Around 25 years ago before body piercing became the rage, I was the talk of the emergency room one night when I walked in with a silver CD9 Rapala hanging from top of my right ear. I was smallmouth bass fishing at dusk in my favorite spot, and the fishing was good. One particular 2lb smallies was a leaper, and I bow to no fish! So when the hooks pulled free, I had a fair amount of tension on the line. I tried to duck but ended up with a size 6 treble all the way through the cartilage in the upper 'shell' of the ear. I was alone, so there wasn't anyone to laugh, thank goodness.

"Goddamnit" I thought, "I'm not going to let a lure hanging from my ear spoil a good fishing session" so I cut off, re-tied and kept fishing for at least another hour. The parking lot was dark when I finally trudged up the hill, and the review mirror didn't really do my new earing justice. I drove myself to the local emergency room where I was greated with stares and shouts for the attending doctor. When I saw my head in the mirror I saw why everyone was so alarmed: my entire ear was coated in dried and a little fresh blood, and a reasonable amount had overflowed down my neck where the sweat and my collar had smeared it about half way round my head. I looked like I had a gaping head wound or maybe a knife wound to the ear and neck -- all from a single puncture wound.

Being 16 I thought it was pretty cool (except my ear by that time hurt like [Bleeeeep!]). The Doc figured it all out in 5 seconds, clipped the hook and handed back the lure. Should have kept the Rapala, but back then a countdown minnow was an expensive lure at about $1.50, and I couldn't afford to retire it. It and all the other contents of that fishing vest now sleep with da fishes . . . .