Sooner or later, as a noob fisherperson, you're probably going to get snagged by a hook. I'm sure even seasoned fisherman grab the wrong end of a hook now and then. In fact, that's where this little tale starts.

My born-and-bred Texas husband was fishing off the banks in our back yard yesterday and caught a bass. The fish was squirming all over the place and husband forgot the plastic worm he was using had two hooks, not one. You got it. I hear a banging on the front door and there he was gushing blood from a thumb still connected to one rubber worm and one fish.

As I ran inside for peroxide, scissors and a 1st aid kit, our neighbor pulled down the driveway in his truck. He just "happened by" to loan a fishing rod for a tryout on what kind to get. Luckily, he's a seasoned bass fisherman with some serious corporate safety training under his belt. He told me to get some string. We cut off the worm and the still-flopping fish Our neighbor returned the fish to the channel (first things first). Then he set to work. Since the curved end was about to poke through another part of the thumb, he pressed it inward, wrapped string around the back end and gave it a jerk. String slipped off. Ouch. One more try, and the hook was out. Whooooohoooo.

Our neighbor related how fishermen who get snagged out on the water take care of this by themselves. They wrap the string, then use their teeth to yank all the while pressing the curvy part back into the flesh so it won't cause a rip - just a hole.

The moral of this story - if you get a hook in your hand, don't call the doctor - call a bass fisherman.

Yours truly,

The One Who Bandages

P.S. Yes - first thing this morning, husband went to one of our small town emergency units for a tetanus shot and a load of antibiotics. Nasty lake water + dirty fish = flesh-eating disease and other unimaginable horrors in my mind. Not to mention how grateful we are to have these particular neighbors.