[Woohoodude11]

Lake Glenview was the last lake (for now) on my skunk list. Decided to pop over after work today.

Started from the school and went clockwise...around the whole lake. Did NOT realize how big it was! That's not the part that sucked. Nothing was working on the entire west shore. Skipped the northern part and stopped at the northeast corner. Well what do you know...skunk killed...on a 1 pounder. That isn't what sucked.

Got asked by the lady friend to head out to Lake County for cheap smokes. Was gonna pack it up but decided to stop at one of the bridges to throw a few casts. Shortly, got smacked by something bigger. That didn't suck. Brought it in and like every end of summer bass I've caught, she was feisty. Took in both treble hooks, front all 3 were in the mouth and back was loged inside the gill plate. That kinda sucked, but just wait.

Unhooked the mouth hooks easily, gill plate was getting worked on and she decided to start bucking again. After she calms down, I find she now has 2 hooks coming straight thru the gill plate and 1 clean thru the "chin". Worked a little bit and nothing was budging. Decided to cut my losses and cut the hook tips off with my pliers. As soon as the first one was clipped she bucked again...and here's the part that sucked...

The front hook went behind the nailbed of my middle finger and went clean through into my fingernail. The damn fish began incessantly bucking which made me curse louder than I've ever cursed before. This got the attention of a fine european gentleman who complimented me on my catch. He then noticed that the F-bombs weren't on account of the pound and a halfer I got in and asked how he could help. I held the fish and he cut the hook and we were free. Well, the fish was. Resumed cutting the tips, pulled out the hook, and tossed this evil creature back into the abyss. Decided to pack it up with a Whopper Plopper sticking out if my finger to assess the damage in a better light. 10 minutes of pushing and pulling and it was out.

Didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would. The only pain came from the initial hooking and when the fish thrashed. Removal was a long process but only hurt when the barb hit a spot that wasn't already traumatized (hence pulling AND pushing). Either way, I don't wish that on any of you guys!

 

[Busse Jim]

Nice read! You look happy despite the asshole fish :wink:
sorry bout the hooking, that looks nasty

 

[Woohoodude11]

Nice read! You look happy despite the asshole fish :wink:
sorry bout the hooking, that looks nasty

Laughing has been a coping mechanism for me with pain since I was about 12. When I made the collage, I actually was shocked to see I'm smiling :lol:

No big deal with the hooking! Got it wrapped up with neosporin with lidocaine, let's just hope it feels the same at 5 am!

 

[Brett]

That looks like it sucked a lot. Way to check that last box on that skunk list though, earned every bit of it.

 

[HEDDONFROG]

Brother, we fish, we fish a lot and we're going to have that karma crap come back on us. Fingers hurt like hell, happened to me twice in the fingers and both had to be removed by a doc...way up under my fingernail. Ooooh that sucked. Worse than the head and leg hookings. Now that I fish with my son and his friends (more worried about the friends) I'm just waiting for a 130 Whopper Plopper to get me on a full power forward cast. Gives me the shakes, lol.

Great job ridding yourself of that skunk lake. Watch, now that you've caught a couple, it'll turn on for you the rest of the year.

Btw can't wait to show my son your hook puncture pic, hah

 

[RonG]

You're much better off with the hooking than the cigarettes. Sorry for your accident, that looks really painful. :shock:

 

[Skifish1]

Atta boy, i like the matcing red pliers, plopper, and blood. Really its a good sign to be hooked means you are catching fish.

 

[joetrain]

Well yes that does suck. I fish almost exclusively barbless hooks now. After getting hooked in my hand 3 times in one month I went to barbless. Some fish shake off but I release my catch anyways.
~JOE~

 

[Woohoodude11]

Brother, we fish, we fish a lot and we're going to have that karma crap come back on us.
Watch, now that you've caught a couple, it'll turn on for you the rest of the year.

Btw can't wait to show my son your hook puncture pic, hah

I've VERY recently (like, in the last week) thought about how I'm shocked I'm yet to have "the big one", considering I fish almost every day.

I don't plan on returning there. Not because of the hooking, but because it's not really a friendly lake from the shore. Too shallow too far out.

Hope he enjoys it! And possibly learns from it! I think I'm going to invest in some of those treble hook caps because I've already had several close calls this year.

You're much better off with the hooking than the cigarettes. Sorry for your accident, that looks really painful. :shock:

The smokes were for her, I think they're disgusting. I am, however, a casual dipper. Dippin and Fishin go together like Football and Sundays...for me anyway.

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be! The initial hooking and the thrashing were bad, but other than that it just felt like pressure under your nail.

Atta boy, i like the matcing red pliers, plopper, and blood. Really its a good sign to be hooked means you are catching fish.

I've nearly gotten hooked from pulling a snag, it got free and rocketed toward me and whacked me in the shin :lol: Believe it or not, that hurt more than this did.

The Whopper Plopper is actually mostly brown and kinda orange. I think the sunset and the Instagram filter skewed the color of that!

Well yes that does suck. I fish almost exclusively barbless hooks now. After getting hooked in my hand 3 times in one month I went to barbless. Some fish shake off but I release my catch anyways.

I lose too many fish on barbed hooks as it is :lol: I've never kept fish myself but I like the satisfaction of getting it on shore, taking a pic and releasing. I take pictures with everything I catch, no matter how dinky.

 

[Scipio24]

That does suck! Glad to hear you're okay. Hey, good story now at least. Those whopper plopper hooks are sharp af (see if the old guys know that acronym).

 

[Woohoodude11]

That does suck! Glad to hear you're okay. Hey, good story now at least. Those whopper plopper hooks are sharp af

STRONG too! The pliers had a helluva time cutting through it.

(see if the old guys know that acronym)

You're wrong for that :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Rambler]

That's gonna leave a mark!

 

[Caught at Dawn]

Those whopper ploppers and hand grabbers. It feels like every post of someone getting hooked involves and whopper plopper. When I catch smallmouth on trebles I typically use a lip grip so I reduce the risk of getting snagged.

 

[Woohoodude11]

lip grip

lip grip

lip grip

lip grip

lip grip

Yeah, I need to stop being stubborn and get those too :lol:

 

[crankybass]

Sorry about the injury--I've never had anything that bad. I was out sick all last week, and all day Saturday. I didn't get out, so I am wondering what the water quality is like, and what condition the weeds/mats and pads are in now? I'd appreciate any recon reports from your visit yesterday, and I hope to be out at Old School next Saturday.

crankybass

 

[Rambler]

Years ago - like at least 30 - I was fishing from an old canoe I had at the time. I lifted the lure out of the water and reached for it. For some reason I took my eye off of it for a split second. I felt something weird & when I looked one of the hooks was sticking up through the middle of the nail on my left pinky. YEOW!! It has never healed right - still sort of f'd up. I wear it as a badge of honor. Or at least stupidity.

 

[Guest]

The Whopper Plopper strikes again!

Cheap smokes yet $13 lure. Priorities!

 

[crankybass]

One of the best investments I made was on a Rapala Floating Fish Gripper. It has saved my hand/fingers on a number of occasions this season.

crankybass

 

[Woohoodude11]

I am wondering what the water quality is like, and what condition the weeds/mats and pads are in now? I'd appreciate any recon reports from your visit yesterday, and I hope to be out at Old School next Saturday.

The mats are THICK and HEAVY. They're mostly prevalent on the West shore, but you can get around em. Didn't fish the pads much, but from what I remember they still look healthy, unlike Old School's. Water was fairly clear, same as I remember it from my 3 other trips there. My god though, that shore is shallow. I was last at Old School Saturday and there were a lot of bottom anglers out there. Everything was the same, pads deteriorating by the day. Might head there shortly right after I get off work, haven't decided.

Cheap smokes yet $13 lure. Priorities!

Lol beats the hell out of $13 smokes that are gone in a few days. I actually hoard Dick's Sporting Good's coupons and wait for them to do the buy 2 get 1 free sales. Got 2 whopper ploppers and that Savage Gear bluegill for $16, which makes it $5.33 per lure :wink:

It has never healed right - still sort of f'd up. I wear it as a badge of honor. Or at least stupidity.

I was thinking that's probably going to happen. The nurses I work with say to keep cleaning it and what not, may or may not lose the nail...who knows. It actually looks VERY normal right now, just a papercut looking cut on the skin before the nail. Time will tell!

One of the best investments I made was on a Rapala Floating Fish Gripper. It has saved my hand/fingers on a number of occasions this season.

Just ordered that one this morning! And some treble hook caps. Can't be too careful now. Just gotta learn to be more PROactive than REactive.

 

[Rambler]

One of the best investments I made was on a Rapala Floating Fish Gripper.

:thumbup: