Last fall, while fishing the Major League Fishing event at Lake Amistad, the great Kevin VanDam hooked a big one.

As in a 200-lb. cameraman with a pile of treble hooks in his forearm!

Check this link out and watch the video of the "catch-and-release."

If you've ever had any doubt about how to remove fish hooks from human flesh, VanDam, Skeet Reese, and Gary Klein show you exactly how to get it done with a minimal amount of discomfort.

http://www.majorleaguefishing.com/news_details.aspx?id=999

Great Training Vid

Shazaam

I'm not looking forward to trying that one day!

Never done that style of removal ... have done the old fashion way!

Happened to me last Thursday. Triple grip #6, small hooks but they are sharp.

Once you pop it out, if you will pour a little Coke or Dr. Pepper on it it will stop bleeding immediately.

I guess it's the carbonation that does it.

Thats what happens when you put those guys in 18ft boats with 7'10" rods. I cant believe it did not happen more. The pros are not used to fishing in smaller boats like that.

"minimal amount of discomfort"....my A$$!!

Yeah I'm sure that felt GREAT when he yanked it half way out and had to try again....

Also, the video didn't show how to do it at all. Not very helpful...

oww

Ouch!!!

Gotchya!

Getting hooked?

Tremendous amount of discomfort.

Having those hooks removed that way?

All I can tell you about this case is that I was standing there when it happened (removal).

He didn't yelp once; was looking away from what was going on and didn't know when the first and second set of trebles were removed (never flinched); and as the video showed, he even asked (on the miss) "What happened?" in a normal tone of voice.

As for a training video, try this where Billy Chapman of Angler's Inn intentionally hooks himself with a large treble hook to show how to remove it:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTUQXpg76xQ

BTW, I got hooked last year while fly fishing on a trout stream. Smaller hook for sure, but it still hurt getting impaled.

My guide knew how to do this method of removal. I never even felt the slightest sting when the hook was removed.

At least in my case, it hurt far more getting hooked than it did having it removed.

I had to do that trick to Pake over the Spring Break. Pake missed a fish on a jig and stomped down off the flipping deck right square on excaliber hook. The hook was buried to the hilt in the middle of his heel. He immediately started sreaming as loud as he could. I dropped everything and went and looked at it. It was bad. I tried to take the split ring off but he would not be still enough. I quickly grabbed some braid and told him to stand by and wait until I count to 3 and I was going to do the trick. This whole time he was screaming at the top of his lungs. as I told him I was about to start the count down I popped the hook out and he immediately stopped screaming. It bled prety good but we quickly got that stopped. We soaked his heel in hydrogen peroxide for a little bit and put a bandaid on it. I asked him if wanted to call it a day or keep on fishing. He said "Lets fish!" He hardly even complained about it the rest of the day. I have used this trick several times over the years and it almost always works. The only time it didn't work was when my wife hooked me in the back of the head with an 1/8 ounze Cotton Cordell Spot with tiny Excaliber hooks. I fished for about an hour with the hook in until I couldn't listen to her anymore about it. I went back to Oakridge and discreatly went over to Dennis Shelley and ask quitely if he could help me get it out. The tiny hook was buried in the meat at the base of my skull where it meets the neck. Oakridge in those days (early 90's)was packed with guides and their customers. Dennis stood up and loudly announced to everyone "Anyone want to help me get this hook out this goobers head?" I was emarassed enough for just having to asked Dennis for help. Him and a couple others tried the snap trick a couple of times and finally had to use a razor blade to get it out. I thought my wife was going to toss her cookies a few times. Dennis got me fixed up and back to fishing we went. Sorry for the long read.

It wasn't meant to be an instructional video. Just something that got filmed along the way. I have had this done to me twice. The pain level depends on where the hook is. Once I hardly felt it. The second time took a few tries to get it out and it hurt.