Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by mark causey on June 12, 2015 at 17:48

long needle nose pliers for catfish big hooks and bass lures and hemostats for the small lures and flies

Permalink Reply by Wendell Watson on June 12, 2015 at 19:59

I use different methods depending on size , depth, and if the barb came through the other side. if the barb came through, cut the end off then pull through with pliers. if tis not deep pull out with pliers. if barb is deep I would try a doctor. if its not possible to get to doctor I would make a small incision right where the hook is, take out the hook, then close the wound. if the wound is  in need of a butterfly suture strip, make sure to clean the wound before closing. either way, clean and cover wound then when possible seek medical help. hooks can have nasty bacteria that can infect the wound.

Permalink Reply by Wendell Watson on June 12, 2015 at 20:06

oh my crazy brain didn't register we were talking about getting the hooks out of fish.  im sorry I thought you meant outta people. im sorry!

 For getting hooks outta fish I use needle nose pliers. if they swallowed lures I cut the line and get the lure back after cleaning fish. :)

 
Wendell Watson said:

I use different methods depending on size , depth, and if the barb came through the other side. if the barb came through, cut the end off then pull through with pliers. if tis not deep pull out with pliers. if barb is deep I would try a doctor. if its not possible to get to doctor I would make a small incision right where the hook is, take out the hook, then close the wound. if the wound is  in need of a butterfly suture strip, make sure to clean the wound before closing. either way, clean and cover wound then when possible seek medical help. hooks can have nasty bacteria that can infect the wound.

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on June 12, 2015 at 21:23

Wendell, no apologies necessary,  I found your information pretty useful.  Having had to remove hooks from my fingers, it is good to hear methods others have used.   When we were growing up in Florida I recall when we were walking home from school.  We were in grammar school at the time.  Back then, as soon as we got of school we'd take off our shoes and walk home barefoot.   One day my older sister stepped on a treble hook.  Two of the barbs were so buried it was impossible to remove it.  A stranger saw are dilemma and gave us a ride home! 

My mother  managed some how to remove it with a pair of pliers.  You could hear my sister screaming form several houses away.   That was followed by a bath in iodine.  I'm sure today it would've been a trip to the emergency room, but fifty years ago parents didn't tale kids to the emergency room unless the bone was sticking out, or brains were dribbling out of the ears!  

Hooks are nasty things.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on June 12, 2015 at 22:00

I keep a pair of needle nose pliers in my tackle box for removing hooks that I can't get out with my hands.  It is a cheap pair.  It works just fine for removing hooks and if I drop it in the water I haven't lost much..

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on June 15, 2015 at 17:06

This  is my favorite  hook remover of all time- Works on brim, larger fish, treble hooks, swallowed hooks and lures-- It is vintage and unfortunately no longer made- Patented in 1959 and I probably bought mine in the early 60's- A genuine Hank Shawhan's Out-O-Matic of Waterford, Wisconsin.Never lost a hook or a lure, bloodless, and can even release a fish under water. Still show up on Ebay and can run upwards to $40, although normally about $12-15.However, it is almost 12 inches long. Still carry long needle nosed  pliers as a back up or if I'm travelling light. Copied these pics from freebay as the seller has a better camera than me although mine is the same-

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on June 15, 2015 at 18:05

That looks cool, John.   Of course the bad news is not I've got to have one! 

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on June 15, 2015 at 20:04

LOL< I was looking also Tobias.  I see that one went on Ebay in May for 12.99

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on June 15, 2015 at 20:20

The way this contraption works-- At the tip there is a bowed out side that acts as a guide that will take the line down to the tip- the spring tip has a "V" shaped fork that the line will rest in close to the hook/lure- Squeeze the trigger and the hook pops out leaving only the original hole left by the hook-- Genius !!

Permalink Reply by Jon Salmon on July 29, 2015 at 19:18

I have used a medical instrument called a "hemostat" for years.  My wife, who is an ER nurse gave it to me after I took her fishing about 25 years ago, and she saw how tough it could be to remove a hook.  I have attached a stock photo of one (just because I'm too lazy to go dig it out of my tackle in the basement!). Basically it is a "clamping plier" which lets you lock onto the hook and work it loose.  As for barbed hooks, I am not a fan.  Since I always catch and release, barbs just make the release part too difficult.  I generally file the barbs off of my plastic worm hooks prior to use, and as for my lures, I have a supply of old Bass Pro Shop "Conservationist" barbless treble hooks, which I have swapped onto my most used lures.  Unfortunately, I don't think they make them anymore.  If I were fishing because I needed to eat (rather than for sport) I would clearly use barbed hooks, but not for sport fishing.  I've "killed" too many beautiful specimens (and, by extension, their offspring) trying to remove barbed hooks from their gullets.  On the other hand, as a guide once told me after a sad episode trying to get a barbed hook out of a very large bass which left her flopping around on top of the water about to die, "well, the snapping turtles and the birds gotta eat too".

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on August 3, 2015 at 8:41

Jon, I'm in the habit of smashing the barbs down with a pair of pliers, especially on the few  treble hooks I use.  I heard one fishing expert claim that the barb is there to keep your bait on the hook but does nothing to aid in a hook set.  He claimed the bump you get from smashing down the barb actually improves your hook set.  I don't think I've lost fish from the lack of a true barb on my hook but it has made it easier to remove the fish that I've caught.

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on September 3, 2015 at 18:49

I use a pair of long nose pliers esp designed for removing hooks, in a leather holster. I have carried that all over wherever I fish.