of circumstances where it just won't and you need to get medical attention.   

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure:  Fish barbless single hooks instead of trebles or multiple hooks.  Always wear eye protection! and try to be aware of how things can go badly if a fish spits a hook with all that tension loaded.

I saw a guy at the cleaning station last summer with a 16/0 circle hook through his bicep because he was handling a halibut on the lower hook and the fish wiggled the wrong way.  BE CAREFUL with multiple hook rigs like shrimp flies and jigs on the same line!   Circle hooks deserve just a little bit more caution-I don't think the hook removal techniques would work on that hook shape.

This was from last year ORC pre-fish. Its not nearly as bad as a lot of the others, but was the worst yet for me. I learned a couple of things.

1. Don't ever throw your jig by hand. In this case the shrimp fly was sure to follow with the weight of the jig behind it!
2. Always carry cutters.
3. It doesn't hurt at all at the time that it happens. What comes next is chilling!
4. If you have pictures to show people, it makes a really good conversation!

Eye pro I got, extra digits and joints I don't. And have been using various gloves now for the past few years.  And I'm not talking about the nitrile types. Rockfish spines hurt.

Since I posted this up, have been looking at marine first aid kits with the idea of adding a
set of cutters heavy enough to cut up to a heavy gauge 7/0 hook. That's about the biggest I recall working with, or put another way its the biggest in common in use in places I've been fishing. 

The current winners in the search come in at just over 4 1/2 lbs in weight and about $125.00 total cost. Might sound like I'm putting a cheap price on safety items but I think my choices will work well in the scenarios I envision for it.

What I need to do now is brush up on my old Combat Lifesaver wound treatment skills so I can use the kit if I have to. Looking on the web at medical sites, most of the credible information is geared towards physicians doing online training.  So I'll to dig a bit more.

I really hope the guy from the charter got quick medical attention when he hit the dock. Those medical sites I mentioned all made certain that even the most dense person understood you need to get the wound cleaned and treated quickly to stave off bacterial infection. 

Browneyesvictim, did you bend the barb yank it out and send it down with the freshest of scent on it? DAMN THAT LOOOOKS PAINFULLY PAINFUL!

Here was my experience with a rusty 1/0 Owner Cutting point treble a few years back. Luckily I wasn't on the water:

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=11196.msg124767#msg124767

I always carry a pair of Harbor Freight mini bolt cutters in my dry bag now for this reason. FFTW recommended them and they work really well.

I also stabbed myself pretty good in the thumb with my gaff hook back in about '09 while dealing with a nice ling.  Since then I have made sure to carry some kind of tape that sticks really well, even when wet, like duct tape. Also some kind of gauze or even paper towels.  Finally, some kind of antiseptic.

Here's a recent incident with a buddy of mine.  I must say, the snatch method didn't work on this one, as his lip gave too much when we tried it by the river.  He just pushed it all the way through and snipped the hook himself, while looking in the rearview.

-Allen

I agree - good gloves cost like ten bucks. I got exactly this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sailing-Gloves-Cut-Yachting-Rope-Kayak-Dinghy-Fishing-Water-Ski-Outdoor-Glove-/140892451172?var=&hash=item20cdd83164:m:msC2FwF2oFkj1DONtybJ6UA very happy with them - comfortable, reliable, washed them few times and they still like new.

Browneyesvictim, did you bend the barb yank it out and send it down with the freshest of scent on it? DAMN THAT LOOOOKS PAINFULLY PAINFUL!

Well, seeing that I hadn't learned my #2 lesson yet I didn't have any pliers or cutters.  I placed a call on the radio and good ol' Justin (skywest) came to the rescue with some cutters.  I cut the barb off and pulled it back through. I tied on a new shrimp fly and went back to fishing of course! There was a Hobie fishing towel from the previous year orc that was clean in my dry bag I wrapped my hand in. It really didn't bleed that much.

Here's a recent incident with a buddy of mine.  I must say, the snatch method didn't work on this one, as his lip gave too much when we tried it by the river.  He just pushed it all the way through and snipped the hook himself, while looking in the rearview.

-Allen

In the words of Rodney Dangerfield, the last time I saw a mouth like that...

Shit guys, I thought Saturdays incident was bad, you guys are really making me cringe here.
But hey, a "Cruiser" first aid kit from West Marine and those heavier cutters are going into my gear plan.

2. Always carry cutters.

Exactly.