By Joe Cermele

Almost two weeks ago I asked you to tell me your best (or worst) getting hooked story. There were many entries, which did everything from make me wince, to make me laugh, to nearly make me vomit. As I've always found that a large portion of hooked stories become things to laugh about later, and laughter is often the best medicine (aside from Dr. Fishhook's Hook Removal Kit, below), in the end I had to choose a winner that spun a little humor into an event that's never humorous right at the time. 

By Joe Cermele

From time to time, reader emails end up in my inbox, most often telling me about epic trips or memorable catches. I always try to respond to them all, but last week I got one from reader Bill Mitchell that I thought was blog-worthy. While floating the Shenandoah River recently, Mitchell's stepson Barry connected with a decent smallmouth. During the fight, the knot joining his line and leader failed, causing him to lose the bass. So the fellas rerigged and kept on floating. According to Mitchell, over an hour later and about a mile and half down river, Barry hooks the same smallmouth (below), complete with lost lure and leader hanging out of its mouth.

By Joe Cermele

Here's a lure both the hard-water and open water fanatics will dig. New from Salmo is the Zipper, a small, rattling hardbait that was originally intended strictly as an ice jig. But then some of the Salmo folks started pitching it in thawed lakes and catching some serious smallmouths and walleyes. It's a tough little bugger, constructed of Salmo's unique hardened foam. I'm pretty excited about this one, as I'm already a big Salmo fan and like a good lure that's got great action while mimicking very small forage.

By Joe Cermele

I've posted blogs in the past about removing a hook buried past the barb from your person by using fishing line. Most anglers are well aware of the technique. However, every time I've had to remove a hook from myself or someone else on the water, it's a scramble. Finding line to yank the hook out is easy enough, but not many people that fish on foot carry antiseptic ointment, bandages, or rubber gloves in case things get messy. But don't worry, Dr. Fishhook can help.