05-18-2007, 02:48 PM
[cool][#0000ff]A first aid kit is one of the items I recommend as a carry on item for tubers and tooners. But, since I seldom follow my own advice, I did not have one.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am probably an exception to how most people deal with "medical emergencies". I ain't no wimp. I perform my own minor surgeries...splinters, warts, cysts, etc. I also do my own hook removals...using several different methods, depending upon the size of the hook, the location and the depth of penetration.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]While the catfish "piercing" was painful...and bloody...I was in no danger of fainting. Nor would I have ever shortened a fishing trip for a silly visit to the emergency room. The hole left in my hand by ripping out the jagged pectoral spine was nasty, but I assessed it as something that would "only hurt for a little while" and was not debilitating or life threatening. In other words, I could keep fishing, even if the hand hurt like a summagun. And, I was glad that it was bleeding profusely. That helps clean out the mild toxin on those fins that make the punctures hurt so much.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I heal fast. The bleeding stopped within a few minutes and the swelling had mostly subsided by last night. This morning it is only mildly painful to touch it and there is only a small scab to remind me of the encounter. I think I will live.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Still, with the potential for hook punctures, knife cuts, damage from fish spines and sharp gill covers, etc., it is really a good idea to have emergency medical first aid stuff with you...either in your tube or at least in your vehicle. Do as I say, not as I do.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We did indeed end up with a couple of fish dinners. Those small cats from Willard Bay are some of the best eating catfish of all I have caught and eaten around the country. And, the wipers are absolutely great no matter how you fix them. The pain was worth the gain.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I am probably an exception to how most people deal with "medical emergencies". I ain't no wimp. I perform my own minor surgeries...splinters, warts, cysts, etc. I also do my own hook removals...using several different methods, depending upon the size of the hook, the location and the depth of penetration.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]While the catfish "piercing" was painful...and bloody...I was in no danger of fainting. Nor would I have ever shortened a fishing trip for a silly visit to the emergency room. The hole left in my hand by ripping out the jagged pectoral spine was nasty, but I assessed it as something that would "only hurt for a little while" and was not debilitating or life threatening. In other words, I could keep fishing, even if the hand hurt like a summagun. And, I was glad that it was bleeding profusely. That helps clean out the mild toxin on those fins that make the punctures hurt so much.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I heal fast. The bleeding stopped within a few minutes and the swelling had mostly subsided by last night. This morning it is only mildly painful to touch it and there is only a small scab to remind me of the encounter. I think I will live.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Still, with the potential for hook punctures, knife cuts, damage from fish spines and sharp gill covers, etc., it is really a good idea to have emergency medical first aid stuff with you...either in your tube or at least in your vehicle. Do as I say, not as I do.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]We did indeed end up with a couple of fish dinners. Those small cats from Willard Bay are some of the best eating catfish of all I have caught and eaten around the country. And, the wipers are absolutely great no matter how you fix them. The pain was worth the gain.[/#0000ff]
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