How a beautiful morning became an expensive one.

[Folshen]

Its the 4th of July about 6am, dead calm, water was like glass and my daughter and I left the landing as the first boat on the water.  Fast forward about 20 minutes and we'd made it through the channel and into the second lake.  The sun is getting brighter on the horizon and I'm thinking this is going to be a great morning.  

She's casting a Heddon Tiny Torpedo and suddenly its "fish on" and her pole is bent over pretty good.  I set my pole down and get the net ready.  It gets close to the boat then just about bent her rod in half as it darted under the boat.  Looked like a very nice bass as I dipped the net in and scooped it up...but it wasn't a bass, I'm really not 100% sure what it was though I believe it to have been a walleye.  

The reason I don't know is because the bait was no longer in the fish but just tangled in the net...so, I reached in and grabbed it, got the first treble free and started on the second...just about that time Mr. Mystery Fish decided he'd been playing dead long enough and you would have sworn somebody had just lit 'em up with a taser.  

Well naturally that's all it took to sink one of the trebles completely into my middle finger, right at the first joint.  I quickly put a foot on the fish to stop the seizure he was having and finished freeing the lure.  At that point I just held the net up briefly so she could see her fish which was approx. 20" and then dumped it overboard.

Now all attention is on the finger.  I unhooked the swivel so I was no longer attached to my daughters pole, smiled and reassured her I was ok and that it was by no means her fault, then fiddled with the lure for a couple moments.  It obviously wasn't going to just slip back out as the barb had a good hold on me.  I spun the lure free of the treble so I could get at things a little better.  I jiggled and tugged and pulled and twisted and cursed under my breath more than a few times but knew I wasn't going to get it out while on the boat.  

My side cutters wouldn't / couldn't cut the hook trying to work left handed so I sat back and lit a smoke.  Smiled at my daughter and told her to tie on something else and get back to fishing if she'd like too.  Then I thought "hey, perhaps I can still fish with it stuck in me" and I picked my rod back up.  Casting wasn't a problem but trying to reel it back in holding just your middle finger out, trying not to let the treble get caught in the bail...well, I figured that just wasn't going to work so I eventually conceded.

Now its 20 minutes or so back to the landing and then I've got to unload the boat, get the 12' jon up and into the truck, load everything else in and then drive home...all while trying not to hook anything else with said treble.

Finally home, get another pair of "beefier" side cutters out...still can't operate well left handed.  Light bulb comes on over head, I'll use a couple bar clamps to secure the Dremel tool to the work bench and then use the cut off wheel to get rid of the treble.  I'm thinking at that point I can just push the hook on through and pull it out...might even be back on the water in less than an hour.  

Moments after touching the treble to the cut off wheel it jerked it out of my left hand and twisted the barb inside my finger...but only a tad, just enough to make ya go "oh shoot" (or something like that).  So now we get a little smarter and hold the treble with a pair of pliers to keep it steady.  Hey, works great and we're nearly half way through, sparks just a flying and suddenly, d**n did that thing get hot!

Fast forward 30 seconds after shaking the finger and blowing on the treble to cool it off.  Light bulb is on a little brighter now, this time we'll cut a little at a time instead trying to burn right though it.  Worked beautifully.  Now, I'm finally down to just the one hook sticking into, or out of my finger...which ever way you choose to look at it.

Its about this time the wife steps into the garage and says "you guys are back awfully early!"  I smiled and said "yeah, not by choice but its kinda hard to fish with a hook stuck in your finger".  I then explained what happened and what I was attempting to do.  All she said was "I'll get dressed, your going to have to go to the emergency room".  I of course laughed as the worst was over, now I just gotta push it on through and its back to the lake.

I spent another half hour with mini vise grips and a couple different pairs of pliers trying to work this thing out of my finger.  I'm right handed and this trying to work with the left hand just is not working.  For the second time this morning I finally conceded to her and said "I think your right, its not coming out".

So, its now around 10am and we're at the prompt care.  I'm thinking this is just great...I have no insurance and not only is it a Saturday, but its a holiday on top of that.  Who knows how much this is going to cost me.  Finally get in and they stick me with the needle to numb things up.

Now the doc takes a pair of hemostats and proceeds to "wrestle" with the hook for a good ten minutes.  I expected him to push it on through but no, he was bound and determined to pull it back out the way it went in.  I brought the remainder of the treble with me so they could see exactly what was in my finger but apparently the barb didn't intimidate him any...and hey, it wasn't his finger so why should it?  

So after the first couple rounds go by he decides he needs something bigger to get a hold of it.  Out the door he goes, then moments later comes back...with the exact same brand/color/size pliers I had been using at home.  Less than a minute later I'm all set.  I can now get through airport security without setting off the metal detector again!

Wash the area real quick, didn't hardly bleed at all, stick on a band aid and ok, lets get outta here.  Nope...not so quick.  Tetanus shot?  Uhmm, I don't know, guess it was probably about ten years ago.  Oh, ok...a quick stab to the shoulder and great, now I'm updated for tetanus too, great!  Can we get outta here now?  

Checking out at the main desk, nope...don't have any insurance.  How much is this going to cost me?  She had no idea, couldn't even guess but they would like to have $100 deposit if at all possible.  Well I had gotten paid the day before so, sure...here is $100, now lets get outta here.

My finger feels like a balloon but its numb.  Daughter has had enough fishing for one day and wants to go see Grandma.  No problem, drop her off then go load the boat back up again.  Wife and I made it on the water shortly after noon.

It was no longer dead calm as the wind had kicked up.  We're not the only boat on the water this time as the jet skiers, speedboats and tubers are all over the place.  We still managed to boat a few fish and had a good time.  I did spend an extra couple minutes in that very spot where my daughter had caught Mr. Mystery Fish as I somehow felt the lake, felt that very spot somehow owed me something.  Well, if it does it wasn't in the mood to pay up.

So, its now the middle of August...nearly six weeks have gone by and I've not seen anything from the prompt care in the mail.  The wife suggests maybe I overpaid.  (insert laughter here)  No, I highly doubt that.  Well guess what showed up in the mail today, right you are, its my statement and no, I definitely didn't overpay.

$75.00  - Pharmacy

$232.00 - Professional Services

Less $100 from my deposit and another $46.05 that was labeled as "Estimated Discount" and I still owe them another $160.95 for their services.  

My boat was purchased for $435.00 and leaks quick well.

My Vari-Max was $179.00

The deep cycle was $90.00

Everything else was much cheaper.  My "good" reel was bought over 15 years ago for approx. $20 and my "good" rod cost me another $20 or so.  My tackle box was only $25 and there is well under $200 worth of tackle in it.

I sure wish I had $307 to share with the bait monkey, or to put towards a better boat, or a couple of really nice rod/reel combo's.  Ya know, I just wish that spot would cough up what it owes me as I try it every time we go past...still nothing.  ::sighs::

Ya know, I guess I can't really complain much.  I've got a wife and a daughter who both love to fish and even though the boat is only big enough for two of us as at time...I'm always one of the two.  

Now if ya actually stuck around long enough to read my ramblings, my hats off to ya and my only advice would be...have a lot of respect for them hooks...especially the ones with barbs in 'em.  Oh, and if you ever see Mr. Mystery Fish, let him know I feel somewhat cheated and that I'm still trying to collect.  Probably will be for years to come too.

[kms399]

that was a good story I laughed several times especially with the dremel tool and the clamps, sounds like something I would do, not sure thats  a good thing.  

[CanalStalkin]

I feel you on the hospital bills man. I recently went to the ER because I thought I had a hernia, well I waited in the ER for 12 hours. saw the doctor maybe 5 mins. they drew some blood, I peed in a cup and walked out with a bottle of vicodin. Costed me 1600 bucks. No insurance!

[burleytog]

Using the loop method would have saved you a lot of time and money.

[Sam]

I have had to have a treble hook removed surgically.

NEVER go to an emergency room if there is a 'doc in the box" around.

Glad you were OK.  

[CanalStalkin]

Wish I could have gone to the doc in the box, but they wont even talk to me without cash up front. Sad aint it.

[burleytog]

[drmnbig]

I was about to come unglued when you said you got the Dremel out!  I didn't know what was about to happen but it didn't sound good.  Glad all ended well and I hope you get the mystery fish again.  Fry him this time!  

[tutle]

One quick , hard  ****** with the needle nose pliers and make another cast.

[christopherjake]

Ounch and ounch.   :'(

[BassDeaton01]

Sounds painful....the hook and the bill...

[slider head]

Dude, I feel for you man. I had it happen once as well. I still remember the pain and tears streaming as I got it out. Then it was sore as fire for days after. Not real sure about the Dremel though  :-?

2 of my good friends were fishing a Tuesday night tourney on SML one night seven years ago. When it was over I could not believe they were not there to weigh in. I went up into the parking lot and they were about to go to blows. I mean they were serious! They were best friends since they were kids and now they wanted to kill one another. The Tuesday nighters here are only 4 hrs long. Anyway, after about an hour of fishing one hung the other one in the back of the head with one of those Bill Dance special buzzbaits. Then they spent an hour getting it out. Then were to mad at one another to continue fishing. One was mad at being hung in the head and the other was mad because he bled all over his boat. I love to just mention this story because its been seven years and they still cuss one another like dogs over it when it gets brought up.  ;D

[Clark Stewart]

That fishing line video works. I once caught a zara spook in my right forearm - the long 3 treble brand! All three trebles dug in. I just cut the line and finished fishing the day. That night my friend's dad did the fishing line trick. All I could feel was as if somebody had gently taken hold of my arm and pulled at the skin a little. I don't recall him jerking it out like the video.

[Folshen]

I'll have to admit the Dremel tool probably wasn't the smartest option, but it was the only thing that came to mind at the time...and it did wind up working.  

As for the loop method, looks fairly simply but I had never been hooked before and had never researched methods of removal.  Now should it ever happen again I'll surely be giving it a whirl if it means saving $300 or so.

Of course had I known the doctor would simply rip it out with pliers I could have probably done that myself.  The only concern I had was I truly thought it might have hold of some tendons as if I squeezed the pad of my finger the hook would rotate forward.  

There really was no pain involved though.  The only thing that came close was when the doc injected the lidocaine as that did sting a bit but a few seconds later the whole tip of my finger felt like it was on fire and then quickly went numb.

Its been six weeks now and the very tip of my finger is still a bit numb but its slowly coming back.  I guess when he ripped it out the barb must have had hold of a few nerve endings.

I can tell ya one thing, I've always been pretty careful around a mouth full of trebles, but now I'm much more cautious than before.

[Mrs. Matstone]

Great story.. Sorry it was a painful and expensive on for you though but it is nice to hear it all worked out and you got to spend some time on the water with your wife in the end. Hope you get that mystery fish again too.

[endless]

Dude, I feel for you man. I had it happen once as well. I still remember the pain and tears streaming as I got it out. Then it was sore as fire for days after. Not real sure about the Dremel though :-?

2 of my good friends were fishing a Tuesday night tourney on SML one night seven years ago. When it was over I could not believe they were not there to weigh in. I went up into the parking lot and they were about to go to blows. I mean they were serious! They were best friends since they were kids and now they wanted to kill one another. The Tuesday nighters here are only 4 hrs long. Anyway, after about an hour of fishing one hung the other one in the back of the head with one of those Bill Dance special buzzbaits. Then they spent an hour getting it out. Then were to mad at one another to continue fishing. One was mad at being hung in the head and the other was mad because he bled all over his boat. I love to just mention this story because its been seven years and they still cuss one another like dogs over it when it gets brought up. ;D

what are friends for. lol

[endless]

folshen great story. yea had some funny parts like one of them me fishing on the boat.

[skeetermike]

Yeah dude I posted a hook in my lil finger on here not 3wks ago.  Same story as urs, caught fish on a chug-bug, went to take him off and he flopped sending the hook into my lil finger to the bone...IT SUCKS!  I took my buddys needle nose pliers and pulled it myself.  I've talked so several people since that said all the docs do is the same thing u would do, so save ur money and grit and bear it, they will come out.  Now the tet. shot is still probably a good idea.