Be careful out there fellas

 

And share your warning stories if you have any yourself

 

I got a popper caught on a reed once, yanked free and LAUNCHED at my face. If my Ninja Turtle reflexes didn't kick in I might have a much worse version of this video for a story.

 

I caught the hook in my palm, past the barb. Now here's the kicker, I was sneakin a Lil fishin in between gigs at work. I had about 6 minutes to fish and only 3 left after I caught this hook before I had to get back to the office.

 

At the time I had no wire cutters, and it was too close to the center to try to push through anyway. I had only one option 

 

I slapped a glob of hand sanitizer on it, and on the old dull fishing knife I never even bothered to use anymore. The very tip was just pointy enough for my to scrape through the meat of my palm and slice up the the barb enough to angle it and rip through the uncut meat.

 

The office was very confused about the blood stains on my pants and why I was holding a wad of paper towels so tightly for so long. 

 

I am now a proud owner of wire cutters, and I think I'm gonna grab another pair to leave in the car if I ever get the urge to fish on the clock again

I have a chunk out of my sunglasses where a football jig hit.

 

Eye protection is mandatory.

Dang bro, that's crazy

 

Might have to start fishing with clear goggles at night

I hung up a shakey head at night right at the water's edge. Pulled a little harder and it launched like a slingshot. Ya know how Levis 501's used to have that copper rivet right at the place where all the pieces of the pants meet in the middle? Ya, it hit me right there. I didn't see it coming, but I could hear it right before it found the bullseye.

 

13 minutes ago, Banned User said:

Might have to start fishing with clear goggles at night

 

I'm thinking more like a protective cup.

1 hour ago, Banned User said:

Might have to start fishing with clear goggles at night

No "might", man. Don't mess around. I took a bait right to a wide open eye one night, and whether it was the grace of God or just dumb luck I somehow didn't get the hook. Ever since then I always have something covering my eyes every moment.

 

These are great at night or on cloudy days.

Amazon.com: 3M Tekk 11329 Virtua Anti-Fog Safety Glasses, Clear Frame, Clear Lens, 5-COUNT : Tools & Home Improvement

 

 

 

2 hours ago, PGA Dropout said:

I have a chunk out of my sunglasses where a football jig hit.

 

Eye protection is mandatory.

Yup.

 

Yikes these stories always freaks me out. My dad had dark spot on his far left part of his eye. It came from a spilt shot, trying to break off and it zinged go-ed right back at him.

I wear protective glasses and have little bolt cutters in my tacklebox.

Always hard for me to believe the number of people that wear glass lenses while fishing. Plastic is much safer if/when a jig comes back at you at high speed..

^ I've been wearing polycarbonate lenses forever...better safe than sorry.

I also try, when my lure hangs on something underwater, to pull to one side or the other. I don't want the lure in line with my face if it suddenly breaks free.

7 hours ago, PhishLI said:

it was the grace of God

💯

 

I'm ordering safety glasses today, love you guys

I picked up two pair of Kastking polarized fishing glasses. One for low-light, the other for bright, sunny days. 

 

They are always on my face. 

 

And, I have safety glasses in all vehicles, in garage, in shop, etc. Always wearing them, as well as hearing protection. 

 

 

I carry a pair of small bolt cutters in my kayak with me at all times.

Thankfully I've never needed them so far for cutting a hook out of me.

A couple of years ago on a camping trip my friend reached in his crate to get something and "found" a plug he didn't know was in there, buried the front hook past the barb in his hand.

Being a fly guide in the Catskills he knew the technique of pushing the barb down while wrapping braid around the bend and pulling it out, he couldn't do it though himself.

He told me the whole procedure, I was unsure I could do it but he said it's pretty easy and you have to give it a good yank.

Well,,,, I gave it a good yank and successfully got it out, and promptly buried the rear hook into his hand. Luckily there was a couple of other guys camping with us and they were more successful in the hook removal process. 

My medical career pretty much ended there.  

@Swamp Girlgot the glasses, but I would like to get a small set of bolt cutters. I have a set of Kleins, I think bolt cutters would be better.

1 hour ago, GRiver said:

@Swamp Girlgot the glasses, but I would like to get a small set of bolt cutters. I have a set of Kleins, I think bolt cutters would be better.

 

I need every advantage with my arthritic, old hands. Congrats on the glasses!

2 hours ago, GRiver said:

I have a set of Kleins, I think bolt cutters would be better.

I've easily cut every hook I've needed to including beast hooks with these:  Channellock Diagonal Cutters, 7 In., Blue, Gray (337) - Garage Storage And Organization Systems - Amazon.com

 

There's an 8" version if you feel you lack grip strength and need more leverage: Channellock E338 8-Inch Diagonal Cutting Pliers with Xtreme Leverage Technology (XLT) Requires Less Force to Cut than Other High-Leverage Models | Laser Heat-Treated Cutting Edge for Extended Life | Forged from High Carbon Steel | Made in USA - Amazon.com

I carry the 160mm Knipex bolt cutters. Just a little longer than 6 inches. Not cheap, but I didn’t have much luck with cheaper, wire cutter type tools. 

Oh my goodness.

15 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Always hard for me to believe the number of people that wear glass lenses while fishing. Plastic is much safer if/when a jig comes back at you at high speed..

 

Also these cutters work great - look how much leverage there is with the hinge right by the cutting area. Murphy says I won't be able to reach the spot, and it'll be with my off hand. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01018D2CS

 

 

-------------------
FYI in a pinch, pliers work the same as braid for the hook pop. You have to commit though, and it's not quite as... comfortable. But not much choice by yourself.