Removing a hook buried past the barb in your hand comes down to either pushing it through and backing it out, or cutting the hook below the barb with cutters actually built for the job. It happened to me for the first time, and I had a hundred and thirty comments telling me to just cut the hook. I could not, because cheap pliers will not cut a hardened, chemically sharpened hook. In this audio episode I explain exactly what to do and what gear to carry. Press play above.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
There are two reliable ways. If the hook went in cleanly, you can bend the barb down and push the hook back out the way it came, which is what I had to do. The other way, especially with a treble hook, is to push the point through far enough to get below the barb, cut the hook below the barb with proper cutters, and slide the remaining piece right out. The key is having cutters that can actually cut a hardened hook.
Because fishing hooks are hardened and chemically sharpened, which makes them very hard. Cheap hardware-store needle-nose pliers simply will not cut them. On the day this happened to me, we had exactly that kind of plier, and no matter how hard I pushed, it would not cut the hook. You need pliers that are designed and built to cut hooks and wire, not just any pliers.
I carry the Danco Lunar hook and wire cutters, and I bought three or four pairs so there is one in every fishing bag in all my boats. Where ordinary pliers will not even dent a hardened hook, the Danco Lunar cutters go right through it. They are designed for cutting hooks and wire, so when you get below the barb and cut, the hook slides out effortlessly.
It depends on how the hook is sitting. On the day I filmed, I was lucky and the hook went all the way through my hand, so I could bend the barb down and back it out. Sometimes you are not that lucky and the only way out is to cut it, especially with a treble hook where the other points are in the way. Either way, you have to be able to get below the barb.
Yes. Cutting a hardened hook is exactly the kind of thing where a piece can fly, so put your sunglasses on or a pair of safety glasses before you cut. It is a simple step that protects your eyes, and I mention it in the episode because it is easy to forget when you are focused on getting the hook out.
A treble hook is the situation where cutting often becomes the only option, because the other points get in the way of backing it out. Push the embedded point through enough to expose below the barb, use real hook cutters like the Danco Lunar to cut below the barb, and the rest slides out. That is why I keep a pair of proper cutters in every bag.
Sometimes this happens, and luckily it was the first time it ever happened to me, but I know it happens to people all the time. I have had customers and other guides get hooks in their hands. When I looked at the comments on the original clip, there were a hundred and thirty of them, and almost every one said, why don't you just cut the hook. I could not, and the reason is the whole point of this episode. I explain it in full, so press play in the player above.
It is hard to even get most pliers close enough to your thumb to cut a hook below the barb. And if you do, cheap hardware-store needle-nose pliers, like what we had that day, simply will not cut it. These are hardened, chemically sharpened hooks, very hard, and that type of plier is not made for them. I push and push in the episode and it will not cut, so press play to hear how it went.
From now on, every one of my fishing bags has a pair of Danco Lunar hook and wire cutters in it. I bought three or four pairs so they are in all the different boats. Where the other pliers would not cut, these go right through the hook, because that is what they are designed and built for. Get below the barb, cut, and the hook slides right back out. I cover it all in the episode.
The day I filmed this I was lucky, the hook went all the way through my hand, so I could bend the barb down and back it out. Sometimes you are not that lucky and cutting is the only way, especially with a treble hook.
So carry a pair of pliers that are actually made for cutting hooks and wire, and put on your safety glasses before you cut. And, of course, do your best not to get a hook in your hand in the first place. Press play above for the full breakdown.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
hook removal · treble hook · barb · Danco Lunar cutters · Danco · hook and wire cutters · safety glasses · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from knots and technique to gear and the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
Tom Rowland Podcast — Episode 858: Tom Rowland
In this episode: why cheap needle-nose pliers won't cut a hardened, chemically sharpened hook, bending the barb down and pushing the hook back through, the Danco Lunar hook and wire cutters, cutting right below the barb so it slides out effortlessly, and keeping a pair in every fishing bag.
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Tom Rowland: Recently, I posted a video of me putting a hook through my hand when we were bone fishing. Sometimes this happens. Luckily, this is the first time that it's ever happened to me, but I know that it happens to people all the time.
Tom Rowland: I've had many customers get hooks in their hand. Other guides get them in their hand. And when I look at the comments, there are a 130 comments. And almost every single comment said, why don't you just cut the hook? I couldn't cut the hook because the way that the hook went in. I'm not gonna put it through my hand, but I do have a piece of celery that works nicely as my thumb.
Tom Rowland: So it was just like this. So first of all, it's hard to get several types of pliers close enough to your thumb to be able to cut the hook right below the barb. Alright? And if you have cheap hardware store, needle nose pliers like what we had that day, when you go to cut this hook, even if you can get it in there, I'll try to cut this hook. And it's not, you can't cut it. These are hardened hooks, chemically sharpened, very hard hooks, and this type of plier is not going to cut them.
Tom Rowland: So, what I had to do was bend the barb down and push the hook back through.
Tom Rowland: Now, from now on and in every one of my fishing bags, I'm going to be carrying these. These are the Danco Lunar hook and wire cutters. Now, I could push and push and push on those other hooks on those other pliers and they're not cutting.
Tom Rowland: This is the kind of thing that you want to wear safety glasses. So, put your sunglasses on or a pair of safety glasses.
Tom Rowland: And I'll show you that if this was my thumb in the same situation, what you're gonna do is if you are able to cut it, you're gonna need to be able to get below the barb. So, you may have to push the hook through a little bit more. So, it's like that. And then, you take the Danco pliers and you get right below the barb. With these Danco pliers, it's gonna cut the hook very, very easily. That's what they're designed for. That's what they're made for. And when you do cut that, just like everyone said in the comments, this is gonna slide right back out effortlessly.
Tom Rowland: But no matter how hard you try on the other type of pliers, it's not coming out. You're not cutting it. It's not made for that. So have a pair of pliers that are made for cutting hooks and wires. These Danco Lunar ones, these are the ones that I carry.
Tom Rowland: And I bought three or four pairs of these, and they go in every one of my fishing bags in all the different boats. And we're gonna have these all the time because if you get a treble hook in your hand, there may only be one way to get it out and that is to cut it.
Tom Rowland: On the day that I filmed that video, I was lucky enough that the hook went all the way through my hand like this. I was able to bend the barb down and back it out that way. But sometimes you're not that lucky. And sometimes the only way to get it out is going to be to cut it and you want to have the right pair of cutters. And that's this one right here. Alright. Don't get a hook in your hand.
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