I know many of the people on this Board have kids. I hope someone learns from my experience. Sunday morning I placed a handful of plugs on my desktop as I was going to replace the split rings. The hooks were recently sharpened and had razor edges on them. Each treble hook had a plastic bonnet on it.

My six and three year old boys are fascinated by fishing-related things, especially lures. They asked if they could handle the lures. I told them, "Yes, but just to pick them up and put them down. No playing with them." I then turned my attention to reading what was new on this Board (the home PC is right next to my desk).

Within five seconds I heard two blood-curdling screams. The little guy Bart had one hook on a Yo-Zuri minnow sunk up to the bend into the second joint of his right ring finger . The big guy Max had the other treble on the same lure in the flesh of his forearm, with both an entry and exit wound. They were trying to run away from each other and the blood was flowing. I shouted "Don't move!" and they both froze, howling like burn victims. Fortunately, I had pinched the barbs down on the hooks and was able to quickly remove them with strong, quick pulls. Within five minutes the tears had subsided. A trip to the emergency room resulted in a doctor's verdict that no permanent harm was done to Bart's finger joint. When we confirmed that their tentanus shots were up to date, the boys received a clean bil of health.

I can't believe how stupid I was to let them play with the lures, and thank my lucky stars that all my plugs have hooks with pinched-down barbs. The looks of terror and pain on those kids' faces will stay with me forever. I hope this story saves someone a similar experience.