In a split second, disaster...

[PhishLI]

I imagine most people who've fished for any length of time have had close calls or worse with fishing lures and hooks. I took one to the finger a few weeks ago, and badly. This could've been avoided as my fish grippers were on my person, but I was lazy in the moment, so what could've been easily avoided turned into an ordeal of pain, shots, and antibiotics. Fortunately, it was only a finger.

 

In the past I've retold stories here about one night where a fish shook my Whopper Plopper 75 that rocketed out of the water and grazed my friend's ear hair on the way past his head. An inch or two over and he would've been blinded for sure. Another night I had a RI Little Dipper spit under full rod bend that landed flat against my eyeball. By some miracle the hook didn't touch me. I now wear sleek, clear, safely glasses at night.

 

Last week while I was out on a boat, I was fishing pads with a Zman ProCrawZ rigged on a weighted Gamakatsu swimbait hook. The whole shebang weighs about 5/8 oz and it casts like a bullet. I pitched it out and felt a good bite, so I set the hook with a strong south to north swing. The rod folded over under the pressure, and just as the fish came up through the pads it spit the hook. In a fraction of a second, I felt the bait clip my rod and knock my sunglasses sideways, then it dropped into my PFD. The first thing I noticed was one of my rod guides dangling on the line. Then I took off my glasses and saw the scars on the center of the right lens which up to that point was very clean. There's no doubt whatsoever that had I not worn those sunglasses because it was cloudy or whatever, I would've been in serious trouble. Everything would've changed dramatically.

 

This isn't something you should gamble with ever, whether you're fishing alone and especially when fishing with others. Not for a moment. My bait could've easily nailed my fishing partner or vice versa. With having the experience of being deeply hooked in my finger still quite fresh in my mind, the thought of getting a hook in my eye is even more unimaginable than ever. Just an FYI.

 

[Kirtley Howe]

Scary indeed. I am sure we have all had those moments. I know I have. So far, the worst I had was a hook imbedded in my palm. I was working a Zara Spook and a pike grabbed it. I set the hook and just as maximum tension was reached the hook popped free and the lure came flying back toward me. I just had time to put my hand up to keep it from smacking me in the face. Would not have been bad, except the hook managed to get around a ligament that controls the little finger. No way that was coming out without a trip to the ER. At least it was not to the face.

[ironbjorn]

I've shared this on BR a few times. One time I was fishing a lipless crankbait along a line of cattails near the bank. A strong gust of wind threw my bait into the cattails. I pulled and pulled until the lure was freed and it slingshotted back into my face at the speed of a bullet. It hit less than an inch below my eye. Complete miracle that not only did the hook avoid penetration, but that it avoided my eye. I've never fished without glasses since then. Probably, I would say, 7 years ago?

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Glad you're okay buddy, good PSA!   I always fish with glasses on, and I always shoot with glasses on as well.    Also use them when I cut or in the workshop.

 

Blindness scares me significantly.   

[DaubsNU1]

Wow, scary for sure! Glad it all worked out okay in the end. Good on you for keeping glasses on all the time.

 

I wear safety glasses around my house, garage, and shop any time I'm doing something where there is a potential for bad things to happen. Also wear ear protection, as I have tinnitus.

 

I do have low-light fishing glasses, and wear them 70-80% of the time. I wear my other fishing glasses all the time, when the sun is up. You can bet I'm going to start wearing protection ALL the time...

 

Thanks for the reminder!! 

[N Florida Mike]

Not this again.

I DID get a 5/0 hook in my eye when I was 24. I gently tried pulling it out but stopped when I could feel the eyeball move . My girlfriend took me to the hospital and 5 hours of surgery later, they had done what they could. 

I had sustained a smashed eye lens and detached retina. When they took the bandage off 3 days later, all I could see was blurry forms. But I could see colors.

Now, 38 years or so later , I see out of it pretty good with a special made ( and fairly expensive) contact.

I am so blessed to not have to go through my life with a glass eye!

I second the motion on safety precautions!!

[Jar11591]

I was humbled a week or so ago. Been almost a decade since my last hooking, so I had been complacent. Unhooking a tiny little bass on a PopX not being careful, and I ended up with 2 points of treble buried in the loose skin between the thumb and index. Could have been avoided if I remembered that it can happen to any fisherman at any time if they aren’t careful. And whenever there is tension on the line, I’m cognizant of where it’s pointed in case of a return-to-sender deal. Good PSA and glad you’re ok Phish. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

3 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

Not this again.

I DID get a 5/0 hook in my eye when I was 24. I gently tried pulling it out but stopped when I could feel the eyeball move . My girlfriend took me to the hospital and 5 hours of surgery later, they had done what they could. 

I had sustained a smashed eye lens and detached retina. When they took the bandage off 3 days later, all I could see was blurry forms. But I could see colors.

Now, 38 years or so later , I see out of it pretty good with a special made ( and fairly expensive) contact.

I am so blessed to not have to go through my life with a glass eye!

I second the motion on safety precautions!!

Wow, glad it didn't turn out worse, but that's straight nightmare fuel right there.  

 

Last eye exam, some green doctor just casually dropped that my retinas are longer than normal, and they could detach randomly......oh just by the way, THANKS DOC! ?

[optimator]

A buddy of mines dad lost an eye pulling on a snag steelhead fishing. Be careful out there guys. 

[txchaser]

I took a frog to the forehead once, hard enough to break the skin. And I didn't have glasses on...even though I owned low-light glasses. 

 

While the glass costas have better visibility and clarity, the polycarb ones are safety glasses too so I wear those. 

 

[Catt]

Worm hook to the thumb while lipping a 4#, I don't let go.

 

[Woody B]

Everyone who doesn't wear glasses should wear some kind while fishing.   My eyeglasses are fairly tight fitting and had polycarbonate lens.  I suppose real safety glasses would be better but they meet the safety glasses requirement at work.   I'm not a hat wearing person(except in the Sun) but I wear a hat anytime someone else is in the boat with me.   Last year one of my Grandsons took the hat off my head casting a treble hook bait.   Hooks would have been in my scalp had I not been wearing the hat.   

 

On a side note, I also always wear a hat when target shooting.   

[Spankey]

Hope you feel better soon. You will. Just don’t let it get infected. Do your best to keep it from infection. These things happen so fast. My last good sticking and gash was in the fall of ‘21. Mishandled a greenie, should have been using a fish gripper. Not like I don’t have one and it’s easy accessible. Fish was pretty calm for the most part, good thumb grip on it. It went to thrashing and the crap show started. Had a heck of a mess with my favorite 6th Sense Curve 55 tearing two fingers up. Those stock hooks are deadly. It took 9 months or more for fingers to get back to normal. I just kept it from getting infected and kept the finger nail nerve pain to a minimum. You learn to reel a bit differently for a few months. Get better soon, try to use your gripper. 

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

I DID get a 5/0 hook in my eye when I was 24. I gently tried pulling it out but stopped when I could feel the eyeball move

My knees got a little shaky reading that. My goodness. Glad your sight rebounded.

1 hour ago, Spankey said:

Hope you feel better soon. You will. Just don’t let it get infected. Do your best to keep it from infection.

Did a course of antibiotics. All clear. Sensation is weird, but not too worried about that. Thanks.

[optimator]

1 hour ago, Woody B said:

Everyone who doesn't wear glasses should wear some kind while fishing.   My eyeglasses are fairly tight fitting and had polycarbonate lens.  I suppose real safety glasses would be better but they meet the safety glasses requirement at work.   I'm not a hat wearing person(except in the Sun) but I wear a hat anytime someone else is in the boat with me.   Last year one of my Grandsons took the hat off my head casting a treble hook bait.   Hooks would have been in my scalp had I not been wearing the hat.   

 

On a side note, I also always wear a hat when target shooting.   

I was shooting a 3 gun match a couple of years ago. Forgot my hat. I had a piece of brass bounce off the wall of the shoot house and it came in behind my glasses. That stuff is pretty hot right out of the gun and onto your eyelid. Good times. 

[Fishin Dad]

I just posted on a sun glass topic about this a few days ago.  I switched back to Oakleys for this reason.  I am going to purchase some clear lenses after reading this.  
 

Glad everything turned out ok for you Phish!!   Good reminders too.  

[islandbass]

Man that’s some scary stuff. When I was a novice I did have a few near misses. I wised up quickly and glasses are on 90% of the time, especially when it gets darker and with sunglasses makes it harder to see. 
 

Some of the things I discovered to minimize the chances of getting a hook in the eye are as follows:

 

1) When possible during a fight, I make a conscious effort to ensure my body is not directly behind the rod. You can maintain pressure at 45 degrees is many planes, to either side of your body. If you experience a break off and your rod is to one side or the other, the lure flying back toward you will NOT hit you.   There is only one downside so your best best is to remain still and let it fly to your side. Even after it passes you, wait and remain still because you might still have to deal with a potential rebound or two.  
 

If you’ve ever played dodge ball on the playground you know what the downside is. Sometimes, when we try to avoid getting hit by the ball, we mistakenly walk into the ball’s path, lol. 
 

2) Consider going barbless when possible.  If you ever get hooked by a barbless hook, you will be patting yourself on the back and tell yourself how lucky and blessed you were that the hook was so easy to remove. Don’t get me wrong. There are times I want a barb but I’ve from being forced to go barbless by way of regulations, I don’t think I’ve ever lost a fish with a barbless hook. It also makes releasing them a breeze. 
 

3) If your’re going to be alone in area not so much access, tell someone where you will be and when you expect to return. If something happen to you that you might be immobilized, your odds of getting help are better than if you didn’t.
 

 

[Sam]

I have had two surgeries to remove a hook from my finger and hand.

 

Not fun.

 

Last time it happened the Doc in a Box physician's assistance had never seen this happen before and my wife and I hand to wait another half-hour for the doctor to arrive to remove it via surgery.

 

I am extremely careful now when handling a fish and removing a hook.

[Tackleholic]

4 hours ago, islandbass said:

Man that’s some scary stuff. When I was a novice I did have a few near misses. I wised up quickly and glasses are on 90% of the time, especially when it gets darker and with sunglasses makes it harder to see. 
 

Some of the things I discovered to minimize the chances of getting a hook in the eye are as follows:

 

1) When possible during a fight, I make a conscious effort to ensure my body is not directly behind the rod. You can maintain pressure at 45 degrees is many planes, to either side of your body. If you experience a break off and your rod is to one side or the other, the lure flying back toward you will NOT hit you.   There is only one downside so your best best is to remain still and let it fly to your side. Even after it passes you, wait and remain still because you might still have to deal with a potential rebound or two.  
 

If you’ve ever played dodge ball on the playground you know what the downside is. Sometimes, when we try to avoid getting hit by the ball, we mistakenly walk into the ball’s path, lol. 
 

2) Consider going barbless when possible.  If you ever get hooked by a barbless hook, you will be patting yourself on the back and tell yourself how lucky and blessed you were that the hook was so easy to remove. Don’t get me wrong. There are times I want a barb but I’ve from being forced to go barbless by way of regulations, I don’t think I’ve ever lost a fish with a barbless hook. It also makes releasing them a breeze. 
 

3) If your’re going to be alone in area not so much access, tell someone where you will be and when you expect to return. If something happen to you that you might be immobilized, your odds of getting help are better than if you didn’t.
 

 

I often fish with barbless hooks, but can no longer find barbless trebles.  If someone knows, I would like to hear.  Thankyou.

[Tackleholic]

I've been hooked past the barb twice.  The worst was when I swatted at a horse fly and drove a 2/0 jig hook deep into the base of my thumb.  I was wet wading at 5:00 a.m., about an hour from my car and another hour to medical treatment.  I pulled that hook out with pliers and remember feeling sorry for all the fish I'd done that to.  I always wear glasses and a cap with a bill on it.

[Captain Phil]

I could fill this thread with scary fishing hook stories.  I fished offshore for many years and have seen some truly horrible situations.  Once saw a mate with a marlin gaff though his calf.  The worst I have been hooked was when a bass hooked himself to my chest and my hand at the same time when I was by myself.  Luckily, I had my side cutters with me.  Never went fishing again without them.  Most small fishing hooks can be removed easily with the string method. Google it.  I was always removing hooks from my customers as long as the hook wasn't too deep or near something critical.  I hooked my wife once in the head with a Hula Popper.   Not a good day. ?

 

[PhishLI]

12 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Luckily, I had my side cutters with me.  Never went fishing again without them.

Good advice. While I didn't have the sense to use my grippers on this occasion, I did have my 8" sidecutters with me, which I always carry. The bass was thoroughly hooked by the rear treble and the front got me when it shook. Without the cutters I couldn't have freed either of us.

[islandbass]

@Tackleholic: I normally just crimp the barb on all hooks since I normally buy all hooks that are barbless locally. 
 

Because of where I live barbless single hooks are not too difficult to find. Heck, it never even dawned me to look for barbless treble so I could give myself a V8 for that. 
 

A quick google search shows that they are indeed available and from reputable companies like Gamakatsu, VMC and Mustad. 
 

I saw the mustad barbless trebles  on Amazon, gamakatsus from their web page and vmacs at barrows. Also Cabelas and BPS appear to carry a brand I never heard of, outdoor brandz barbless trebles. 

I couldn’t figure out how to copy my search on google for barbless trebles on my phone, but all I did was type in google’s search bar, “barbless treble hooks” and you should see the same results.  

 

[casts_by_fly]

That’s a really good PSA.  I wear polarized glasses 100% of the time when there is any light above the horizon.  And 0% of the time when it’s dark. I never thought about clear lenses for night fishing and I night fish a lot. That’s a great idea. 
 

@PhishLI- which clear glasses do you use at night?  Anything more than just safety specs?

[Swamp Girl]

Because of this thread, I just bought a pair of safety glasses that will fit over my eyeglasses. So, thanks, PhishLI!

 

3 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Good advice. While I didn't have the sense to use my grippers on this occasion, I did have my 8" sidecutters with me, which I always carry. The bass was thoroughly hooked by the rear treble and the front got me when it shook. Without the cutters I couldn't have freed either of us.

 

I used my hook cutters recently when a bass somehow managed to work my rear treble hook completely through its gills. Rather than attempt to work it back, I simply cut all three hooks and then easy-peasy and a healthy fish to release.