People trying to catch a fish sometimes catch themselves or a companion instead.
People Catcher’s Club displays have been in place for over 30 years at Aspirus Eagle River Hospital and Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff.
They show lures that have snagged anglers over the years.
Wendy Lizack is a nurse with the Howard Young Medical Center Emergency Department.
The emergency department has seen sharp objects get stuck all over the body.
“The most common injuries we see in our ER from fishhook impalements are scalps, cheeks, eyes, and fingers,” says Lizak. “It's more when the little kids are fishing with mom and dad, and they go to cast for the first time and they usually catch mom or dad or brother or sister. Eyes are the worst. Through the scalp can be a bit of a conundrum depending on the size of the lure and the kind of hook that's on there.”
The display cases can actually help people feel better about their accident.
Aspirus MedEvac Paramedic Dan Halverson built the first People Catcher’s Club cabinet in 1993 because he wanted to showcase the impressive baits.
“I started collecting them, created the cabinet for the hooks, and even more people were willing to leave them for the display,” Halverson said. “We’ve had people who were hooked, or had a family member hooked, that have come back to look at the board or take pictures of it. I think the idea has really stuck.”
The removal technique depends on how serious the injury is.
Usually, it involves clipping an end off the fishhook and pulling the straight edge out, then making sure the wound is clean.
