How to unclog the bathtub drain - do i pull out the fixture at the base of the drain??

I have a standard older bathtub that drains out through a 1-piece metal ring with an x-shaped catch. The catch has a huge clump of hair that is clogging the drain. Is this metal piece supposed to be lifted out? If not, how am I supposed to get the hair clump without it falling down the drainpipe and stopping in the trap?