A fishing story that makes a painful point

Aug 17, 2023

Getting stuck by a fishing hook may be one of the most feared things that a fisherman hopes never happens to him. That’s why good getting-hooked stories are right up there with snake stories in most outdoor sports circles.

Here’s one of mine.

I was fishing at Millerton Lake with two friends and we were casting along a shoreline for stripers. I was using a big 9-foot surf pole to launch my plug as far as I could and maybe entice a big striper. Long casts can help to keep the fish unaware of your presence, but it takes a lot of power and timing to hit the target.

I was in the boat heaving monster casts when I saw a great spot just out of my normal range. I remember making a very strong backcast then I heard a small explosion. I was left holding the lower part of my two-piece rod, covered in line with the top of the pole hanging over my head. That wasn’t so bad – until I saw the big 6-inch plug dangling from the back of my left arm with one tine of the 1/0 stainless treble hook embedded way past the barb.

My buddies came up to evaluate the damage and my friend Tom said it was so far in that maybe we should head to the hospital. I thought there might be another way. I tried to push the point out with pliers.

Not working – more power needed.

It was starting to hurt and my other buddy was just sitting on the other end of the boat, ignoring us.

I asked if he could help.

In a queasy voice he replied, “If I see blood, I’ll pass out.”

Good thing he wasn’t the only one left to help

It took me and Tom 20 minutes to push that thing through and clip off the barb. I had two good-sized holes in my arm. But no worries, we used some electrical tape to stop the bleeding and went back to fishing.

I was lucky. I have heard many horror stories about hooks in far more sensitive places.

I am now pretty anal about handling and setting lures as well as carefully handling fish. Getting stuck is a pain – literally.

The point of this story is to never be the one at the center of this type of story.

Never give up!

Roger George: [email protected], Rogergeorgeguideservice on Facebook and @StriperWars.