FishFinder17
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2015
- Messages
- 54
Hey OFF,
Wanted to share an interesting story that might also serve as a word of warning for all of you pike anglers...
Last summer I was fishing my lake around 8am on a Tuesday morning in August when a hooked onto an awesome pike. I don't often fish alone but this time it was midweek and my fishing buddies had all gone home to the city. I managed to net the fish and get it onto my boat with relative ease and it turned out to be one of the bigger pike I caught last summer (36" 8lb). I wanted to get a measurement so I put two fingers behind the gill plate and lifted it out of the net. Before I could set it on my tape, the pike thrashed and I managed to take one of its larger front teeth deep into my thumb. I was wearing those cheaper berkley gloves with the black rubber palm and they were no help. Without seeing the damage, and with blood dripping down my arm, I quickly released the fish and took off my gloves. The bite was deep enough that it had punctured the pad of my finger and I could see the deep tissue within the puncture. I called it a day and took the boat home where I bandaged up my thumb and went back on the water that night.
Here's where it get's crazy....
4 months later the cut had healed on the surface but I could still feel hard tissue below. One night I tried massaging it out to get rid of the discomfort....the next morning I woke up and my thumb had swelled to twice the size. I saw the doctor and took oral antibiotics but nothing worked. Then 2 days later I had to rush to the hospital with a fully swollen hand and a red line traveling up my arm (remember this bite happened 4 months ago!). The ER doctor told me if I had waited another day I could have lost my entire hand. I was told I had tenosynovitus and spent the next 7 days on a constant IV drip and couldn't go to work...all because of one big slimy pike who had no patience!
There's a few valuable lessons I learned:
1. Pike have big sharp teeth
2. Be extra careful when fishing for monsters alone
3. Keep a first aid kit (w alcohol swabs) in the boat
4. One way or another, fish will get their revenge!
Needless to say, I can't wait for May 16th and another season of pike fishing!
FF17
Wanted to share an interesting story that might also serve as a word of warning for all of you pike anglers...
Last summer I was fishing my lake around 8am on a Tuesday morning in August when a hooked onto an awesome pike. I don't often fish alone but this time it was midweek and my fishing buddies had all gone home to the city. I managed to net the fish and get it onto my boat with relative ease and it turned out to be one of the bigger pike I caught last summer (36" 8lb). I wanted to get a measurement so I put two fingers behind the gill plate and lifted it out of the net. Before I could set it on my tape, the pike thrashed and I managed to take one of its larger front teeth deep into my thumb. I was wearing those cheaper berkley gloves with the black rubber palm and they were no help. Without seeing the damage, and with blood dripping down my arm, I quickly released the fish and took off my gloves. The bite was deep enough that it had punctured the pad of my finger and I could see the deep tissue within the puncture. I called it a day and took the boat home where I bandaged up my thumb and went back on the water that night.
Here's where it get's crazy....
4 months later the cut had healed on the surface but I could still feel hard tissue below. One night I tried massaging it out to get rid of the discomfort....the next morning I woke up and my thumb had swelled to twice the size. I saw the doctor and took oral antibiotics but nothing worked. Then 2 days later I had to rush to the hospital with a fully swollen hand and a red line traveling up my arm (remember this bite happened 4 months ago!). The ER doctor told me if I had waited another day I could have lost my entire hand. I was told I had tenosynovitus and spent the next 7 days on a constant IV drip and couldn't go to work...all because of one big slimy pike who had no patience!
There's a few valuable lessons I learned:
1. Pike have big sharp teeth
2. Be extra careful when fishing for monsters alone
3. Keep a first aid kit (w alcohol swabs) in the boat
4. One way or another, fish will get their revenge!
Needless to say, I can't wait for May 16th and another season of pike fishing!
FF17
