I was out on my boat fishing last week, having the time of my life, when all of a sudden I got an Eagle Claw 2/0 fishing hook stuck in my right ring finger.
Darn it hurt!
It was in past the barb, so firmly stuck, and I wasn’t sure how to get it out. So I stowed my gear and motored over to an “old salt” friend of mine who, I hoped, would surely have the answer.
If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, here’s what “we” did. “We” really means “him,” as I couldn’t look.He looped a long piece of heavy fishing line around the hook’s bend.
Then he pushed down on the end of the hook, the end where you normally tie your line, so it touched my skin. And then, and here’s the part I couldn’t watch, he jerked the line and the hook straight out. It actually hurt more than it did getting stuck, but it was out.
Now he mentioned that if I every get one stuck in my head beyond the barb, there may not be enough room between your scalp and skull to do what I just described.
Go and have it removed by a professional. Here’s another method…if you have room, push the barb end all the way through your skin so it actually comes out, use wire cutters to cut the shank just behind the barb and then back it out. Don’t use this method if you have to push the barb through veins or tendons.
No matter how you do it, it’s going to hurt.
Oh, be sure to wash the wound thoroughly, apply an anti-bacterial ointment and, if you haven’t had one in awhile, go get a tetanus shot immediately. If your tackle box is at all like mine, there’s probably some nasty rust and who knows what else on that hook dangling from your body.
Here’s a useful link from a nurse explaining how to deal with fish hooks in your hand. Good luck.