Getting the hook out

You may have other theories, but here’s what the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish recommends:

Removing a hook embedded in the angler

Many anglers, both seasoned and beginners, have accidentally caught themselves instead of their intended targets... Today, we will go over a method for removing a barbed hook embedded in an angler’s skin.

1. Don’t cut the hook. You will need the eye and the shank of the hook to aide in the removal process.

2. Cut about a 1.5-foot long piece of heavy pound test line.

3. Wrap the piece of line around the curved shank part of the hook.

4. Pull the line taut in the opposite direction that the hook enters the skin.

5. Press down on the eye of the hook to disengage the barb of the hook as much as possible.

6. With pressure on the eye of the hook, quickly jerk on the line to pull the hook out of the skin.

Here is a video that demonstrates how to execute this method of hook removal.