Thousands of fishermen owe a huge debt of gratitude to the inventor of the “string trick” for removing fishhooks from people. I owe him or her big time!
My latest chance to benefit from the technique came during a recent trip to Angler’s Inn at Lake El Salto, Mexico. I picked up a big topwater plug by the wrong end as fishing ended one evening, only to find the plug snagged on a tackle bag. One big treble dug deep into my index finger.
In most situations, that mishap would require a trip to a doctor, who would cut the hook out. My fishing would be over.
Fortunately, the popular Angler’s Inn guide known as Chi Chi has mastered the string trick. At a resort where 30 to 40 people are fishing all day every day, he gets plenty of practice.
The only painful part for me was removing the hook from the lure body. When Chi Chi popped the string, I felt only a brief tug, and the hook was gone. Bleeding stopped immediately, and I have felt no pain since.
Numerous other videos (just Google “hook removal trick”) will show how it’s done more clearly than this dimly lit cell phone video. You should master the technique before you go fishing again. You may not be the klutz I am, but sooner or later, you’re likely to get stuck. If that happens, you’ll be glad you learned the trick.
