A Fly in The Nose and Other Occupational Hazards
By David Van Wie

Hunting, fishing and other sporting activities have certain occupational hazards that are unavoidable because they are part of the activity itself. I am not talking about major dramatic events like lightning or avalanches. No, I want to bring attention to the many smaller risks that come with the territory, like getting hooked by a fishing lure or falling out of a tree stand.

While many of these hazards can never be eliminated, it’s important to take steps to 1) reduce their occurrence; and 2) be prepared to deal with injuries if they take place, employing clear thinking, first aid and an evacuation plan if necessary. Nothing mars a weekend like a trip to the emergency room for stitches or a broken ankle. Or worse.

Watch Your Backcast

Fly casting instructors will teach you to watch your back cast so you don’t hook your fly in trees and alders along the bank. Or in your friend’s nose.

I was teaching a college friend, Libby Roberts, how to fly fish over July 4th weekend. She had taken a class with Orvis and had the basics down, but still needed work on her casting and presentation. Libby was doing really well, and before long she had landed a nice brook trout. She saw the rise, put her fly down softly, hooked up on the drift, and landed a 10 incher with a little help from my net.

Ecstatic with her success, Libby decided there must be another trout by the same rock, and sure enough there was. She landed Number 2 and couldn’t wait to go for the hat trick. I decided I would back up and get a good photo of her casting into the hot pool.

As I turned and walked down the gravel bar, I suddenly felt a THWACK on my face and felt a stinging on my nose and upper lip. At the same moment I yelped, Libby turned to see what she had hit with her back cast. And there I was with a new nose piercing, the start of a new fashion trend. I had her Hornberg sunk solidly in my schnozz.

Removing the Hook

It didn’t bleed much, nor did it hurt hanging there, so we decided not to try removing it with the hemostat that hangs from my vest. I didn’t really want to try it myself, and Libby wasn’t too thrilled about it either, so we decided to keep fishing (they still were rising!) and save the nose bling removal for some entertainment value back at camp. I also suddenly realized it was good I was wearing solid wraparound sunglasses or I might have had an eye injury as well. We both realized this could have been much worse.

We caught one more fish and then paddled down river to the take out spot near camp. My arrival created a flurry of attention and some unique photo ops. Finally we got down to the specifics of the hook removal.

Fortunately, I actually knew how to use the Shank ‘n Yank method to remove the fly. Ordinarily you can use fly line looped through the hook bend but this time we used needle nose pliers. With a swift yank, the hook goes out the way it went in. I iced the area for a minute, then pressed down on the shank (and my nose to keep it on my face), while Dorothy Diggs did the yanking.

It hardly hurt at all! But I sure don’t want to do that again. From now on, I will watch everyone’s backcast. As another friend noted later, “Now you know how the fish feel.”