Fishing Injuries

Started by mahdi, October 16, 2014, 07:38:22 PM

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mahdi

I recently got a crankbait hook stuck in my thumb so deep, I couldn't take it out. Man what a painful experience. >:( ^-^ So I went to the hospital and the doctor used his magic to take it out. ;D But my god, the bill was $300 just to take a hook out!  ~rant ~rant ~rant   After that day, I will always handle crankbait hooks with pliers. Share your painful experiences.
Soft plastic fishing, its as easy as pie

Champriderz

I've had several bad experiences but years ago I had a decent fish grab a buzz bait pretty close to the boat and just as I got full pressure on him the hook came out.  I didn't even have time to flinch before it buried in my cheek only a couple of inches from my eye.  Crazy thing is it didn't hurt and I fished another hour or so and took a shower before going to the ER.

All the other hooks I have gotten in me have hurt, some more than others but hooks in the hand seem to hurt the worst.

Andrew

I always use pliers for trebles... Only time so far I ever put one in past the barb I was four years old and even though I wasn't suppose to go down to our lake dock by myself at that age I did and was fishing and stuck a hook all the way through my right pinky finger right on top of the second joint. I walked back to the house and my step dad took me out to the garage and simply cut the eyelet part off and pulled it out with a pair of pliers. Even though this was the year of the original woodstock I still have a scar on my finger from it..
Everyone talks about rock these days; the problem is they forget about the roll - Keith Richards

Wizard

I use a boga grip style bass grabber with treble hooks. It's saved me from injury.

Bud Kennedy

Since hooks in the body will happen to all of us sometime.  I have a pair of compound action cutters in the boat at all times.  I wanted to be sure that I could generate enough force to cut off the barbed end of the hook if necessary.  My worst injury while fishing had nothing to do with hooks.  I was getting in the boat just after releasing the winch strap and as I stepped onto the deck, I lost my balance and fell down to one knee.  Unfortunately that knee landed on the edge of the trolling motor pedal.  I would up with 12 stitches in an area directly over the knee cap.

RichWentFishing504

Fish Grip jr in my pocket. Handles all trebel hooked fish. Pretty inexpensive too I got mine for 12 bucks. Also Knipex makes a set of mini bolt cutters. Works on 7/0 mustard saltwater hooks. I never go fishing without either tools. Most hooks will just laugh at a set of dykes.

LgMouthGambler

Yep, a pair of dykes to cut a hook will save a trip to the ER. Have had to use them a few times.
My wife says she is gonna leave me if I go fishing one more time........lord how I will miss that woman.

Dark3

Im not even worried about hooks. Im worried about my vision

Princeton_Man

Quote from: mahdi on October 16, 2014, 07:38:22 PM
I recently got a crankbait hook stuck in my thumb so deep, I couldn't take it out. Man what a painful experience. >:( ^-^ So I went to the hospital and the doctor used his magic to take it out. ;D But my god, the bill was $300 just to take a hook out!  ~rant ~rant ~rant   After that day, I will always handle crankbait hooks with pliers. Share your painful experiences.

This may help if it ever happens again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQQ9PelPqQk
Stratos 285 XL Pro 150 Evinrude ETEC

Dobyns Rods - LSCR Club

Pferox

I always wear safety glasses of some type when fishing, even made sure my more expensive ONOS were impact resistant.  Saw a guy on a pier one time get hung up, yanked on the line and the 3 oz weight, and a hunk of shell bed hit him in the face.  Didn't look that bad til he started to complain about his eye and had an ambulance ride.  Don't know what really happened, but will always protect my eyes.

"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito" - African Proverb.  Jim

Canesfan

Quote from: LgMouthGambler on October 17, 2014, 05:03:06 AM
Yep, a pair of dykes to cut a hook will save a trip to the ER. Have had to use them a few times.

Oh I sooooo want to say something but I won't, LOL !   ~roflmao

OkobojiEagle


Smallie_Stalker

With all the years I've been fishing I have hooked myself more times than I can remember. I don't know how much the ER's have made on me over the years since insurance pays for it, but I am willing to bet I paid for a few dinners and drinks for the staff.  lo

I have shared a few of those experiences here on UB. This was my most recent act of idiocy

http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=117012.msg1267368#msg1267368

I've had other injuries happen from fishing besides hooking myself. One of the worst was a particularly rough water ride as a co-angler that injured my back. I couldn't even stand up out of the boat seat when we got back for weigh-in. Took 2 EMT's and two of my club buddies to get my 286 lb. self out of the boat! At various times I've also injured my wrist, my elbow and my shoulder on my casting arm causing me to miss portions of the fishing season.

Most anglers I know have been through the ringer with their back or knees or whatever yet we keep going back for more. Just goes to show how much we love this sport. Either that, or we are just a bunch of gluttons for punishment.  :-\
Dobyns Rods   Titan Tungsten   Abu Garcia  Berkley  Pflueger  Spiderwire

Capt. BassinLou

Hmmmm let's see. One trip to the ER, with a treble deep into my thumb. Tendonitis of my shoulder, got real bad had to go to physical therapy for a few weeks. Fisherman's elbow for 2 years. Yeah... I have had my share of injuries. That's just fishing...  lo. I have since learned what I should and should not do to help prevent future ones.

Princeton_Man

Quote from: Bassinlou on October 20, 2014, 05:22:43 PM
Hmmmm let's see. One trip to the ER, with a treble deep into my thumb. Tendonitis of my shoulder, got real bad had to go to physical therapy for a few weeks. Fisherman's elbow for 2 years. Yeah... I have had my share of injuries. That's just fishing...  lo . I have since learned what I should and should not do to help prevent future ones.

Fisherman's elbow???  ~shade :shocking: :-\ Really???

I need to look into that. You think I could score some short term disability with that?? I know everyone at work will buy it.  ~roflmao
Stratos 285 XL Pro 150 Evinrude ETEC

Dobyns Rods - LSCR Club

Capt. BassinLou

Quote from: Princeton_Man on October 20, 2014, 06:53:23 PM
Fisherman's elbow???  ~shade :shocking: :-\ Really???

I need to look into that. You think I could score some short term disability with that?? I know everyone at work will buy it.  ~roflmao
Its the equivalent of tennis elbow. The real term is called lateral epicondylitis.

Lee Smith

Quote from: Bassinlou on October 20, 2014, 06:55:07 PM
Its the equivalent of tennis elbow. The real term is called lateral epicondylitis.

I have it too, have to do the stretches recommended every morning before fishing!  ^-^  >:(  ~rant
Builder of Custom Personal Bassin' Rods

Princeton_Man

I wanna thank Rick and Lee for not mentioning my recent fishing mishaps.  lo My casting arm is once again ready for round 3.  ~roflmao
Stratos 285 XL Pro 150 Evinrude ETEC

Dobyns Rods - LSCR Club

luznmyhair

Christmas Eve morning of 2012 I was tearing em up on a chrome Cordell spot. After a few fish I grabbed an ole barge rope with my bait. I was able to wrestle the rope over the bow and start working the bait loose. When the bait popped loose it plunged into the underside of the thumb at supersonic speed. Normally I would just push the hook through and cut it. This time the nail was in the path. Ultimately I had to submerge my hand in the cold water until it was too numb to know it was attached. I had to yank it out with my pliers. Never felt a thing of course. Until it thawed out. Wrapped some gauze and tape around it and kept fishing. Needless to say opening gifts the next morning was a chore.
Matt
The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.
John Buchan

coldfront

Quote from: Princeton_Man on October 20, 2014, 06:53:23 PM
Fisherman's elbow???  ~shade :shocking: :-\ Really???


couple years back the frog bite was really rocking.  i set up on more fish using toads and frogs!  at the end of the summer, the inside of my elbow joint was hurtin bad...  lots of 'no stretch' hook sets had developed some micro-tears in the joint ligaments/tendons.  there were times I thought seriously about putting the rod away.

thankfully, this summer the frog bite was almost non-existent.  feeling much better.


LgMouthGambler

Quote from: Princeton_Man on October 20, 2014, 06:53:23 PM
Fisherman's elbow???  ~shade :shocking: :-\ Really???

I need to look into that. You think I could score some short term disability with that?? I know everyone at work will buy it.  ~roflmao

Dang. I really missed the ball on that one. Thanks Princeton Man. Lol
My wife says she is gonna leave me if I go fishing one more time........lord how I will miss that woman.

ssj3goten

Worst for me was doing some fishing in a bay using shrimp we caught two hardheads (think catfish but way worse). I unhoooked the fish like i always have with catfish with my right hand and go to toss it back into the water. Somehow as i was tossing it back the fish moved and one of the side spines got imbedded into my left hand between the thumb and pointy finger. The fish it still flopping and I try to slowly take it out and nothing happened. So i just said screw it and ripped it out of my hand. Hurt like heck and I had to sit there for about 5-10min before the pain started to stop. My hand was swollen a bit for a few days and then good to go. All I thought about was I don't want to go to the ER and do the military paperwork for this one  ~roflmao

Pferox

I have had a few catfish stories myself, but the best one has to be the time I was fishing on the pier with my buddy Robert, sorry if it is long.

We were fishing on the pier at 91t street in Galveston and as is the norm when the sun goes down the Gafftop catfish and Hardhead catfish come out to feed, so for a few hours in the evening just about all you catch are catfish with a few saltwater panfish mixed in.  They are fun to catch and a cat larger than a foot long is a good fight.

We use non barbed circle hooks, so unhooking the cats are pretty easy, you hang them over the rail, grab the hook with a longer pair of pliers and twist, they fall back into the water and are no worse for the wear and you aren't covered in catfish slime.

Well Robert is hitting his upper 60s and is on limited income so important things like new glasses are slow to come by, and I find out later that he "Kaint see so good in the dark anymore".

At this time we pretty much owned the pier since the place kind of cleared out about sun down, waiting for the night crew of fishing people to come in, so we spread apart trying different depths to see if we could find a catless location.  I happen to look down the pier and see Robert waving frantically at me and shouting, the surf was crashing so I couldn't hear a dang thing.

I walked down his way and noticed that he looked to be in a world of hurt and he was waving his hand around, I stopped at my tackle and got the gear to take out a hook because I thought he had hooked himself, after getting closer he starts yelling in a whiney in pain voice that he got finned by a catfish, so I grabbed his hand looking to give first aide to the wound, he then says not there and starts pointing down to his foot.

Sitting quite comfortably next to his foot is this 2 foot long Gafftop Sailcat.  Closer examination revealed that the right fin had become embedded in Robert's foot all the way up to the fish's body.  I calmly asked how that happened, and he said he was taking out the hook the way we normally do and it jumped over the rail and hit him as it was falling on the pier.

So, to make a long story longer, I slowly and painfully pulled the fin out Robert's shoe and foot, and inspected the fin to see if any thing was left in the wound.  It all looked OK so we threw the fish back and we addressed the wound paying close attention to infection prevention.

He is a die hard trooper, for about a half hour he walked the pain off and went back to fishing, stating that it didn't even hurt.  This was a 24 hour session on the pier so this guy fished all night this way.

Fast forward about 4 days later, his foot suddenly swelled up and he couldn't walk on it, so he went to a walk in clinic and his doctor was an Oriental Lady who had problems with the English Language.  After a while he finally got her to understand that he got finned and she actually knew what to do.  After checking some place on her computer, she said that pulling out the fin slowly was the best thing to do because the fin is barbed and designed to break off leaving all kinds of nasty stuff in the wound.  An x ray showed there were no fish parts in the wound and a hearty dose of antibiotics had him as good as new in a few days.

This is the kind of the blessing thing because Robert has never been to this place nor ever met this doctor, and he finds out later that she is from some place in China or Korea or something like that that is a river town and she had dealt with very bad catfish finnings before. And from what Robert says the waters around where she came from are a lot worse than the Gulf when it comes to infections and that kind of thing. Go figure.

After two years he still proudly tells the story to anybody who will listen on the pier, and the normal response is OH so YOU are the guy that happened to.  He is actually a celebrity on the pier because of this, go figure.

"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito" - African Proverb.  Jim

Polaris425

The only thing injured for me lately, is my pride.... lol.. I haven't been able to catch much of anything the last few trips out... I've been all  ~cf and no  ~gf
Fishin' Alabama
Building Rods, & Snatchin' Lips.

31airborne

No cracks on the 'fisherman's elbow' thing now.  It's very real.  And it hoits!

I had a co-angler snag me w/ his zaraspook.  He'd been side-slingin' all day, coming close enuff for me to feel the water coming off of the hooks.  He finally hooked me in the right ear.  Didn't take much for the hook to go right thru the skin and cartilage.  I almost killed him as he was jerking on the line to free the bait.  He thought he had snagged a tree.  He turned ghost white when he saw the blood running down the side of my face.

We were able to cut it and pull it out, but the tetanus shot at the ER cost me $147.  I bought a 21' boat the next week.  That is not happening again.