Since I run a fishing charter on Lake Superior, there is always the possibility of getting hooks embedded into flesh… human flesh, that is. I’ve been lucky out on the water, however, I’ve had to remove a couple on shore, one on a 4 year old boy and one on myself.
The youngster was on Schlatters Island (at the end of the Keweenaw Peninsula, 12miles east of Copper Harbor) a couple years back, when I heard the kid crying as his dad looked at it, wondering what to do. Coincidentally, just a few days before the fishing trip I had watched a YouTube video that showed and explained exactly what to do, so I was anxious ti try it out, but a little nervous that the first chance came on such a young kid.
This is on Schlatters Island where we camp every year and had to remove a fish hook from 4 year old.
The hardest part of the whole ordeal was finding someone who had a pair of wire cutters to cut the barbs off of the 2 barbs that weren’t buried in his finger. The rest was quick and easy, and once done, we put a band-aide on the small puncture and he went back to playing.
The second time was on myself when I was moving a rod at the dock in Lac La Belle and it slipped from my hand and there happened to be a lure that found its way into my hand. With my teeth, I bit the 17lb line to separate the 8 foot trolling rod from the lure and leave the #5 spoon (one of my favorites for Lake Trout) hanging onto my hand. I then found my diagonal cutters and managed to cut the other 2 barbs off, but I still had the weight of the metal lure hanging there. I tried to cut the main shaft of the hooks, but being a double wire, I couldn’t quite do it. Just then a friend came by and helped. I did the rest by myself somewhat easily, but it was painful until the operation was complete. I won’t try to describe the procedure, but here is a video on how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTUQXpg76xQ
Boys with perch at Schlatters Lake Where my first hook removal experience took place.
Brian Helminen
