Easy, Painless Way to Remove a Fish Hook

If you go fishing with any type of regularity or if you spend time with someone who does, sooner or later, it is bound to happen. Somehow, a fish hook will end up getting embedded in someone's skin. This unpleasant experience just seems to go with the territory. Fortunately, in the majority of the cases when this happens it is a minor occurrence and the fish hook is easily removed because the barb of the hook is not too deeply imbed into the skin. However, there are those moments when the barb becomes firmly and deeply imbedded. On these occasions you have a serious situation to deal with.

The traditional method of removing a deeply imbed fish hook from one's skin was to push the hook through the skin until the barb became visible, cut the exposed barb from the hook and pull the barbless remaining hook metal through the skin. Needless to say, if you have experienced this extraction method, it is rather painful. The recommended method is seek immediate medical attention so the imbedded area can be cleansed, anesthetized, the hook removed, and a proper sanitized dressing applied. The recommended method is to prevent tetanus or infection from setting in. Also to make sure no nerve or tendon damage occurs.

There is another way to safely remove a fish hook that is fairly painless. The problem with an imbedded fish hook is the barb. The barb is there for a purpose, so as not to let the fish get off the hook, so when it embeds in human flesh it is only reacting as it was so designed. This method of removing a fish hook is not recommended for use if the hook is imbedded in any area where connective tissue and tendons are located close to the surface of the skin, such as the face, neck, between fingers and toes, or any of the body joint areas. Arms and legs, as well as the flat surfaces of the hands and feet are all okay to use this fish hook removal method.

All you need is a length of strong string. Wrap the string around the hook, then with one finger, slight push down on the hook and at a slight angle as if attempting to push the imbed hook from the skin. With the slight pressure on the hook in place, pull the string you wrapped around the hook in the direction of the long axis of the hook. Pull fast, actually snap it out. Make sure no one is behind you when you do this because the hook will pull out fast and easy. The slight pressure exerted on the hook prevents the barb from digging into the path it made when it became imbedded. The tug of the string along the fish hook axis allows it to reverse the path of its entry. Naturally after removal, the injured area should be sanitized and dressed. Further medical attention should be sought if there are signs of swelling or infection.

Fish hooks were designed to catch fish not people so when you tell your story about the big one you hooked that got away; make it fish story, not a people one.

Resource: Here's A New Way to Remove A Fish Hook - Fishing Magazine , April, 2001

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