A good reminder to everyone to take an extra minute and make sure you pinch your barbs and pinch them down all the way. A friend of mine put a giant bunny leech in her arm and had not pinched her barb down enough. She ended up in the doctors office because the 30lb mono trick broke when trying it. The doctor had to push it through to get it out. An extra second taking care of that barb would have told a totally different story. I am sure we all have stories about hooking ourselves or our buddies.
Yesterday I had a couple of sports out on the creek and took them above the bridge. When we got down there I saw recently deceased duck hanging from the bushes on the other side. The poor thing must have flown by and got her wing caught on a lure that was hanging with the 50lb mono secured to the tree. She must have exhausted herself trying to get free but I didn't get there in time. I was able to make a cast with a big stramer and hook her to pull her out. I checked what she was hooked on and it was a big spoon with treble hooks all three of them with barbs. I know this is a rare occurrence and even if those barbs were pinched that duck still could have died. My main point is that I have a box of found lures from the creek over the past 5 years and only one of them had the barbs pinched. I also find a ton of your flies in the trees out there and the majority of them still have barbs.
Cheers to all of you, I miss seeing you out there this summer but I will be sure to be saying hi to you again in a few weeks.
Ouch!! That looks painful!! Once you have the hook pushed through as in the photo you can cut it with some wire cutters and back it out.... You might need about four or five shots of your favorite whiskey or scotch though!! The fishing has been so good up in the mountains that Putah hasn't even crossed my mind. In a few weeks the salmon will be doing their thing and it will be hard to decide whether to fish Putah as well.
