Every angler in Kuwait knows the feeling: the fish strikes, you set the hook, and for a few seconds everything else disappears. That moment of focus is exactly when accidents happen โ a hook flying backward, a treble catching a hand, a friend standing too close on the deck. Hook injuries are among the most common fishing accidents on the Gulf, and almost all of them are avoidable with a few simple habits. Here is how to keep hooking fish without hooking yourself or your crew.
The golden rule of hook safety is one glance behind you before you cast. Whether you are casting from the shore at Jahra or from a boat off Shuwaikh, make sure no one is in the line of your backcast, including the angler beside you. Treble hooks and heavy lures travel fast, and a hook in the ear or scalp is a trip-ending injury. If space is tight, use an underhand or side cast, and never cast when someone is walking behind you.
Use long-nose pliers or a hook remover and hold the fish with wet hands or a grip glove. If the hook is deep in the throat, cut the line and release the fish with the hook inside โ it will corrode and pass. Do not stick your fingers into a fish's mouth; the gill rakers of many Gulf fish are sharp enough to cut you, and a sudden shake can bury the hook in your hand.
Stay calm. Do not pull the hook backward โ the barb makes it worse. If the hook is shallow and not near an eye, artery, or joint, you can push it through and cut the barb off, then back it out. If it is anywhere sensitive โ an eye, face, neck, or hand joint โ immobilise the area, cover the hook with a clean cloth, and go to a hospital emergency room. Kuwait's hospitals see hook injuries every season and remove them routinely, so do not try heroic extractions on the boat.
Children are shorter, quicker, and unaware of backcast danger. Give kids their own spot well away from active casting, use barbless or single hooks on their rods, and teach them to lay the rod down point-first when they are not fishing. A child who learns hook discipline early becomes the safest angler in the group.
Add to your boat or beach bag: antiseptic wipes, a small cutting pliers, bandages, and a clean cloth. Treat every hook prick โ even a small one โ by cleaning it properly, because sea water and fish slime carry bacteria. If the wound turns red, hot, or swollen, see a doctor quickly. A good habit is checking the wind and sea state on the B7R app before the trip too โ a steady boat deck makes hook handling much safer than one rolling in a chop.
Fishing is more fun when nobody gets hurt. Before your next trip, check the sea conditions and tide times for Shuwaikh and Shuaiba ports in the B7R app, and keep its emergency SOS feature in mind in case a hook accident turns serious. Download it for free on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.q8dm.b7r