Fishing Procedure in Oil Drilling

General Rules on Fishing Procedure

• In the event of a broken rod line, stuck rods, or burn in bit, the operator must immediately report the matter to the Foreman or Supervisor, giving full details of the situation.
• The operator must not attempt to back off or carry out a fishing exercise without permission.
• Only experienced supervisors are permitted to carry out fishing operations.
• After receiving a report of stuck rods, the Foreman will investigate the matter thoroughly to form an opinion.
• A pipe wrench may be used for backing off the rod string on pneumatic machines, but not on hydraulic machines.
• Never take any hasty decisions on a fishing operation; consider all aspects of the case and visualize the situation in the hole.
• A Tap should be used as a last resort, as it might not recover if rods below the point are stuck.

Steps on Doing the Actual Fishing of the Rods on Air Machines

• Conduct a stick-up to determine the correct position of the broken or stuck rods.
• Identify the correct fishing tool to use during the fishing process.
• Plan and ensure the correct number of left-hand rods is available at the site.
• Attach the fishing tool to the left-hand rods secured in the machine.
• Use the rod puller to push the fishing tool into the hole until about 1m from the stuck rods.
• Use the hand wheel to push the fishing tool into the broken rods, considering the type of fishing tool used.
• Follow the pushing and pulling rod procedure to remove the rods from the hole.
• When using left-hand rods, the machine cannot be used to loosen the drill rod string, and the operation is done by using 24” pipe wrenches.
• Never turn the rods and sprag the wrench against the bar, as this can result in the wrench to slip or wrench handle to break.

Rods Stuck or Broken in Hole

• Stop all work and report to the supervisor that must assess what to be done.
• Determine the depth of the hole to attain the number of rods left in the hole.
• Determine the correct type of fishing tool to be used.
• The experienced supervisor must always oversee the fishing job.
• Identify the correct fishing tool to use during the fishing process.
• Plan and ensure the correct number of rods is used when lowering the fishing tool.
• Attach the fishing tool to the first rod and lower it into the hole until about 1m from the stuck or broken rods.
• Use the machine to push the fishing tool into the broken rods, if using a spear type fishing tool.
• Never use any tap on the broken rods string if unsure about the situation.
• Push the fishing tool into the bottom rod, considering the length of the fishing tool beforehand.