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Subscribe to RSSWhen Haans Galassi lost four of his fingers in a wakeboarding accident in Idaho, he joked, wryly, that they had become fish food.
He wasn’t surprised, then, when the Bonner County sheriff called him up, telling him he had a funny story to tell him.
“I was like: Let me guess, they found my fingers in a fish,” Galassi, 31, told the Spokesman-Review. (The newspaper’s headline was equally flippant: "Lake trout gives fisherman the finger.")
Galassi, of nearby Spokane, Wash., was wakeboarding on Priest Lake in northern Idaho on July 4 when his hand was caught in the cord, fully severing his fingers. His friends rushed him to a resort and he was transported to the hospital by helicopter.
Then, on Sept. 11, a man named Nolan Calvin was fishing on the west side of Priest Lake when he caught a large lake trout. As he was cleaning the fish, he found what appeared to be a severed human finger, according to a press release from the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the sheriff’s department statement: “It is unknown, of course, how long the fish actually retained the finger in its digestive track, however, it was noted that the finger was in remarkably good condition at the time of recovery.”
Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Gary Johnston was particularly impressed.
“You fall asleep in your bathtub or hot tub, you come out and your fingers are all puckered up and prune-like. And it wasn’t like that,” he told the Spokesman-Review.
Calvin, the fisherman, placed the finger on ice, which he turned over to deputies, who were able to derive a decent enough fingerprint to trace back to Galassi. The fish, officials concluded, had traveled about eight miles north of where Galassi lost his fingers.
The investigation concluded, the sheriff’s department offered Galassi back his finger.
Galassi told the Spokesman-Review that he declined.
“I’m like, uhhh, I’m good,” he said.
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Leave a Comment:
I'll make a note. Use human fingers as bait when fishing... my luck is about to turn methinks!
The unfortunate thing is that Hans lost his middle finger; which is a primary means of communication in that area of Northern Idaho. So in addition to his physical handicap the accident has also left Hans effectively mute!
;-)
It rather brings up the question of what was Robert in Oregon doing in 'that area of Northern Idaho' that would warrant that gesture? As a former resident of 'that area of Northern Idaho' ( Priest River) I do not recall ever seeing that gesture being made in my 20+ years living there.Sorry I cannot say the same about Oregon or Washington.
Well, that lake trout would most definitely have been forced to give you the finger. I'm sure very reluctantly.
What would be the point? I know, I know....bad pun.
Robert in Oregon, Thanks I needed that, I'll be chucklin all day.
I've used finger mullet for bait, but never fingers..there's a first for everything.
OMG
The tiger at the Bronx zoo said; this human doesn't taste like chicken...but a trout said; best night crawler I ever ate.
I can't believe he didn't want his finger back! He could have dipped it in resin and hung it on a leather string around his neck. Now THAT would be a conversation starter!!
FlaNative I can't believe he didn't want it back either. I lost a finger in 1973 and I asked the hospital for it. They told me no that it was against the law in Ohio. Maybe they lied and just needed some bait.
I've had my fingers in a few red snappers; but never a lake trout.
Sirlafalot - Where have you been?
In the auto parts store the other day I noticed a large mouth bass air freshener hanging in the accessories aisle. I asked the guy trying to help me if that one smelled like the after-aroma of a Saturday night in the back seat.
what type of line where you riding and how did you manage to get your fingers in it? I'd like to learn a little more about the accident as to not repeat! Our boat dealer shared that he fell with his head through the handle once and nearly tore his jaw off. #@!$@! dude!
Never ever wrap a line of any type around a hand or finger. I fish with Spiderwire sometimes. I briefly tried to pull up a stuck lure once. That line will cut right through your finger. I know several team ropers. They say they can identify a fellow team roper by his missing digits from getting them caught in the lariat while on horseback roping a calf moving 25 miles an hour.
Absolutely! A friend of mine working with horses lost a finger between a rope and post and there are horror stories galore about horsemen losing limbs either roping or in the round pen, course when you are dealing with 1200lbs of muscle it doesn't take much.
First time I ever tried to water-ski I thought you had to jerk your self up instead of let the boat pull you up. I jerked so hard that I flew over the rope handle and got the tow rope stuck between my legs, I spun around with rope still between my legs and the boat started to drag me under water. My friends were in hysterics - and with half of Lake Washington now up my nose and ass - my @!$%# friends still wouldn't let me back in the boat until I got up...the normal way.
I did learn to water-ski fairly well - even learned to use the short trick ski...sure wish I still had a right shoulder so I could still ski.
The guy seems pretty upbeat considering he lost most of his fingers but I guess he can't grow them back so no point in worrying about it. Weird story.
I thought the pointer and index finger were the same one?
NBCLite's department of redundancy, repetition and words that mean the same has struck over again one more time.
ms. hoo.....In NY we point with the middle finger !
HA! Good catch ms. hoo.
He's got to want the middle finger back. If they found my middle finger, I'd want it back. It comes in handy..
I've water-skied before and the rope can always loop around your fingers while your waiting for the rope to go tight to the boat as it goes slowly forward. If they "Hit It" and the rope is around your fingers, "Say goodbye" to those fingers. Same for people in the boat.. If you're handling the rope and it goes around your fingers as the captain of the boat "Hit's It", say goodbye to your fingers. It's fairly common it the Captain is novice or the crew is novice and the Captain is lazy.
Waterski with experienced drivers. They always see when there may be a problem.
A new meaning to Fish Fingers. lmao
Does the term "Finger Food" come to mind or "Finger Fish Sticks?"
So there really could be "chicken fingers" out there?
How unfortunate this man suffered such an accident.Yet to be able to see how nature has recycle a portion of his loss is quite remarkable.Really, would we expect the chances if one stepped back and thought about this? It's incredible to know nature is being so opportunistic and efficient. Guess he has lent a hand to the circle of life!
Getting the finger from the police? That is different!
Did the guy still eat the fish after he found the finger in it??
LMAO....GROSS!!!
Why not? Nothing wrong with the fish flesh.
gives new meaning to the word recycling.
Interesting story. Too bad they don't sell fingers as bait for lake trout. Must have been a good sized fish.
hmmm.
"Man gets finger from fish" - teaser title brought up a whole different (and humorous) image - I was hoping for a photo!
Change in bait, finger mullet - -you guys beat me to it!
Maybe, it's just me and I'm weird, but I would want my finger back. Obviously it would not be possible to reattach, but encase it in acrylic or some type of clear resin and what a conversation piece you'd have.
On his next Birthday they should take him somewhere that serves finger sandwiches
last quote from this guy at the end of the article is hands down the best part
we should also have this thread checked against the guinness book of world records for longest list of pun's ever compiled.
I hope "digestive track" was the error of the sheriff's department and not the reporter who wrote this.
I will think twice before buying fish again.
I'd be curious to know why the finger stayed in such good condition for so long. In the water from July 4 to September 11 and still looked good enough that the man who found it thought it should be put on ice! Could be useful information...
human: I love fish sticks!
fish: I like human st[ea]ick fingers!