What's your worst fishing related accident/injury

[High Velocity]

Is anyone feeling light headed right now reading these?

My Dad, when I was 16, he was cleaning out my Grandpas tackle box that had been given to me in his will when he died. Rusty barbed treble hook (had seen water maybe 50 years ago) ended up in the top of my Dads hand, buried deep, into a vein and blood was everywhere. He came in the house and passed out from the looks of it, and I had to load him in the car and drive him to the clinic. I too, almost passed out. We are both squeamish.

Jeezuz, I've never been injured in over 40 years of fishing, but after reading all these stories, I'm ready to take up knitting instead !!!


Sent from my iPhone when I should be fishing.

 

[wolf]

Worst ive seen a guide slipped the big knife while filetting a salmon almost cut his thumb right off ive never seen so mush blood funny i can handle gutting a moose cleaning a fish but when I see human stuff i almost puke and get all weird feeling weird I know.

lucky we had a doc at the lodge that really fixed him up or else? we had to fly in a plane and he had to be evac out damn scary he was off for almost 6 weeks and and surprise wasnt allowed to ue a knife again that summer he was on washing fish detail

 

[tubber]

I was about 12 when I leaned in to see why Dad couldn't start the kicker. Elbow in the head sent me flying back toward the bow. Too many close calls to count on the seine boat but that went with the territory.

 

[Cuba Libre]

Yup-- fun times on seine boats-- I got knocked on my butt when I didnt get out of the way quick enough of a brailer full of sockeye heading for the sort table.

 

[lazo430]

I was river fishing for chum with a heavy keel weight and big rod. Nobody close by. Hooked a big fish and after a while really yarded on it to get it ashore. When the fish was about 15 feet away the hook broke loose and the keel weight came at me like a bullet. Broke my nose, deflected to my eye and tore my retina, blinding me in that eye. Knocked me out and off the shallow ledge I was fishing on and into the river. Fortunately there was someone around the bend who saw me floating by and dragged me out. Novemeber, cold water, very dazed and bleeding like a stuck pig. Ten days of bed rest, a tonne of drugs, way too many doc appointments and six months later could see from that eye reasonably well. Now I always fish with protective glasses. The damn fish got away.

 

[Degree of Freedom]

I was river fishing for chum with a heavy keel weight and big rod. Nobody close by. Hooked a big fish and after a while really yarded on it to get it ashore. When the fish was about 15 feet away the hook broke loose and the keel weight came at me like a bullet. Broke my nose, deflected to my eye and tore my retina, blinding me in that eye. Knocked me out and off the shallow ledge I was fishing on and into the river. Fortunately there was someone around the bend who saw me floating by and dragged me out. Novemeber, cold water, very dazed and bleeding like a stuck pig. Ten days of bed rest, a tonne of drugs, way too many doc appointments and six months later could see from that eye reasonably well. Now I always fish with protective glasses. The damn fish got away.

ok...you win!

 

[scott craven]

And you still fish ?

you definitely win !

 

[Degree of Freedom]

 

[lazo430]

That might catch on. Looking goood.

 

[IronNoggin]

The Rabbi going "Goth", or simply another Big Booger??

 

[Kisinana]

Another good reason for barbless hooks.

 

[finaddict]

The Rabbi going "Goth", or simply another Big Booger??

Big Booger for sure, I am pretty sure there are pills and ointments for that infliction

 

[Heavyc]

I impaled my hand on a shark hook used on a scale in Port Hardy. I wasn't "fishing" at the time, but I was attempting to weigh my hopeful tyee. Short story long, not only was I the largest thing weighed on the dock that day, but I got to keep the hook (after they cut it off and took me to the hospital to surgically remove it) and my fish was a 34lber. My first (and still only) tyee.

 

[Big Green Machine]

Nice tat, commemorating a war wound.

 

[Tsquared]

I was climbing down into the fish hold on a commercial trolller when the ladder broke. It was heavy seas and I broke a couple of ribs on the hatch combing and landed on my back in the slaughter pen, bashing my head on one of the pen boards. So I was concussed, ribs hurting and lying on 30 salmon in the fish hold---karma--the fish gods were getting
even. I ended up in the clinic in tufftown.
T2

 

[fish stalker]

omg the shark hook...yikes.

well my worst so far is repelling down a little cliff face to get to the 'good spot', in my waders with rod and gear in one hand trying to hang on the rope in the other. the waders were the cheapy plastic ones with the built in boots, not to stretchy. of course went down sprained my ankle which killed and swolle up, solution just stand in the cold butt ocean all day because with that style they compress tightly to your ankle and legs just like sitting at home with a icepack on it lol

 

[finaddict]

I impaled my hand on a shark hook used on a scale in Port Hardy. I wasn't "fishing" at the time, but I was attempting to weigh my hopeful tyee. Short story long, not only was I the largest thing weighed on the dock that day, but I got to keep the hook (after they cut it off and took me to the hospital to surgically remove it) and my fish was a 34lber. My first (and still only) tyee.

You should change your nickname to Heysoos ;-)

 

[Heavyc]

You should change your nickname to Heysoos ;-)

I work with Seawolf and for about 6 months later he was calling me the Happy Hooker. Shockingly I had only minor mobility damage from the incident.

 

[Jencourt]

Have not had a big wreck like some of you,but had one early on that hurt like heck.

When I was about 9-10 the old man and I took a guy and his son out as they had no boat. We decided to stop at our favorite snapper spot off of Texada to give them some action.
I was showing off and bringing the yellow-eye and rock fish over with the gaff. I held up a quill back or copper (back then we just called em rock cod). The thing shook off the gaff did a half twist and landed quills first on my thigh.(summer and shorts of course).Stuck me pretty good as I remember it. After enduring the burn and the tight muscle for what seemed like forever I am still a little afraid of those little bast.....

 

[Peahead]

Some amazing stories here , good thread. Perhaps after reading these, it will help to keep down the injuries in the future

I have had a few injuries and most are from the sharp objects we use ......in order of scariness with #1 being scariest and not necessarily biggest injury.



4) May 2011 : At the dock in Vancouver slipped with fileting knife while cutting zap strap !! ...and stuck knife at 45 degree angle into back of hand - severed 3 tendons and went into Operating Room 4 days later to re-attach - couldn't fish for over a month - still can't properly bend 2 fingers


3) April 2005 : While guiding a Vancouver trip I got crab trap line in prop and while trying to cut us free I slipped with knife - Only time I ever let customers clean their own fish after they insisted.....( they probably didn't want my blood on their fish !!)


2) August 2003 fishing Ferrer Pt near Tahsis by myself with budy Sushihunter guiding a couple nearby. I left a rod dangling over the side while I sat back and was rigging some terminal gear ....well in tahsis things happen when you do that! a nice chinook grabbed it. In all the confusion I couldn't find the bonker so I grabbed my 2 foot wooden handled gaff in the middle ( with the spike facing toward me!) and just hammered the chinook with one massive swing ! Ouch !!! the spike sank deep into my arm just below the elbow !! Luckily I was fishing near sushihunter and he threw me some poly sporin and to keep infection at bay... - fished 4 more hours till 3 pm and then did the 1 hour trip back to Tahsis just in time to get to the clinic before closing at 4pm.

1) Probably 30-35 years ago- was standing up in 12' zodiac holding the bow line going maybe 10 mph lookng for prawn trap off our family summer cabin. Tripped on an empty beer can and fell over the stern - boat kept going then circled back coming right at me - just missed as I swam toward shore . The motor throttle didn't spring back so boat still had speed but eventually was doing speed donuts. Swam about 300 yards to beach to get family dinghy and go after boat (. By the time I got to zodiac it was cavitating badly and slowed way down to doing tight circles about 2 mph so just timed the rotation and dove rom the dinghy into the zodiac !!!!
I wasn't injured but it was the scariest and I was cold, in shock with a damaged ego ! If that had happened further out into the sound I likely would not be here to tell the story.

Don't rate this as a bad injury but it was hilarious....about 4 years ago I got a trailer hook right through a finger while trying to release a big wild coho about 18lbs in the water at the side of the boat - trying to get it free without playing him out too much the coho suddenly went balistic at the boat and I let go with the trailer hook sinking right through my finger as he tried to take another run with the other hook still in the coho. He was pulling and zig zaging all over the place with only the hook in my finger 'playing' him ! - I eventually got him released however with the barbless hook I was no worse for wear just a bit sore and laughing at some of the things that happen!

Funny how you look back and can see how easily all the mishaps could have been avoided.