Baiting the Hook or Touching the Fish

Does not describe me at all. I have been fishing since I was a baby. I bait my hook, take the fish off the hook, clean the fish and cook it. I taught all four of my kids to fish. My two daughters have taught male friends of theirs how to fish. My family loves camping and fishing.

When I was a kid, my Dad never even taught us how to take them off the hook...Actually we didn't catch many fish when I was a kid because my Dad took us out into the middle of a lake in a 12 foot aluminum fishing boat and we sat..and sat...and sat...Very boring, not a lot of fish either. As an adult, I taught myself how to fish by reading books mostly. I have also learned from friends who've gone fishing...And yes, I bait my own hooks & take the fish off the hooks...Actually, I have to take the fish off for my husband & my kids...I'm the only one who can seem to get the hooks out when they swallow them without killing the fish...I was scared at first, but only of the walleye & pike -- big teeth! But, I learned how to grab them & now I don't have any problems...One of my favorite baits to use are leeches...Most people think ick!!, but they're actually much less messy to use than crawlers & worms...no smelly slime!!!

I used to be like that. Let's face it, fish are ugly! Some of them also have barbs or stingers. I overcame this fear by carrying a rag or piece of thick cloth in my tackle box. I am able to hold the fish if it is wrapped in the cloth. I then use a pair of locking pliers ( the needlenose type) to extract the hook. If it is a giant fish or the hook is too deep I make the nearest available male do it for me. lol