Follow these stepsCAUTION:
Be extremely careful with fish hooks to the back of your hands. There are a lot of sensitive tendons, ligaments and blood vessels back there. If you've got a large hook embedded deep, the safest bet is the hospital.
Fishing is meant to be a relaxing sport. So if your fishing trip involves a trip to the emergency room, there is a good chance that you or someone in your group either screwed up or got extremely unlucky.
While it is important to seek immediate medical attention in some emergencies, not every injury needs an ambulance. Here are some common accidents and injuries that can happen out on the water, and what you can do about them yourself.
Getting hooked with a fish hook
They're as good at hooking onto you as they are at hooking a fish. Depending on what type of hook you're using and where it's hooked into you, there are a couple of options - and one BIG exception. If someone gets a fish hook to the eye, take them to the hospital immediately. There's nothing that can be done about it outside of surgery. For that reason, you should always wear sunglasses while you fish.
Barbed hooks: The old "push it through and cut the barb off" technique is dated. And painful. For a simple hook stuck in a hand or arm, follow these steps:
1. Loop a string over the bend of the hook.
2. Press down on the eye like a lever with one hand.
3. Give the string a firm tug with the other hand, making sure to pull parallel to the shank of the hook. It should pop out with minimal effort, depending on how deep it is. If the hook is embedded but shallow, i.e. you can see the barb about to curl back through the skin, then cutting the barb off and sliding the hook back out will do, but with a bit more pain. Clean the wound thoroughly and bandage it with the first aid kit you should have on hand.
Barbless hooks: Beyond the health and welfare of the fish you throw back, your own welfare is another reason to use barbless hooks. To remove a barbless hook, simply pull it back through the skin in the direction of the hook eye, then clean and bandage the wound. No mess, no fuss.
Fish hook in the face: The same rules apply, but we don't recommend you do this one alone. Having a fish hook remover on hand will save you some time and pain.
Man overboard!Hypothermia
Hypothermia is more common in the summer than one would imagine. Falling overboard isn't just embarrassing; it can be dangerous, depending on how cold the water and air are.
If you fall in, shed your wet clothes immediately. Which leads us to:
Bring fresh clothes with you every time you go fishing. Even if it's not cold out, no one wants to fish in muddy, soggy pants.
Once you've changed, stay out of the cold for a bit. This could mean staying in your car while the engine runs, or going back to your campsite and campfire.