Cermele: The Ugly Truth About Hook Removal

Chad Love just posted a news blog this morning about an angler that fished an entire tournament (and won) with a hook stuck in his head. In that post, he asked "all you macho men" to share your hooked stories. Let me start: I've fished all day with a Muddler Minnow buried in my shoulder. I've fished all day with a Panther Martin through my ear lobe. I once pinned three fingers together with a big treble hooked, removed it, walked into a 7-11 dripping blood, bought Band Aids, then walked back out onto the beach and kept casting. That manly enough?

Kidding aside, in my mind, the line-pop technique is the best way to remove a hook. I've used it more than I care to remember. And I have to give credit to Billy Chapman for demonstrating this method in the video below (Warning: It'll make you cringe, wince, and whimper, but someday you will probably have to do this). You've likely seen illustrations of the line-pop, but there ain't nothin' like watching the real deal. As for the guy fishing the tournament, A+ for sticking it out, but that's not news. That's just fishing. - JC