Hooked ( A True Story )

[Bob Pacey]

It was a warm January and the family had gathered at the beach for a days fishing and relaxing, Keen to try out my new tinny I was swamped with family members wanting to come on her first run. The lucky winners were my son Matt and a couple of cousins. Brother in law Danny was a bit peeved at being left out but kids take first place so with much ado we got the boat in the water and prepared to motor out across the lake.

Dan decided that he would work out his sorrows by doing some spinning from the nearby rocky out crop across a sand bank as he had a new spinning rod and had not had a chance to try it out yet. The rod was an ugly stick ( which suited him to a tee ) we all said, and an overhead abu reel and as he had never used this set up before he wanted to see how he would go well clear of the snags.


His casts were quite erratic and we watched him practice as we motored across the shallows, I heard the clunk before I saw the spinning iron hit the boat and rattle down between the seats. I still cannot believe that I picked it up but that is what I did and Dan of course had no idea where his cast had gone as he was intent on clearing the overwind on his reel. I went to throw the lure back into the water but had left the boat slowing idling forward and no sooner had I went to throw in it then Dan cleared his tangle and felt the pull on the line and thinking that he had a strike, struck to set the hook.

Well that is exactly what he did unfortunately he set it in the flesh at the base of my left hand and still unaware of what he had hooked started to reel in the ( Fish ). I think my screams alerted not only him but every other fisherman on the bank and with him pulling and the boat moving away I can tell you the air as well as the sky was blue. Luckily I had a knife handy and managed to cut the line but it took quite an effort to remove the lures hook from my hand as I had to cut it off and push it through.

I still took the kids fishing although I can say at times the pain made it a more than comfortable experience. I think back and really think that it would have been safer to take Dan with us in the boat a fact that even now after ten years we still remind him of and on many occasions his prowess with a spinning reel is brought into question.

Oh I must tell you all about the day I caught the Monster cod but then that is another story.

Bob

[Terry]

G/day Bob,
I know what you're saying having had similar experiences but mostly with flies.
I remember not that long ago doing a bit of spinning for Redfin (I rarely do any spinning) and somehow got a small treble stuck in an award spot to get at. I yelled for my mate to come and pull it out and the mongrel was too squeamish to do it, so had to rip it out myself.
I have had a fly that need pushing right through to cut the barb off before it could be removed.

All part of a fishermans initiation Mate.

Cheers Terry

[Peely]

You are not really a fisherman unless you have managed to hook yourself in one way or another. I have copped treble hooks in the fingers a couple of times. One of those times, the hook penetrated only a little way past the barb. In that case, I just cut the little bit of skin behind the barb with a knife and it came straight out. The other time it went in much deeper. In that case, I curved the hook around to bring the point and barb back through the skin, cut the hook with pliers and pulled the bend through. Definitely not a job for the faint-hearted.

[william williams]

Was sitting on the bank of the old cooper river beside an old gum tree fixing up few a set lines and hoping to catch a cod or yellow belly. I was just about to trim the loose line with my pocket knife from the hook when a bee stung my horse, he kicked out and hit my hand, that was holding my pocket knife it went straight up through the brim of my hat and guess where the 10/0 suicide hook went yes you guest it straight into the joint of my thumb, barb and all, My mate and I spent 1/2 an hour looking for my knife
to cut the dam thing out mind you the flask of rum helped dull the pain.

bill the old battler

[r.magnay]

..you should move to Bundaberg and open your own hospital Bill!...