Epic Day on the Creek
So, I fished Little Sugar Creek in Mo Thursday, with Shaun
Knight.
We fished from kayaks.
The Creek was running at 80% of mean, and the weather was magnificent.
About 100 yards from where we put in, I wasn’t paying
attention – rigging up my spinning rod with my fly rod handing over the front of the kayak – and drifted into a brush pile. The tip of the rod pierced the brush, the kayak kept moving forward with the end result that I broke my Sage rod! In two places! Before
the first cast of the day!
Since I had spinning gear with me, I used that. I fished a topwater lure - Heddon Torpedo - and had great success with it.
I landed 11 smallmouth – biggest was 14”, smallest about 6”
– and more bluegill
than I kept track of. Of course, I missed the biggest fish of the day; again not paying attention. A really big Largemouth bass swam by, I got distracted watching it when something hit my line and bent my rod almost double. I didn't set the hook so there isn't any more to say about that.
Shaun caught about 20 smallmouth and dozens of bluegill. He was using a Rebel crawdad lure and was getting so many
hits - almost every cast - he switched to another lure; got tired of unhooking small fish.
Then 6 feet from the take out, I wasn’t paying attention (again) and
my kayak got turned sideways in the current and drifted into a rock. Dumped me in the creek. It was refreshing, but
it broke my net.
And to add insult to injury, I stuck the lure from my spinning rod in the seat of
my pants. Since I couldn't see it, Shaun had to cut the line.
I crawled out, sat on a rock, took my pants down - there went my dignity! - and pulled
the lure out . . .
only to bury the barb in my lower thigh! Through the pants!
We tried pulling it out – using the modern method of bending the shank down, wrap a piece
of string through the bend of the hook and yank. You can Google it; it is recommended by ER doctors. Well, that doesn’t work on treble hooks! I wrapped some leader through the bend, wrapped the leader around my forceps to get a good hold on the leader and Shaun yanked. I think
my yelp is still echoing through the hills of Missouri! The leader broke and the hook stayed where it was.
So, I cut the hook shank, handed the pliers to Shaun and
told him to yank the rest of the hook out.
Which he did, with not much more pain.
I never go fishing that I don't learn something. So here are the lessons from this trip:
1. Don’t get distracted; pay attention to what you are doing
and take nothing for granted. Don't let the little things keep you from focusing on the bigger things.
2. Treble hooks hurt and are a booger to get out.
3. The Boy Scout motto is "Be prepared." That's good advice. In my fishing vest, I carry a multi-tool with pliers and wire cutter. In the 10 years I have carried it, I've never had to use it. Until then. It saved me from walking into the ER with my pants around my ankles.
Overall, it was an epic day!
Sorry you got hooked.
ReplyDeleteI have used the string technique many times. On a treble hook,
I would suggest using the cutters to cut off the hooks that are not
imbedded first. I put tape over the hooks before cutting them off,
to keep them from flying off somewhere. After cutting off the two
non-imbedded hooks, then you can use string to jerk out the hook
that IS imbedded. This works pretty well for almost any size hook that I have
come across, but I don't try in if there is a chance that a structure is hooked,
like a ligament or tendon, and certainly not near a large vessel.
Hopefully, you won't ever have this happen again.
Sometimes the fish win.
Best wishes.
Very good advice, indeed. My plan is to NOT have to do this again.
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