Ever wonder how many times you get pricked by a hook point throughout the year?  Probably not every time out, but every handful of times on the water I stick myself with a hook point... especially if jerk baits are involved. 

 

Was out last Friday and kind of remember getting stuck briefly on my middle finger with a hook - don't think it even bled much. Forgot about it the next 2-3 days and then all of a sudden my finger got sore. Woke up yesterday morning with a white head blister the size of a marble!  Popped it and now on Doxycycline and it looks much better although still a bit swollen 

As a guide, I got stuck hundreds of times.  No infections.  Worse than a hook is a barb stick from any fish and worst of all a catfish.  I’ve had some nasty wounds from cats.  

I’ve never had one remotely close to that! That looks pretty bad. Getting stuck from a hook never bothered me at all. When a dorsal fin gets me for whatever reason that is sore for a couple weeks and the skin around it is hard and you can see where it pierced my skin.

Ouch @FryDog62!

 

In Canada last summer, the Pike would occasionally get us. Hurt a little, but the next day seemed to be worse. We picked up some fishing gloves and solved that problem quickly.

 

You are smart to get after that early.

 

45 minutes ago, DaubsNU1 said:

Ouch @FryDog62!

 

In Canada last summer, the Pike would occasionally get us. Hurt a little, but the next day seemed to be worse. We picked up some fishing gloves and solved that problem quickly.

 

You are smart to get after that early.

 

I hate to say it - but shouldda seen it yesterday morning when it was 3 times that size and all pus.  Eeeewwww! 

I had a similar situation last summer on a finger tip. After popping it a few times, it got to looking to me like there was something in there. I ended up digging a piece of gill raker from a muskie out of it. Healed right up once that was out of there. 

A good argument for keeping a bottle in the boat. Makes fishing more fun when they aren't biting, warms you up when its cold, and sanitizes wounds. I'm (half) kidding of course. 

Yeah, my fingers get poked and infected. For me, the worst species is white bass. Their dorsal spines are tipped with poison and their gill plates cut like razors. Catch a hundred a day for a few days and my hands were swollen.

I've been stuck many times but I've never had that happen.  Glad it is healing up.

6 hours ago, TOXIC said:

As a guide, I got stuck hundreds of times.  No infections.  Worse than a hook is a barb stick from any fish and worst of all a catfish.  I’ve had some nasty wounds from cats.  

I was fishing on a Tuna boat many years ago, dogfish came in by the Acre... destroying our Baits and leaders..I was ticked, and grabbed one by the back, he swung that spine back and jammed me badly with that big spine right in my forearm (that's a pretty big spine-I know better, lost my mind)..I was dragging that arm in the Saltwater for 5 hours.

It got better, but hurt like hell.

 

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

Yeah, my fingers get poked and infected. For me, the worst species is white bass. Their dorsal spines are tipped with poison and their gill plates cut like razors. Catch a hundred a day for a few days and my hands were swollen.

White bass are worth the risk!! (A top 3 species for me personally)

@FryDog62: BIG ONES!

I always keep a water bottle with clean water for drinking/rinsing a cut, some small hand sanitizer, and a couple of bandages with me for just that reason. Don't want to mess with infections, can be risky. 

A small blue cat flipped off my hook and inpaled a toe with a side fin . It was thrashing violently. That hurt. Then another time a catfish got me in the meaty part of the hand. I   got sweaty and light headed  . Had to lay in the bottom of the boat until I recovered.

Kinda looks like a staph infection.. certainly looks painful. 

Back in the 80's catfishing was big for me, at night.

My hands were forever swollen.

Hooks never did what you've experienced.

Glad to hear it's healing.

Ever get stuck by a dogfish?  Prepare to bleed a while, they have anticoagulants in their spines.

 

I can’t tell you how much I hate those things. Staying away from using real bait helps keep them away but you always get a couple here and there regardless. I’ve been hit twice the last couple of years.  No matter how careful you are they just know the perfect timing and twist to get you where you least expect. 

This has happened before - going to carry a bottle hydrogen peroxide in the future 👍

17 hours ago, F14A-B said:

Kinda looks like a staph infection.. certainly looks painful. 

Yep. That’s why they gave me Doxycycline - gets rid of Staph in addition to other things.  
 

Had a staph infection 10 years ago - went undiagnosed/untreated for 3 months.  Lost partial vision in one eye. Staph is nothing to mess with! 

23 hours ago, DaubsNU1 said:

Ouch @FryDog62!

 

In Canada last summer, the Pike would occasionally get us. Hurt a little, but the next day seemed to be worse. We picked up some fishing gloves and solved that problem quickly.

 

You are smart to get after that early.

 

Worst fishing related injury I've had was from a 28" pike. I thought I was safe with the gill plate hold but apparently if they thrash the teeth in the back of the throat can still get you. My finger was bleeding so much I thought I might need stitches. My whole hand was red when I stopped at a CVS. I probably looked like I just killed someone.

On 3/20/2025 at 10:29 PM, FryDog62 said:

This has happened before - going to carry a bottle hydrogen peroxide in the future 👍

After years of fishing for Pike and Musky, and getting our hands all tore up, we started doing this on the boat.  No more infections or sore hands.

12 minutes ago, Shadow1 said:

After years of fishing for Pike and Musky, and getting our hands all tore up, we started doing this on the boat.  No more infections or sore hands.

Doc recommended I have a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the boat - put it on, let it foam up. Then rinse with clean water and apply some 2% Mupirocin Ointment USP.  Best defense against infection and/or Staph.  I have both in my kayak now! 

Has happened to me many times over the years.  If infected lance it, then squeeze out any puss, then antibiotic ointment, and bandaid, gone in a day or two.  Simple fix, don’t ignore!  Keep sanitizer in the truck!

4 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Doc recommended I have a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the boat - put it on, let it foam up. Then rinse with clean water and apply some 2% Mupirocin Ointment USP.  Best defense against infection and/or Staph.  I have both in my kayak now! 

wow.  i have this exact tube.  i got this weird open sore in the back of my head and my doc prescribe a tube for me.  it is so fast acting!!  when i run out, i am going to send my doc that exact same pic of the sore i had and pretend it is a new sore and beg for new tube.  

 

to add,  i hooked my hand in Mexico.  friend and i doubled on bass and in my excitment to get ready for pic, the bass zigged, i zagged and it punched thru.  i yanked it out with pliers before the pain set in...it bled and i let it.  i think bleeding is like self flushing out bacteria and germs.   i did tape it finally.    at camp i washed it again and again. 

 

zero issues now except the tiny scar.  

Catfish spines have vemon glands that can make you pretty sick when you get stuck/cut by them. It's always the little ones that get me, usually when I try to toss them back and they give that last little flip and the serrated edge of the spine cuts me. I don't even let my boys handle them yet because I know how quick they can end a fishing trip. My grandpa dropped one in a canoe on a float once and it stuck right into his thigh. He was so sick by the end of it that we had to about drag him to the truck. 

 

I feel like I do pretty good about getting stuck by hooks but I had a dream I got hooked a couple days ago, I hope that's not a bad omen 😬