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Serious and probable matter, Fish Hook Injury!!

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 9:58 pm
by afternoonfish
Hello folks,

I'l like to start a conversation about this likely danger in any of our fishing environment.
In many occasions, i witnessed many risky behaviors of mishandling fish hooks.

1. Unwanted and rusty hooks abandoned on the ground, awaiting barefooted people to trample onto.
2. Anglers tying many onto line, and/or casting without watching the surroundings (including the back).
3. Kids/people running behing the anglers, bicycles zooming past them while not knowing if hooks are hanging under their noses, and which moment the angler will cast.
4. Anglers allow their rigs to mess up, when they are too excited to grab the fish to unhook.
5. Newbies and kids who are unfamiliar with proper castings, end up pelting their lines like stones.
many more......

- My friend is newer than a newbie. Previously I must reinforce safety castings by tekan and reminders. Anyway he was playing with the rod in his hands... :mad:



I am fairly anxious about this potential of injury, hence im very carefull while handling my own things, and always pick up unwanted hooks to reuse/throw. No matter how careful to be, injuries will sure happen someday. :sweatdrop:

Once hook enters the flesh, it'll rquire surgical interventions in the OT, and takes weeks to heal. Complications such as tetanus infection, tissue damage, disabilities can happen!! :shocked:

http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xm ... 1/hook.xml

Folks, any experience/encounter with such incidents? Any tips to prevent/avoid it to happen?
Also Pls feel free to share anything regarding this topic :)

Btw i like hooks most in fish tackles, cus no hook- no chance to catch :D

Re: Serious and probable matter, Fish Hook Injury!!

Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 11:50 pm
by Peace
Fishing hooks are deadly to fishes and can be equally as deadly to people if mishandled. Discarded hooks on the ground can sometimes penetrate through slippers and discarded and entangled line can trip passerby. Casting is one of the most dangerous part of fishing as it can inflict some very serious injuries, many anglers I've observed do not ensure their back is clear of people before casting. This is especially of concern on Bedok Jetty with many visitors going in and out and cyclists and roller bladers zooming past. It's like an accident waiting to happen. :sweatdrop:

Flying sinkers can also be deadly. I had a friend who was hit by a large sinker on the head because an angler could not control the direction he was casting. Needless to say, his head was bleeding profusely and an ambulance was called.

Back to hook injuries. It's pretty common to get stab by our own hooks out of own carelessness, the severity comes from whether the barb has penetrated into the flesh. Given a penetration force from a typical casting, the hook can even penetrate into the bone if you're unlucky. Many cases when the barb is lodged into the flesh, it can be removed with relatively little damage to the flesh if you manage to cut the hook shank and pierce the hook back out instead of reversing it.

As the article suggests, you will need to see where the hook is lodged exactly to decide the best course of removing the hook. If it looks like the hook cannot be removed easily, don't attempt to take it out yourself and go see a doctor instead. The case study illustrated in the article is pretty extreme with such a large sized hook, definitely not advisable to self remove it. Wounds need to be washed and treated to prevent infection, a tetanus shot is recommended if you haven't been vaccinated for the last 5 years.

It goes down to being vigilant when casting and handling hooks, I believe most anglers are well aware of these dangers but laziness often got the better of them. Most people only take this seriously when they've personally witness such accidents.

Re: Serious and probable matter, Fish Hook Injury!!

Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 10:17 am
by afternoonfish
Peace wrote:Fishing hooks are deadly to fishes and can be equally as deadly to people if mishandled. Discarded hooks on the ground can sometimes penetrate through slippers and discarded and entangled line can trip passerby. Casting is one of the most dangerous part of fishing as it can inflict some very serious injuries, many anglers I've observed do not ensure their back is clear of people before casting. This is especially of concern on Bedok Jetty with many visitors going in and out and cyclists and roller bladers zooming past. It's like an accident waiting to happen. :sweatdrop:

Flying sinkers can also be deadly. I had a friend who was hit by a large sinker on the head because an angler could not control the direction he was casting. Needless to say, his head was bleeding profusely and an ambulance was called.

Back to hook injuries. It's pretty common to get stab by our own hooks out of own carelessness, the severity comes from whether the barb has penetrated into the flesh. Given a penetration force from a typical casting, the hook can even penetrate into the bone if you're unlucky. Many cases when the barb is lodged into the flesh, it can be removed with relatively little damage to the flesh if you manage to cut the hook shank and pierce the hook back out instead of reversing it.

As the article suggests, you will need to see where the hook is lodged exactly to decide the best course of removing the hook. If it looks like the hook cannot be removed easily, don't attempt to take it out yourself and go see a doctor instead. The case study illustrated in the article is pretty extreme with such a large sized hook, definitely not advisable to self remove it. Wounds need to be washed and treated to prevent infection, a tetanus shot is recommended if you haven't been vaccinated for the last 5 years.

It goes down to being vigilant when casting and handling hooks, I believe most anglers are well aware of these dangers but laziness often got the better of them. Most people only take this seriously when they've personally witness such accidents.

It apparently due to negligence and irresponsibility of some people that such things can happen :(

Seems like the only way individual can do is to handle their own tackles responsibly, and watch the surrounding against potential harm from others :nod: