Oilfield drilling operations have at least one thing in common with every
other activity that involves drilling a hole in the ground: sooner or later, something
in the hole that is broken, stuck, or otherwise not a part of normal operations
will have to be retrieved or removed. Equipment failure, human error, and
the impossibility of foreseeing every problem are among the reasons why the
need for "fishing" will never be completely eliminated.
Sound guidelines for successful fishing jobs have evolved over decades of
accumulated experience and technological advances. These guidelines should be
carefully considered when faced with a fishing job. Failure can result in losing
the hole