The barbed hook that keeps your fish on the line can be difficult to remove. The same principles apply whether removing the fishing hook from the mouth of the fish or your finger. Depending on how far in the hook is embedded, the retrograde method of removal will usually do the trick. Otherwise, you may have to advance and cut.
Step 1
Examine how far the fishing hook has entered. The depth of the wound will determine whether you use the retrograde or push-on-through extraction. For minor embedding, grasp the shank of the hook with your pliers for a good grip and press downward into the bend of the hook away from the barb.
Step 2
Ease the hook backwards out towards the entry area. If the hook isn't in too deep, it should come out without resistance or pulling on the tissue. If the hook is in deeper with the barb heading out towards the surface, it may be easier to push the hook on through, clip the barb with your side cutters and retract it backwards through the wound. Don't worry about a little bleeding at this point, that will help flush any foreign matter out of the wound.
Step 3
Apply some portable antiseptic like hydrogen peroxide or hand sanitizer to the wound. Cover the wound with sterile dressing such as a sealed adhesive bandage.
Tips and Warnings
- If the hook isn't too deeply embedded and you don't have pliers, the fish hook can be removed with a quick yank on the attached fishing line. It's a bit messy, but may be less painful in the long run. Attach the fishing line to the crook of the hook instead of just yanking on the existing eye of the fish hook, which could embed the hook more deeply.
- Some areas of fish hook removal like the eye should await a physician's attention.
Things You'll Need
- Utility pliers with side cutter
- Antiseptic
- Sterile bandage
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