"Martin" wrote in message
...
But then, i think about how many i've pulled out of myself..........can't
stop fishing just because of 1 hook.


By now, I think I'd be debarbing, if I were you. :-)

My worst self-hook was when I was a kid. Caught a bass with my last rusty
hook and worm, and he had swallowed it all the way down. I couldn't reach
deep enough into his mouth to loosen the hook, so I grabbed on tight (read:
thumb inside his mouth as deep as I could get it) and YANKED the line. The
hook slid right up my fingernail and imbedded itself top dead center right
at the cuticle, all the way to the bend, with the tip buried somewhere in my
knuckle. It was deep deep deep, and my eyes almost blew out of my head when
I saw it.

Tried to work it in deeper and debarb it, but it was buried to the bend and
there was no pushing it farther. I couldn't even straighten my thumb cuz it
was into the knuckle. I tried to slit my thumb open and remove it that way,
but it would have involved opening myself to the bone, and I was too
chicken. I was WAY deep in the boonies, and had no idea what I was gonna do:
surgery seemed out of the question cuz I was a poor boy with only a few
dollars, although my priorities sure are different nowadays.

Finally, some neighbor came over and said "OK, here we go", and hooked my
knife blade right at the bend of the hook, and said "Count to three." I went
"One, Two.." and he yanked as hard as he could.

Instead of coming out, the hook snapped off right at the bend! Fortunately,
I could then use the knife tip to press the pointy end through my joint and
remove it at the knuckle. In retrospect, if it hadn't broken, he almost
certainly would have ripped out nerves and/or tendons.

It didn't hurt until the next day, when the infection started. I cannot
remember what ever happened to the fish.

--riverman