As the Winter has overtaken the Northern US, many anglers are taking time to prepare for the Spring fishing season.  This could include End of Season Maintenance for rods, reels and gear or planning and optimization of tools and tactics to be 100% ready for the next time on the water.  I spend many hours over the Winter building new tools and organizing my tackle. 

One of my simplest projects is creating my own customized fish de-hooker.  This can be fun, cheap and really useful on the water.  This is a great project that can be completed by adults or with kids.  You can buy fish de-hookers from your local tackle store, but it is much more fun and rewarding the build your own custom device.

Project Components

The following list has the basic parts.  You can find these pieces anywhere and often might have them in your workshop already.   In my testing the de-hooker did not rust, so I used zinc-plated components.  If you have stainless steel parts those would be great too.

• 5 inches of ½” PVC plastic pipe
• ¼” lock nut
• ¼” regular nut
• 2 fender washers w ¼” center hole
• 6 inch x ¼” eye bolt

You could use a longer or shorter bolt if you wish, but I found that the 6” was best for the types of fish I catch.  The 1/4” size is also the best match of weight and strength for most fish.

The Build Process

Tools needed:

• Small hand saw
• Drill with ¼” drill bit
• Sandpaper
• Hammer
• 1/4″ wrench or pliers
• Crazy glue (optional)
• Bench Vise (optional)

The steps to complete this project are as follows: 

• Cut the and bend the eye bolt to shape
• Sand the edges smooth

• Cut the pipe to length 5 inches
• Drill a ¼ inch hole in the middle of the pipe (2 ½ inches from each end)
• Hammer/bend the washers into a curved shape to match the profile of the pipe bend.  The vise can help with this part if you have one available.
• Assemble the hook, nut, washer, pipe, washer, lock nut (in that order)
• The eye bolt loop and the pipe/handle should be perpendicular to each other

• Tighten the bolts when you are comfortable with the feel
• Optional: place a drop or 2 of crazy glue on the nuts to seal them

How to Use the De-Hooker

The use of a de-hooker is best for hooks that are visible and not deeply embedded in the gullet of a fish.  For deeply embedded hooks it is often best to cut the line to minimize impact to the fish.  Here is a video on usage of fish de-hookers- Removing Fish Hooks by Sport Fishing Magazine.

SUMMARY

This is my first, do it yourself, project article and I will certainly post more soon.  If you have any suggestions or projects that you are proud of, please share them.  You can contact e by email at [email protected].

Tight lines …  Captain P.