How to Remove a Fishing Hook from Your Finger
Very carefully inspect the injury., Clean the area around the hook with an antiseptic if you have one available., Decide which direction will cause more damage removing the hook., Apply a topical antiseptic to the wound when the hook is removed, and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Very carefully inspect the injury.
If it is just through the epidermis, you may be lucky enough to pull it back out the way it went in, but if it has a barb on it, and the barb is through the skin, you have to address that issue before removing it, as the barb will rip more tissue out with it as it comes. -
Step 2: Clean the area around the hook with an antiseptic if you have one available.
This will decrease the likelihood of infection. , Shallowly embedded hooks may be pulled out even if the barb is beneath the skin, but only if the hook is small, and has a thin barb, or it is just beneath the skin itself, and isn't deep enough to be in the muscles, tendons, or cartilage beneath the skin.
For subcutaneously embedded hooks, grasp the shank with a pair of pliers, and pull it the opposite direction it went in.
For shallow muscular puncture, you may be able to cut the shank of the hook with pliers or diagonal cutters (assuming you have them in your tackle box), and push the hook in a curving direction back through the skin adjacent to the original penetration.
Leave as much shank as possible so you can grip it while you push the hook through, then grip the point and remove the hook where it emerges through the skin.
For very deep puncture, you will probably need to wrap the hook to keep it from moving, and seek medical attention, since you may cause serious tissue damage no matter which way you remove it yourself. ,, Be sure that your tetanus shot is effective. -
Step 3: Decide which direction will cause more damage removing the hook.
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Step 4: Apply a topical antiseptic to the wound when the hook is removed
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Step 5: and bandage it.
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Step 6: Have a medical provider examine any wound caused by the hook even if you successfully extract it yourself
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Step 7: as infection may occur
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Step 8: including tetanus.
Detailed Guide
If it is just through the epidermis, you may be lucky enough to pull it back out the way it went in, but if it has a barb on it, and the barb is through the skin, you have to address that issue before removing it, as the barb will rip more tissue out with it as it comes.
This will decrease the likelihood of infection. , Shallowly embedded hooks may be pulled out even if the barb is beneath the skin, but only if the hook is small, and has a thin barb, or it is just beneath the skin itself, and isn't deep enough to be in the muscles, tendons, or cartilage beneath the skin.
For subcutaneously embedded hooks, grasp the shank with a pair of pliers, and pull it the opposite direction it went in.
For shallow muscular puncture, you may be able to cut the shank of the hook with pliers or diagonal cutters (assuming you have them in your tackle box), and push the hook in a curving direction back through the skin adjacent to the original penetration.
Leave as much shank as possible so you can grip it while you push the hook through, then grip the point and remove the hook where it emerges through the skin.
For very deep puncture, you will probably need to wrap the hook to keep it from moving, and seek medical attention, since you may cause serious tissue damage no matter which way you remove it yourself. ,, Be sure that your tetanus shot is effective.
About the Author
Judith Rogers
Specializes in breaking down complex cooking topics into simple steps.
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