Hooked on Sailboat Fishing

Some years ago, I met a French sailboat skipper in Martinique who, while attempting to remove a treble hook from the hand of his crewmate, managed to impale his own finger on a second treble on the same lure. Being in mid-Atlantic at the time, the prospect of sharing each other's intimate moments for 1,500 miles was a depressing prospect.

Next time, he told me, he would either remove, cut off the points, or tape up all other hooks before attempting first aid. Good advice, I thought!

But it is a fact that, if you fish from a sailboat, sooner or later you'll impale some part of your person on a fish hook - and it's not something you'll forget in a hurry. If the hook is deeply embedded, you’re unlikely to be able to remove it on your own – you’ll need help.

But as advised by the enwisened French skipper, before you start either procedure - if the hook is attached to a lure, detach it. Similarly, if the hook is of the double or treble variety, cut off the points off the other hooks before they too add to your discomfort.

The following two methods are for removing a hook either from someone else’s flesh, or having them get one out of yours. If it’s the latter, be brave...?

The ‘Push and Cut’ Method

?First, clean around the point of entry with antiseptic ointment. If the hook has gone in in such a way that the point is close to the skin, you should consider the ‘push and cut’ method:

1. Push the hook through so that the point and the barb exit the skin
2. Cut off the point below the barb with a pair of pliers
3. Withdraw the hook in the direction from whence it came

A disadvantage of the ‘Push and Cut’ method is that it’s quite painful and creates a further wound. A less painful alternative, and the one to use where the hook point has not gone in so far, is the ‘snatch method’:

The ‘Snatch’ Method

1. Loop a length of line of not less than 20lb breaking strain around the bend of the hook.
2. Get a firm grip on the line, by wrapping it around your hand
3. With your other hand, press the eye of the hook down towards the surface of the skin and back toward the hook's bend, as if trying to back the hook out along the path of entry. This will disengage the barb from the flesh, and align the embedded part for removal
4. While pressing on the hook eye, give the line a short, sharp pull parallel to the skin and in line with the hook, to snap the hook back out of the wound.

You should always wear some form of eye protection - spectacles or sunglasses at least - when using the snatch method. And whichever method you use, always wash the wound thoroughly, then apply antiseptic ointment and a simple dressing.

Whichever method you use, check that your tetanus shots are up to date, and if not, attend to it at the earliest opportunity.

This article is an extract from my fully-illustrated eBook 'Secrets of Sailboat Fishing', which can be downloaded here for just $4.99