Forgot my manners

[Baron]

Today I had a nice medium pickerel by the lower jaw. A simple glove makes it easy to lip them and hemostats can do their job handily. I forgot and just reached right in with fingers just as the gloved hand slipped. Dumb. After years of catching these you would think I'd not have forgotten but I did.......and I have paid the price:

 

[Dave_W]

Happens to all of us and not just pickerel. I've had some brown trout do bloody numbers on my fingers. And watch those gill plates on muskies.

A reminder of the value of a good first aid kit with some antibiotic and band-aids. Never fish without 'em.

 

[JerryC]

Just be glad it wasn't a bluefish. Things would have really gotten messy. I learned a lesson many years ago when I was fishing the upper Delaware and left my net in the cabin I was staying in. I hooked a really nice brown and figured, they only eat insects I should be able to lip it. Wrong. I still have the blood stain on the grip of my 6 wgt. And another one on my 8 wgt when I got my finger to close to a snapper blue while unhooking it.

 

[Baron]

Yes it’s a bloody world for careless men. Almost got it from a bluefish once. I’ve not been carrying first aid and this minor incident cost me the rest of the day on the lake. If I had basic bandaging and salve I could have stayed the n the water a couple more hrs.

 

[JerryC]

I don't carry a first aid kit with me when I fish. There's one in the car. With the bluefish I wrapped my handkerchief around the finger for the rest of the time I was fishing. With the trout I just waded to shore and went back to the cabin, cleaned it up and put a Band-Aid on it and went back to fishing.
I'll add to Dave_W's comment. Beware of the gill plates on pike, walleye and chain pickerel. They definitely can slice you up.

 

[Baron]

JerryC wrote:
Beware of the gill plates on pike, walleye and chain pickerel. They definitely can slice you up.

I'd love to prove this and hopefully will someday.