This week we will be discussing the dangers inherent in the sport of fishing. I know, no one thinks fishing is a dangerous sport. Well, believe me it is. I’ve spent two weeks on a cane from fishing, broke a tooth off fishing, and plunged headfirst off a fifty foot cliff. True, I’m the Tim Taylor of the fishing world, but nonetheless, there are some seriously dangerous possibilities when angling.

The foremost and most common fishing injury is getting hooked. Nothing wrong with getting hooked on fishing, but getting hooked while fishing is a different story altogether. There are ways to avoid it of course. Rule number one, be careful when casting. Look all around you before you cast as to make sure there is no one near enough to hook.

Example: I personally took my Dad’s hat off his head when he had the misfortune of walking behind me while I was casting. I reeled it back in and promptly returned it to him, but two inches difference and it would have been his ear.

Another danger in hooks is trying to put on a new hook or bait a hook while you have another line in the water. This is definitely a no-no! If you get a bite while doing this you will instinctively drop what your doing and grab the pole. This usually leads to a hook in your hand. In my case, it was my thumb. Also try not to reel in a lure with a treble hook with a flopping fish on it and let it get anywhere near your legs. Try to let the fish calm down a bit before you get that near it or secure it carefully first. Such was the case with my fishing buddies Joe Jones and Pastor Phil Walton, Joe being the one with the hook in his leg with the flopping fish still hanging painfully off of it.

But, if you must ignore these rules, there is a solution. If you have a hook in your skin there are four options to remove it. If the barb is all the way through, it is a simple procedure. Simply take wire-cutters and clip the barb tip off. Then pull it back through the skin. If the barb is not all the way through it gets a bit more complicated and painful. You can push the barb on through the skin. Don’t try to pull it out backwards. Method number three is the one chosen by Joe and Pastor Phil. Pray, scream, pull, pray, scream, pull. The praying is a valid option, but the pulling doesn’t work out too well. Last is the ever-popular trip to the emergency room where they will numb the area, cut a small incision and just pull it out.

Drowning is the big danger in fishing. If you can’t swim, then take steps to protect yourself. If in a boat, always wear the lifejacket. If not in a boat, well, it still wouldn’t hurt if your near deep water to have one on. Be very careful of fishing on slick rocks such as those high rapid rivers. When the water is up for a while a green fungus grows on the rocks. It dies when the water goes back to normal levels, but when it gets wet it becomes extremely slippery. Many lives have been lost at on the Green River due to those slick rocks.

The one danger that most fishermen overlook is that of unsteady foundations. If your like me you will go to any length to get to that one spot that looks like the fish would really be in. This includes going out on logs, cliff walls, and hillsides. I’ll give you two examples of why these foundations should be avoided. Last year I stepped out onto a log to get close to a good catfish spot that I knew of. Well, to make a short story shorter the log gave away at the edge plunging me into the water with my knee slamming into the log on the way down. Two weeks on the old walking cane for me and my knee still bothers me in damp weather. The second example was a stripper pit way out in the middle of nowhere. I’d fished it before so I knew that it was a killer spot for Lunker Bass and big Crappie. The spot I wanted was on the far side, so I had to walk around the cliff-like walls to get to where I wanted to fish. Halfway there I stopped and looked over the edge to see if I could see anything jumping. Imagine my surprise when the ledge gave way plunging me fifty feet and landing me on my face. Luckily I got away with a broken tooth and sore back. The bottom was soft shale. If it had been solid rock, I wouldn’t be writing this today.

There are many more dangers of fishing, but this covers the most common. In my experience, fishing can be more hazardous than sky-diving, especially if your fishing with me. Be careful out there folks. Good Luck and Good Fishing!