Armed with two brand-new Gamigatsu J-hooks, a treble hook laden Yo-Zuri lure, and the necessary tools for removing them, we took the time out from a productive grouper fi shing trip to test both methods of hook re- moval. My initial hypothesis was that my original method of pushing the hook through was superior to the proposed "snatch" method. As with the previous article, "we" volunteered my leg for the test grounds, due to the fact that I apparently don't know how to take a picture, thus preserving the professionals to do their various jobs. The two J-hooks were inserted side by side and at similar depths for comparison. The fi rst hook was removed using the "snatch" method by placing a two-foot piece of 80-pound monofi lament looped just above the embedded section of hook. While pressing and holding the eye of the hook fi rmly to the skin and pushing towards the hook end, causing the hole to open on the barbed side, the monofi lament loop was snatched in the op- posite direction. The second hook was removed using the "push-through" method by fi rst cutting the shank with side cutters, and then passing it through the tissue along the hooks normal curvature with pliers. To grade these two techniques, I proposed a scale of one to fi ve (fi ve being the most favorable) for ease of use, availability of equipment, enter- tainment value for your fi shing buddies, and above all... pain.

Ease-of-use The snatch method was clearly superior despite the fact that I had never tried it before. It worked well for both treble and J-hooks alike. If you have no local anesthesia available, the push-through method can be diffi cult, espe- cially under real conditions as tested. With the push-through method you have to account for undamaged tissue that you are about to pass the hook through. "Am I going to pass this through an artery?" is just one of the questions that should be asked. Ease-of-use score: Snatch method=5, Push-through method=2.

A companion then wraps a loop of 80-pound mono around the fi rst embedded hook and "snatches" parallel to the fl esh while Paul uses a fi nger to apply fi rm pressure on the hook's eye, downward and forward, in the direction of the mono. Inset:" The "snatch" method's speedy result.

Dr. Paul begins the "push-through" method by stabilizing the hook and then clipping off the hook's eye, mid-shank, with side cutters.

Availability of Equipment The equipment needed for the snatch method is readily available on any fi shing boat. All that is needed is a sturdy two-foot length of leader material and a not-so-good friend to do the snatching. For the push- through method you need a sturdy set of side cutters and a pair of pliers. For those of you who have tried, you know how diffi cult some hooks are to cut without bolt cutters. Now, try cut- ting one on rolling seas, in your leg while in pain. While preparing for this story, I looked at the side cutters that I keep on my boat for this purpose. They were unused and hopelessly rusted. It's a good thing I brought another pair! Availability of equipment score: Snatch method=5, Push-through method=3.

Entertainment Value to Friends As far as entertainment value for friends is concerned, the push-through method of hook removal is vastly superior to the snatch method. This was accentuated when I had to use the bait knife to cut an exit hole for the uncharacteristically dull hook to pass through. The snatch method happens so fast that it is almost anticlimactic. In short, if you are out to impress friends, use the push-through method. Entertainment value scale: Snatch method=1, Push-through method=5.

WARNING! Be advised, the "snatch" method, when per- formed correctly, removes embedded hooks very quickly and has a tendency to shoot the hook across the boat or at the aid snatching the leader. Shield- ing your face and eyes during the actual snatching portion of the procedure is highly recommended.

Pain Scale Comparison As you can imagine, both meth- ods hurt--as should be expected of a sharp piece of metal being plunged in to the depths of your fl esh. It's the level of pain during extraction that surprised me the most. I fully expected the snatch method to hurt like Hades when compared to the push-through method. I envisioned hunks of muscle, fat and connective tissue attached to the barb when it was backed out using the snatch method. I'm not too proud to say that my original hypothesis was wrong. The fl eeting pain associated with the snatch method was markedly less intense than with the push-through method. To drive this point home, I volunteered to use the snatch method for removal of a treble hook, but I quickly re- jected the notion of using the push-through method. Pain scale: Snatch method=2 (but quick!), Push-through method=4.

Another Real-Time Test Later that evening I was too tired (really, too lazy) to put my fi shing poles in the shed where they are normally kept. Instead they were leaned neatly inside the house by the back door--over the dog bed. At about 2:00 a.m., I was awakened by God-awful howling and my wife's yelling. As it turned out, the family bulldog had impaled herself through the hind foot with a brand new Stretch- 30 treble hook. Having just removed three hooks earlier that day, I was preparing to use the snatch method before realizing it just wouldn't work with nothing to an- chor the eye of the hook to. Thanks to lidocaine and needles, the hook was removed in the most humane manner possible using the push-through method. The family pet came through the ordeal with out so much as a limp, despite the fact that I deserved to be bitten for being irresponsible with such dangerous fi shing equipment. Prevention is really the key so that you don't have to test these methods out yourself. Secure those fi shing poles and lures away from others at home and take the lure off of the line while under- way in a boat if at all possible.