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Fishing Safe

My version is the type of crewsaver (hammer i think) that works only with water pressure ie you have to be in water for it to go off. i have had the other version which would go off in the rain or in the back of my car when wet from the walk back from my swim. The other option is to wear an floatation suit, such as sea boat anglers wear. The advantage of these is you will never be cold.
 
Gavin, did I read before you work as a marine pilot?
I was at the UKMPA conference dinner last night, damn messy sticking a bunch of them together in a room :p
 
That's correct Stuart, on the Mersey now after being on the Humber 1996-2002. We sent a crack team over for this conference! I was back on rota yesterday otherwise I'd have been at conference. We have been known to get a bit of business done in between pints!
 
some great advice and info in the thread. I always have to remind myself to take my little entrenching tool when fishing steep banks, to ensure the way back up is not going to be too slippy.

Referring to page one of this thread, there are certainly plenty of beery (and/or stoned) oafs and litter louts on our river banks, but I would also like to say that there are plenty of us non-drivers who enjoy a few beers or even fine wines on the river bank and who never become significantly inebriated (I am a nightly drinker who has not been drunk in a very, very long time), and we have never and have never ever left so much as a corner of a snickers wrapper behind us. And of course we may also be among those who take away great piles of other people's litter and line - worth saying that some of the worst and biggest piles of litter I have cleared off the banks (bags and bags full sometimes) did not include a single alcohol-related item, though many have (by the way, why do so many people think it is OK to scrunch up a crisp or bicky packet and stuff it into a crevice in the bank?). Personally if I thought that if a water's 'no-alcohol' rules would actually be enforced (not sure how this is practical), it would just drive me even further into the less fished areas where nobody else goes.
 
Indeed, very many good points and sensible suggestions in the thread so far.

One which hasn't been mentioned that could also be of use is to consider investing in an extra long landing net handle. With 4 and 5 metre handles readily available for relatively low cost, it means that you can keep a safe distance away from danger when the ground is wet and slippery, and for those of us that have ridiculously high banks (most of the Bristol Avon) to contend with, it means you can avoid having to slide down that near vertical mud slope to get to a swim.
 
A quick reminder (I've posted this before) but if you do end up in the river and being washed downstream, manoeuvre yourself so that you are on your back and going feet first. These will bear any impact you sustain with objects. Use your arms to scull yourself towards the bank, but please avoid overhanging trees: there are often branches underwater against which you could be pinned by the weight of water. Aim to get into one of the slacks that may be present. Ideally, get to know the stretches of river you fish...just in case. Better still, do everything you can to avoid falling in!
 
I was fishing on my own until past midnight last night, not troubled by (fish) bites so I pondered ...........

I insert a sturdy bankstick in front of me on certain banks, so if I stand I have something to place my foot against as a marker.

I never fish from a wooden platform

In my bag : Spare headtorch (not just spare batteries)

In my bag : Spare (basic) mobile phone on 3 payg - don't lose it (minutes/texts) if you dont use it - kept charged at home

In my bag : powerbank to charge main mobile

In van : towels and spare clothes

My wife now has explicit instructions how to get to any of the seven venues I fish regularly - but hardly likely she'll ever need these. She has phone number of good mate who'll sort things if needed :)
 
Paul Whiteing said:
I was fishing on my own until past midnight last night, not troubled by (fish) bites so I pondered ...........

I insert a sturdy bankstick in front of me on certain banks, so if I stand I have something to place my foot against as a marker.

I never fish from a wooden platform

In my bag : Spare headtorch (not just spare batteries)

In my bag : Spare (basic) mobile phone on 3 payg - don't lose it (minutes/texts) if you dont use it - kept charged at home

In my bag : powerbank to charge main mobile

In van : towels and spare clothes

My wife now has explicit instructions how to get to any of the seven venues I fish regularly - but hardly likely she'll ever need these. She has phone number of good mate who'll sort things if needed :)
Click to expand...

All good tips Paul.

The value of a spare set of clothes and towels cannot be overstated as I once discovered after an unplanned dip during a winter piking session. A good blanket is a good shout as well.

There is also a range of tracking apps can be installed on your phone to enable people to pinpoint your exact location (designed primarily for suspicious spouses I think?!), these could be useful if something goes wrong, particularly if your roaming about.

Spare phone - my main phone is on Vodafone which for my money has the best rural coverage in the UK. My spare is on 3. Between the two I find there are very few places I can't get a signal of some sort these days.

Food - although I can't stand the stuff, during the colder months I always keep a bar of Kendal Mint Cake in my bag and in the car. High-energy snacks can help fight hypothermia. For me Kendal Mint Cake is ideal because there is absolutely no chance I'll be tempted to eat it other than in a real emergency!

Whistle - always one in my bag. Doesn't take up any space/weight in my bag. No brainer really!
 
Anthony Pearson said:
A quick reminder (I've posted this before) but if you do end up in the river and being washed downstream, manoeuvre yourself so that you are on your back and going feet first. These will bear any impact you sustain with objects. Use your arms to scull yourself towards the bank, but please avoid overhanging trees: there are often branches underwater against which you could be pinned by the weight of water. Aim to get into one of the slacks that may be present. Ideally, get to know the stretches of river you fish...just in case. Better still, do everything you can to avoid falling in!
Click to expand...

I hadn't thought about that but I suppose your right - it would be hard to resist the urge to grab hold of a branch if you were floating past though I reckon!!
 
Talk about tempting fate
Back in Yorkshire yesterday, river was perfect
However I managed to slip on rocks and do a faceplant in a marginal swim before session had started!
Mobile phone was goosed , already dodgy knee virtually useless and all layers of
Clothing were soaked through
I thought never mind I'll have a brew
I'd made coffee with powdered milk and it formed horrible lumps in the flask so that got poured out and I forgot food so a hungry day
Thankfully it was very mild yesterday so I could still fish but just goes to show that it's certainly not OTT to have a ' disaster recovery pack' in the car
Fishing was superb though
 
I was waiting for howls of laughter from the other lads fishing but I got away with it from a Youtube Fishing Fails Vol 4 perspective.
Also managed to ruin my digital Salter scales
Which was bound to happen as I landed a huge chub which on someone elses electronic scales weighed 7-11, then 5.7 then 5-10 so will never really know, but is was a lump and fought like a barbel.
Anyone got a set of Avons they want to sell?
 
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