Specialty Hook Removers & Jaw Spreaders: Throat-Hooked Triage SOP & Barb Extraction First Aid

Facing a deeply hooked fish requires tactical triage. Knowing when to turn, when to cut, and when to treat determines survival.

1. Swallowed Hook Triage Levels

• Level 1 (Lip / Outer Jaw): Hard bone or cartilage with no major vessels. Instant release with pistol dehookers;
• Level 2 (Tongue Base / Hyoid Muscle): Proximity to lingual vessels. Always apply a ball-tipped jaw spreader first, then seat a T-handle dehooker into the bend and push forward;
• Level 3 (Gill Arches / Esophageal Sphincter): Deep inside vascular gill filaments. Never pull straight out from the mouth. Pulling tears cardiac branchial arteries, causing fatal hemorrhage within two minutes.

2. The Through-the-Gill Arch Extraction SOP

1. Spread Jaws: Insert a protective jaw spreader;
2. Lift Operculum: Gently lift the gill cover from the flank;
3. Rear Entry: Insert a slender dehooker through the bottom gill slit behind the arch;
4. Invert & Push: Grip the hook shank from behind and rotate 180°, pushing toward the mouth to back the barb out of the puncture channel;
5. Extract: Guide the free lure out through the mouth.

3. Cut the Hook Mandate & Cold Soda First Aid

• When in Doubt, Cut the Hook: If a barb impales an artery, clip the hook wire with hardened tungsten cutters. Without mechanical tension, the smooth remnant falls out or dissolves in stomach acid within weeks (95%+ survival rate);
• Cold Carbonated Soda: Pouring cold carbonated soda over bleeding gill arches causes instantaneous vasoconstriction, stemming blood loss before aerated livewell resuscitation.

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