Hook removal
By Bob Randall on Friday, April 19th, 2019 in Fishing Wisdom, No Comments
No, not from the fish – from a person:
Hook Removal
An emergency room physician at an Ozarks hospital says he averages 2 to 3 hook removal procedures a month. He’s not the only ER doc in this 24/7 medical facility, so let’s guess a dozen or so hooks are removed each month. In the ER, hooks are generally removed in one of three ways: the string-loop-tug, the poke-through-barb-removal, and surgically with a scalpel.
Recently, I had the opportunity to practice the string-loop-tug method. I had been eager to try this procedure on someone other than me. Due to my own carelessness, the hook was in my finger. The procedure worked. Although, not totally painless, the pain of embarrassment was worse than the physical pain. Yes, I had to get a tetanus shot.
Not all hook removal procedures are completed in the emergency room. The incident that resulted in the following xray required removal by a specialist in the operating room: 
Multiple choice test
(a) Always announce your presence before walking behind a fisherman.
(b) Get a tetanus shot once every five years.
(c) Always wear sunglasses when fishing.
(d) When Larry Wegmann tells you to smash your barbs, do it.
(e) All of the above.