Your worst accident

[Guest Andrea]

All fisherman have accident stories. You got a hook buried in your hand or other body part....you got bit by a fish, your boat sunk, your best friend slapped you with his fishing lure, you hit a stump and knocked a hole in the boat......come on...let's hear it:

[muggs]

I've fallen while wading several times during steelhead season. About 85% of that season is during the months of November thru March. Here in Ohio, that's a cold time of year to be falling in a river.

I was fishing alone in mid-January. If I can remember correctly, it was in the upper-teens that day with a wind chill in the single digits. This was a new area I found so I was walking pretty far trying to find good deep holes. When I was about 2 miles from my truck, my feet got tangled on a big rock and I went in...over my head even. Needless to say, I was pretty scared. I was able to regain my footing easily but my main concern was how far I was from my truck, the fact I was alone, and how cold it was.

I always wear wool since it will keep you warm even if it's wet and I keep a rain coat in my pack that breaks the wind. So, I had to rush to the bank, strip off all of my upper clothing and throw my soaking wet wool turtleneck back on. Then I took my raincoat out (by this time my hands were barely working) and I immediately starting running back to my truck.

Because of cliffs and what not, I had to cross the river about 4 times to get to the bank that was open. By the time I got to the truck, the wool turtleneck was frozen in a lot of parts and my hands were blue.

I fumbled around with my keys and got inside and started driving rigth away to get the heat going ASAP. I never shivered so bad in my life.

I don't think I was in any real danger, but it was painful and shook me up a bit. If I was maybe 5 miles away, or in my 60's I think it could have played out differently.

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

You got a hook buried in your hand or other body part - many times

you got bit by a fish - yeah, gar. Their teeth are barbed and are really a pain to get out.

your boat sunk - not yet. But I did beach my 20 foot Skeeter one night. You could walk all the way around it without getting your feet wet.

your best friend slapped you with his fishing lure - and I've hit a couple of fishing partners with casts over the years

you hit a stump and knocked a hole in the boat - no, but I've hit a stump and sheared off a lower unit on a V-6 Merc.

[toddyboman]

Y

your boat sunk - not yet. But I did beach my 20 foot Skeeter one night. You could walk all the way around it without getting your feet wet.

let hear that story.

[Texan_Til_I_Die]

Late at night and I was heading back to the boat ramp which was about a half mile up an arm of the lake. It was a clear, but moonless night. The only lights I had on were my running lights on the boat. I knew that there were no stumps or rocks to hit in the water, so I was cruising along about 30 and watching the reflection of the stars on the water to both my right and left. There was plenty of water on both sides of the boat, but what I failed to notice was the long flat point that ran out from the bank at an angle. I saw the dry land in front of me about 2 seconds before I hit it. It was really a smooth "landing" and it didn't even kill the engine. I shut the key off, took one quick look around, then walked the rest of the way back to my truck.

[Guest Andrea]

Wow Eric......glad you were quick thinking!!! That could have been bad.

I've been bit by a gar too. On the leg. I had landed the fish and was attempting to remove the hook and he thrashed around and took a bite out of my shin. Bled quite nicely.

I have had plenty of hooks in my hands. Been in a sinking boat in the bay. And ran aground in the bay too.

Best "close call" though was almost being crushed by a barge at night.

[LifeNRA]

Had many hooks in me! LOL! The worst one I was fishing a small stream by myself. The lure got stuck, well after playing around with the normal routine of trying to dislodge it. I just thought better to rip the line instead of wreaking the area. I gave it a good tug! Well the lure come flying back at a really fast speed, right for my face! I only had enough time to throw up my hands. The barbed hook buried itself in my wrist just underneath my watch band. It was deep too, but i knew That I had to bring the point back out in order to cut it off. Every time I tried, the pain was so intense I just couldn't do it. Also, I had no pliers, just a pair of hemostats, which slipped off! Finally a canoe came by and I asked for a pair of pliers. They handed me the rustiest pair I have ever seen. Then they wanted to see the fish! LOL! I showed them my wrist, thought the one guy was gonna pass out! LOL! By now, the blood has reached my elbow, so I thought well, one quick tug the opposite way it went in! 1, 2, 3! POP! Out it came, stung like HECK TOO! So I continued fishing until dark, then went into the hospital to get it looked at and received a tetanus shot.

[aksheephuntress]

..When I was 8 , and we lived in Texas...my little sis and I went down to this pond by our house to go fish, and look for crawdads-......I cast my line , and it got hooked up on something...thought it was this weeping Willow tree I was standing near..I kept Yanking and Yanking my pole...then realized my sister was screaming...!!

-The hook was deeply embedded in her scalp!...Oh, dear...a trip to the ER...Oh, I really felt bad!

[Bowtech_archer07]

Been finned by a catfish. DID NOT feel good. Hurt and was tender for a few days. Hooked myself many times in the hand, but nothing really bad. Worst accident so far has been hooking myself in the butt. I was trying to cast a bass lure across a pond, reered back and went to cast and it went straight in. Dad had to pull it out, man did I look stupid walking around the pond to him. He couldn't hardly stop laughing. This happened when I was about 8 or 9. I've still got the lure in my tackle box as well.

[Leo]

..When I was 8 , and we lived in Texas...my little sis and I went down to this pond by our house to go fish, and look for crawdads-......I cast my line , and it got hooked up on something...thought it was this weeping Willow tree I was standing near..I kept Yanking and Yanking my pole...then realized my sister was screaming...!!

-The hook was deeply embedded in her scalp!...Oh, dear...a trip to the ER...Oh, I really felt bad!

Guess that means you let her go!

This is no lie. This is what happened to me.

We were fishing a saltwater tourney one day. I was doing the first mate gig. We got into a big group of schoolie dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi's) I slung a 5lbr into the boat and grabbed another rod with a fish on. The schoolie spazed out and snagged me in the top of my achilles tendon with the stinger treble hook on the rig he was on. I had a treble in my achilles tendon and a frantic 5lb fish on the other hook in the rig. There was just six inches of wire between the hook the fish was on and the hook in me. I was screaming for the pliers while that fish flipped and yanked and yanked and yanked. Before Capt Dave could dig the pliers out of his toolbox the fish managed to yank hard enough to break the hook!. Only 1/8" of it was visible above the skin. It broke right near the shank of the treble. I landed the other dolphinfish. We boxed both of them.

Capt Dave says, "That's it we're done."

I said, "Give me those pliers."

Yep, I know. Crazy.

I pulled out the hook, cleaned it with a septic tube. (The kind you break open that are full of iodine. Yeah, they sting!)

Put a band-aid on the wound and said let's keep fishing.

We came in second.

[RangerClay]

I've fallen while wading several times during steelhead season. About 85% of that season is during the months of November thru March. Here in Ohio, that's a cold time of year to be falling in a river.

Been there done that brother. I do winter steelhead too. Most people don't realize that once a pair of waders fill up with H2O they are no longer waders, they are anchors:(. Add the 30-40 degree water temps and it doesn't take long to die. I lost my footing in some loose gravel one time. If my brother wasn't there to catch my hand as I went by I would not be here today.

I also had another time on Lake Ontario where seas came up beyond the limitations of my boat. I was walleye fishing with my gal (now wife) and the winds came up bad. Had water coming up over the bow big time as we struggled to get back to the launch. ALWAYS check your biilge pump before you head out. It saved out lives that day. We made it back slow and steady. A 20 min. trip took us almost 2 hours to get back.

[Strut10]

Well............

Got bitten by a northern once. Finger bled for 2 days.

Was patching a leaky rental boat in Canada one night with a propane torch and a stick of this plastic stuff that you heated into the leak. Had one foot in the boat and one in the water. The boat shifted and I got a nickel-sized drop of molten plastic on the web (between my index finger and thumb) of my hand. It stayed fused for several days. I still have a neat scar.

[BearClaw]

Waded out too far in a deep river with a good current. Was too focused on the big boulder I was trying to get a flyline behind. When I realized I was out too deep, I was waist deep and starting to panic. Then I started to get pushed down the river while standing up. I knew this wasn't good so I broke the cardinal rule and took one foot off the river bottom and reached for this large boulder. Big mistake!!! The current caught me and sucked me under behind the boulder. I reached up and missed the boulder and went under again! I saw the water cover my face and I ws thinking real fast that if I don't make it this time, I'm done. It's the tailwater of a dam so it's really cold water and had taken my breadth away. For some reason, I wouldn't let go of my flyrod or wading staff. I was thinking in the back of my mind that if I make it out of here, I'm going to need these again. Anyways, on the last lunge, I grabbed hold of the boulder and pulled myself up and out. What a close call!! Some lessons are learned the hard way but still learned!

[Hardwood_HD]

these are some neat stories.. i dont have any to share tho.

[aksheephuntress]

Guess that means you let her go!

This is no lie. This is what happened to me.

We were fishing a saltwater tourney one day. I was doing the first mate gig. We got into a big group of schoolie dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi's) I slung a 5lbr into the boat and grabbed another rod with a fish on. The schoolie spazed out and snagged me in the top of my achilles tendon with the stinger treble hook on the rig he was on. I had a treble in my achilles tendon and a frantic 5lb fish on the other hook in the rig. There was just six inches of wire between the hook the fish was on and the hook in me. I was screaming for the pliers while that fish flipped and yanked and yanked and yanked. Before Capt Dave could dig the pliers out of his toolbox the fish managed to yank hard enough to break the hook!. Only 1/8" of it was visible above the skin. It broke right near the shank of the treble. I landed the other dolphinfish. We boxed both of them.

Capt Dave says, "That's it we're done."

I said, "Give me those pliers."

Yep, I know. Crazy.

I pulled out the hook, cleaned it with a septic tube. (The kind you break open that are full of iodine. Yeah, they sting!)

Put a band-aid on the wound and said let's keep fishing.

We came in second.

......WOAH, Leo...That is hardcore!!!!

-Yikes!!...talk about pain.....Yet..

-DETERMINATION!!

....Cool story!

[Guest Andrea]

Guess that means you let her go!

This is no lie. This is what happened to me.

We were fishing a saltwater tourney one day. I was doing the first mate gig. We got into a big group of schoolie dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi's) I slung a 5lbr into the boat and grabbed another rod with a fish on. The schoolie spazed out and snagged me in the top of my achilles tendon with the stinger treble hook on the rig he was on. I had a treble in my achilles tendon and a frantic 5lb fish on the other hook in the rig. There was just six inches of wire between the hook the fish was on and the hook in me. I was screaming for the pliers while that fish flipped and yanked and yanked and yanked. Before Capt Dave could dig the pliers out of his toolbox the fish managed to yank hard enough to break the hook!. Only 1/8" of it was visible above the skin. It broke right near the shank of the treble. I landed the other dolphinfish. We boxed both of them.

Capt Dave says, "That's it we're done."

I said, "Give me those pliers."

Yep, I know. Crazy.

I pulled out the hook, cleaned it with a septic tube. (The kind you break open that are full of iodine. Yeah, they sting!)

Put a band-aid on the wound and said let's keep fishing.

We came in second.

I could see that vividly while reading. Saltwater fishing can be brutal!!! Boats get pretty bloody-----sometimes not just from the fish!!!

[muggs]

Guess that means you let her go!

This is no lie. This is what happened to me.

We were fishing a saltwater tourney one day. I was doing the first mate gig. We got into a big group of schoolie dolphinfish (Mahi Mahi's) I slung a 5lbr into the boat and grabbed another rod with a fish on. The schoolie spazed out and snagged me in the top of my achilles tendon with the stinger treble hook on the rig he was on. I had a treble in my achilles tendon and a frantic 5lb fish on the other hook in the rig. There was just six inches of wire between the hook the fish was on and the hook in me. I was screaming for the pliers while that fish flipped and yanked and yanked and yanked. Before Capt Dave could dig the pliers out of his toolbox the fish managed to yank hard enough to break the hook!. Only 1/8" of it was visible above the skin. It broke right near the shank of the treble. I landed the other dolphinfish. We boxed both of them.

Capt Dave says, "That's it we're done."

I said, "Give me those pliers."

Yep, I know. Crazy.

I pulled out the hook, cleaned it with a septic tube. (The kind you break open that are full of iodine. Yeah, they sting!)

Put a band-aid on the wound and said let's keep fishing.

We came in second.

Ha. Great story, you da man Leo.

[ruttinbuc]

Years ago on my very first saltwater trip I made the mistake of trying to get the hook out of a large whiting's mouth. Being the expert trout fisherman I thought I was at the time I figured what is the difference.

Well, the lesson learned was that the teeth in these critters let things go in, but don't let things (like fingers) out. As I attempted to pull my thumb and index finger out of the fish's mouth the razor sharp chompers shredded the holy bejezus out of them. The mate saw what was happening and came to my aid before I could injure myself any farther.

[Tecumseh]

I fished the kingbuster 400 in St. Agustine in 2000,We got out before the sun came up to get some bait and when my friend threw the castnet he fell off the bow of the boat and into the water we laughed so hard at him my stomach hurt.And to add insult to injury the girl on a nearby boat threw a 12ft net perfectly like it was nothing.I've fished the tuornament 4 other times with him and to this day he won't throw a castnet with us around.I put in at Flamingo in the Everglades once and forgot to put the plug in Imagine the look on my face when I got back from parking my truck.

[Tominator]

Went fishing with a buddy one day and his motor died, and he had no oars in the boat.

He got on the bow and pulled, I got on the stern and kicked. We "swam" that boat back probably 1/2 mile to shore, then walked it back to the cottage. Half way through the swim, he cramped up, I thought he was going to drown.

Lesson learned.

[Gator]

I was about 9-10yrs old and me and my dad had gone fishing. First cast that morning he gets 2 sets of treble hooks on a 6" rapala stuck in his head, guess who cuts them out??? ME!!!

Couple of years ago I am crappie fishing, and catching them just as fast as my minnow hits the water. There was a good drop off where I was at, and I slid my left leg down it, putting a 3" gash in my leg. What do I do, grab an old sock from behind the seat, and continue fishing. After about 15 20 min, I go up to my buddies house and getsome peroxide from his wife, and when she sees my leg, tells me I need to go get stitches, HECK NO I tell her, I'm catching fish!!!!! Well she calls her husband who I also worked for, and well, guess who got 6 stitches in their leg????