Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Anti-training in Northern Wisconsin

This weekend was my annual guys fishing trip. I think this was the seventh year so far and while I'm not a good big fisherman, I love being outdoors and hanging out with the guys talking trash. I didn't bring any training gear so i wouldnt feel guilty not working out and my only goals were to unwind and get bass thumb. Bass thumb is a term I coined when you lip enough large mouth bass with your thumb, while removing the hook, that your thumb gets all rough from the sand paper like bass teeth :-).

The guys I fish with are very competitive (as I am myself), so we had to have a fishing tournament even though it usually ends in arguments. The entry money was low, but bragging rights huge! Knowing what was at stake, I figured we needed a secret weapon. I brought one a couple years ago and it worked brilliantly, knocking out one of our competitors for a full day. This year it also knocked out one of our competitors, but at the high cost of a pretty serious brawl and some ill will :-(. Next year the secret weapon might be some aroma therapy or mediation books :-).

 

When we arrived Wednesday evening, we went straight out on the lake. The first four casts yielded 4 hits and 2 fish. Great start to the trip! The lake was beautiful as was the weather.

Beautiful Lake Placid
Lake Placid in Hayward, Wisconsin



Turtles getting some sun

Turtles sunning themselves

So the fishing tournament was our boat vs. my buddies brothers boat. It really wasn't fair because they had three fishermen in their boat and we only had two, but we took the challenge anyway :-). Day one we ended up winning. Day two we also won. Day three they requested we go double or nothing and we agreed. They are actually better fishermen than us so the likelihood of us winning three days in a row was slim. We fished hard all day and with an hour to go in the tourney, we were one fish behind. Our competition was getting tired of fishing and went in giving us an hour to pull out a victory. The next thirty minutes didn't even yield a hit so we went back to the method that worked the first night. Rubber worms, drug slowly across the bottom. The fish were sluggish so when they hit, you had to be patient. In years past, when the fish hit, you would count to two, set the hook and that we pretty much that. This year when they hit, you had to wait until the second hit, give the line a little slack, wait for the third hit, put slight pressure on the line then on the fourth hit, set the hook and reel like hell.

One of many large mouth bass

With 20 minutes to go, I caught the tying fish using that method. Then with 10 minutes to go, I caught the winning fish. I was removing the hook thinking of a funny blog pic to take kissing the fish or something, when the fish flapped hard enough that I lost my grip and ended up with one of the other hooks in my ring finger just below the fingernail. Pain and panic ensued as I had a flopping fish hanging from my finger. I managed to grab some pliers and hold the lure while my buddy dropped the anchor, then cut the fish away from me. Then I cut the lure away from my finger and inspected the damage. The nail was in tact but the hook was lodged in there pretty good. I tried to shove the barb through, but it hurt too bad so we went to the ER. They were backed up so they checked me in and suggested we go out to dinner and come back. We went out for pizza and beer with the hook still in my finger. It didn't hurt except for when I would brush it against things.

 

This fish was hooked in the middle hook, my finger on the top hook

Picture on the way to ER

In the ER, the doc gave me a lidocaine shot right in the tip of my finger. It hurt like hell for about three seconds then it was numb. He shoved the barb through, cut the hook and that as it. As a bonus, my tetanus shot is now up to date :-) All is well now and I have a good fishing story to boot.

 

14 comments:

AMcConn said...

I see you found my Secret Weapon... ha ha. The fuel of champions. The bonus is after a night of that you can't feel guilty about not training because you generally can't move or think at all until 48 hours later.

Glad to hear your tetanus shot is up to date but I am sorry that you had to stick a fishing hook into your finger in order to get the doc to give it to you.

Another great post!! Keep 'em coming.

Anne B said...

OMG THE PICTURE OF THE HOOK IN YOUR FINGER...AAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME NIGHTMARES :(

Jill said...

Okay, I almost lost my dinner when I saw the fish hook in your finger. That had to hurt like hell! Reminds me of many years ago when I was at the ER with one of my boys, who had an ear infection. Someone came in with a fish hook in his back and boy howdy was that thing planted waaaay in his back. I'm pretty sure I passed out (I obviously have a weak stomach :)). Well, you definitely have a good fishing story for the rest of your life :). Glad you had fun though.

Lora Abernathy said...

Dude. Those pictures of the lake are amazing! Yeah, you've definitely secured a fishing story for life out of that trip.

Kate Geisen said...

Ugh...I was going to give you a hard time about no picture of the hook and then you showed it...your poor hand!! :(

That's my kind of secret weapon...I would be glad to forfeit the tournament and spend my day drinking and floating and reading. :)

Unknown said...

There is nothing better than hanging out with the guys on a fishing trip. I enjoy talking nonsense and trash with my buddies.

Your secret formula cracks me up!

Man, that photo of the hook in your finger made me cringe!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I was enjoying this post till my stomach turned inside out, that is sooooo gross!!!

KovasP said...

Revenge of the fish

ajh said...

Out to dinner with a hook in your finger? This is quite the fishing story.

Ali Mc said...

ARGH! that hook in the finger grossed me out but everything else was like my dream! I miss being outside with fish. I used to be a fisheries technologist and that was my daily life . le sigh!

I love fish so much! not a huge fishing fan, but when you're used to electrofishing and trap netting to sample fish using a rod just seems ridiculous ;)

Theia said...

ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Teamarcia said...

Yikes! That is quite the fish story. Why do I find it hilarious that you went to dinner with the hook still in? Looks like a fun getaway nevertheless.

A Prelude To... said...

Holy Crap, THAT had to hurt!!
The jaegermeister red bull combo looks painful, too!

I watched The Grey last night and now I'm afraid to go outdoors at all. Maybe some Jaeger would help me calm down :p

The Green Girl said...

That hook in your finger shot. Wow.