Hook Removal

[dc410]

Not from the fish ..... I mean from your own hand. Over the past few seasons I have gotten into the habit of carrying my leatherman tool in its leather sheath on my belt whenever I'm flyfishing. There are a number of great uses for a multi tool when fishing and removing a hook sunk in past the barb in a hand or finger is certainly one of them. I can remember a few summers ago removing a size 12 stimulator from my finger by yanking it out with the pliers on a leatherman. (Yanking is the best term I can think to describe it because that is exactly the best way to do it). I remember thinking at that time .... I wonder how this would work on a larger hook? Well, this afternoon I found out as I utilized the same method to remove a size 4 Clouser Minnow from the side of my little finger on my left hand. Just grab ahold of the bend of the hook with the jaws on the pliers, line up the pliers completely in line with the angle of the point of the hook and yank in one swift motion in the opposite direction. Worked like a charm. It bled like a stuck pig but actually was fairly painless. If you really sink one in deep and the point actually goes the whole way through the cutters on the same pliers can be used to snip off the end of the point and barb.

Oh yeah, here is another tip to possibly avoid the whole situation described above. When moving from place to place on the stream when not fishing hook your fly in the fly keeper on your rod and don't hold it in your hand. That way if you slip on the bank like I did today and your fly line gets caught on a limb you probably won't end up with the fly sunk into your hand. Good luck this season and stay safe!

 

[duckfoot]

I once had to remove a hook from a kid's temple at a fishing derby.

1. Use wire cutter to snip off the barb end.
2. Back hook shank out.

 

[Chaz]

Pinch down the barbs on all of your flies.

 

[Van_Cleaver]

What Chaz said, though I sunk a size 16 ant into my finger once, and would have sworn I forgot to do that. A firm yank proved otherwise demonstrating even a barbless hook can get a pretty good grip when buried.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

I once had this cool #12 nymph piercing between the thumb and index finger. Swore several times while trying to get it out. ( I know I've mentioned this before). I good steady pull is what did it.

 

[foxtrapper1972]

The Leatherman tool is a good idea. It's also handy for cutting any wire you find along streams that might trip someone....fairly common on some of the trashy creeks I fish. Yes, best bet is pinch down barbs. Many of the smaller size hooks are easy to yank out. The ones I normally use have a very tiny barb. Up to size 14 or so you can just grab with forceps and yank straight. The problems come if you get one stuck deep in a cheek or any area with very loose skin.

 

[afishinado]

foxtrapper1972 wrote:
The Leatherman tool is a good idea. It's also handy for cutting any wire you find along streams that might trip someone....fairly common on some of the trashy creeks I fish. Yes, best bet is pinch down barbs. Many of the smaller size hooks are easy to yank out. The ones I normally use have a very tiny barb. Up to size 14 or so you can just grab with forceps and yank straight. The problems come if you get one stuck deep in a cheek or any area with very loose skin.

:-o....which cheeks, fore or aft?!


I really can't see a good reason not to pinch down the barbs of your fly hooks. Even with the barb pinched down, I see little or no difference in hook holding ability, especially with the micro barbs on smaller trout hooks.

More important, a barbed hook is really tough to remove from clothing or a mesh net.

More more important ^ it's easier to remove from your flesh or the flesh of your fishing "buddy"....lol

 

[foxtrapper1972]

....which cheeks, fore or aft?!

Well, my aft cheeks are tight as a drum.

 

[gfen]

Push down when you back it out. That is, the pressure should be on the bottom of the hook, opposite where the barb or the hump where the barb was crushed.

So, you can slide it down and out in one fluid, and incredibly painful, move.

If it's so far through that the barb is come out, then as Duckfoot mentioned, proper method is to cut the end off and slide it out.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Just be a man and yank real hard and quick - bleed for a few seconds and get back to fishing.

Of course that all depends on where you gat the fish hook imbedded.

 

[camdogrs]

Had this happen to me this weekend. Wind blew from right to left and I hooked my thumb deep. We looped a piece of 3x around the shank and pulled it towards the barb while pulling the hook with hemos the opposite direction. It was as painless as it could be. The tippet blocks the barb from catching more skin on the way out. I normally fish barbless but forgot to pinch my lead nymph down.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I'll second the tippet trick.

My buddy and I used it this past weekend.

 

[springer1]

Had this happen to me this weekend. Wind blew from right to left and I hooked my thumb deep. We looped a piece of 3x around the shank and pulled it towards the barb while pulling the hook with hemos the opposite direction. It was as painless as it could be. The tippet blocks the barb from catching more skin on the way out.

This sounds like a very effective approach ! Thanks !

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Just remember: before you pee on a windy day - make sure your hook is secured to the flyrod.

 

[duckfoot]

PennypackFlyer wrote:
Just remember: before you pee on a windy day - make sure your hook is secured to the flyrod.

Pee downwind as well.