posted by John on Sep 26
I lingered after Labor Day on Cape Cod. The fishing was great. I caught Bluefish all week.
How about those seals. This was a beautiful day until the fiasco. Seals at Jeremy Point and biting fish at green Bell ‘5’ in Wellfleet harbor. I caught the smallest fish (<4″) I have ever seen on a hook. Bear in mind that the lure was a 24 Diamond Jig. Sorry about the focus, but you should be able to see the bottom of the lure and how small the fish was. He definately bit off more than he could chew.
Now, on to the fiasco. On Wednesday an 8 lb. blue caught me. I had the steel leader already in my right hand. I was about to grab the fish with my left and he jumped out of the water vertically. Now he was tail up 3 feet above the boat and me. Crashing down came the blue and the very nasty 7″ Gibbs Needlefish lure with an unattached treble hook, until it hit my free hand. I had crappy gloves on that did not help me. The hook entered on the back of my left index finger and was really hooked, as the fish was flapping on the deck and my hand was being pulled hard.
Luckily, I remained calm and beat the fish with the grabber. While standing on the fish, I was able to get his lower jaw off. I was not trying to do that, it just happened. I cut the glove away and tried to perform first aid, but my boat lacked the tools to properly remove the hook. A problem now remedied. I tried to cut the hook off the lure, but was unable to do so. The only thing I could do was head to the dock and go to the clinic.
Arriving hot at the harbor, I attracted the notice of the harbormaster. As he came down the dock it became clear that I was attached to a big lure. They were very nice at Wellfleet harbor. They took care of my boat and took me to the local clinic. They didn’t even admonish me for blowing off the speed limit (15 knots in a 6). The clinic treatment room brought immediate comfort when I saw one of the drawers labeled ‘Fish Hooks’. The nurse was helpful in keeping me focused on our conversation while the doc tugged and pulled and cut the hook. It took about 10 minutes after waiting for the doc to finish treating some one else. They even gave me the rest of the contents of the fish hook removal kit.
Every fishing boat should have cutters that can actually cut your biggest hooks. Also some good clamps for when you poke the hooks out you can clamp them to keep them from moving. Good bandaids and some antibiotic ointment are a plus. Clean water and good soap round out a good first aid kit. If I had those item I would have been able to get the hook out and clean the wounds. Heck, I might have been able to keep fishing.
I was lucky because the hook was about to pop out any way at my knuckle. There was no nerve damage. I am healed up with no lasting effects after 3 weeks. It will be the last time I get hooked.