Have you ever had any serious injuries while fishing?

i tried to slice my thumb off with my brand new pocket knife. the bass started to chase shad and were busting the surface. in my hurry to close my knife (the kind with the inside release) i slapped it down on my own thumb. i fished with blood running down my elbow for about 10 minutes until they stopped surfacing. then drove my car home to bandage myself. my favorite part is that my power steerinng went out 2 days earlier, and instead of fixing it, i went fishing. so now i got to wrench my car home one-handed and change a power steering pump with a sore, bandaged thumb.

i've managed to get a hook into my fingers more then once while tying them on or baiting them. and even under the nail, which is PAINFUL.

i've had a hat pulled off my head and tossed in by somebody else. and i've been hit with weights and lures as someone casts and messes up or pulls it loose from a snag or has a fish spit it.

i've had people fall out the boat that couldnt get back in even with help without going to shore.

i've cut myself with line or knives.

but never anything that took more then a week to heal.

its all about you and all other fishers paying attention too what you are doing. not overreacting when something does suprise you (like your $5 hat blowing off into the water and falling head 1st in an attempt to catch it, which fails and causes your pole, wallet and cell to be lost on the bottom too).

and most importantly, knowing what are doing to begin with. years of experience and learning the hard way sometimes, or a boaters safety course. safety course can result in loser insurance rates......

my most painful moments involving a boat have been while kneeboarding. between bad landings when trying to jump the wake and exceeding the recommended posted safe speed of the tow-able watertoy, i've gotten banged up and been sore and hurting for a week or 3.

25 mph tops means 25 mph tops. not 47 mph in the boat, and 70 or so because of the sharp corner you are on the outside of.......

The most serious thing that ever happened to me was back when I was 16 years old. I was walking down the side of the Long Horn Dam in Texas and slipped mid way. I rolled all the way to the bottom and was knocked out cold. I ended up in the hospital getting stitches over my right eye brow, stitches across my wrist and 3 broken fingers. I'm just thankful that is all that happened. Now-a-days I just stab myself accidentally with hooks or get cut by the gills of bigger fish. No big deal stuff...thank God! ~good luck catchin'

Only one.Without going into detail (something only an idiot would have done) I jammed a spinner bait hook into the palm of my hand up to the curve of the hook.I tried every method know to man to get it out, my hand was too tough it seemed to push it though and cut the barb off, I had to go to the emergency room and get it cut out.

But it doesn't seem like it was serious to anyone but me. My boss got mad because I took off work the next day and my buddies said I was a p****y for not getting it out myself.

But, hey! This was MY hand. This was a national emergency, for goodness sakes!

I think the most serious injury I've ever gotten while fishing is slicing my finger open with monofilament line just a tad while setting the hook.

I'm usually fishing soft plastics and I cup my baitcasters and use my index finger to feel the line for a subtle tap. I made the mistake of still keeping my finger on the line while setting the hook. Haha. Not a good recommendation.

I'm glad I never made that mistake with BRAID! I'm pretty sure I would've lost the tip of my finger with that.

i have been bit by king snakes a few times backcountry fishing nothing to serious

Nothing worse than a baiting needle embedded in the finger for me, but this one made my stomach turn!:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_east/431574...

i got two treble hooks stuck in my hand when i was unhooking a jack pike.