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Laser Pens

Dave Burr said:
If you've ever tried to unhook an angry coot that has dived 10' or more to get your bait in the night then you will understand that a non lethal but highly effective deterrent can be an advantage.

Also, mine makes pretty patterns which is lovely :p
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Advantage? to who "fish at all cost" mr Carp Man or Advantage to the Antis.

Funny thing is I used to seek (more in winter) out the spots where the coots and other ducks used to dive. These spots used to produce fish quite often, many times without any free baits being used. Mr carp would often be lurking in and around the activty. I can only ever recall one hookup with a duck in 25 yrs.



Martin
 
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Wow...sorry I asked now:eek:, As I said, I have used laser dot sights on rifles in the past, not on birds admittedly, but on deer. I understand some stalkers like them as they can see if the idiot client is miles off target and get ready to take a decent shot. The deer didn't notice the dots at all, but I suppose flashing them around at night on the water would be more noticeable.

The ones used for sighting on guns are considerable more powerful than the ones you use for classroom presentations, which is what I assume anglers use. Whilst it isn't a good idea to point these into eyes I have been told it won't usually cause serious damage, but they do come with lots of warnings on the box telling you not to do this.

My wife, who works for probation, has told me that a couple of her chav kids were given ASBO's for, amongst many other things, pointing these things at Police helicopters in Birmingham. The Police don't like that! I thought that maybe poachers were using them against bailiffs:(

At least I now know what they were used for and why they have been banned and no longer feel I am missing out on some secret technique:rolleyes:
 
For Martin

I meant an 'advantage' to both the angler but more especially to the coot/tufty or whatever. I don't want to harm birds and I certainly don't want them to either harm me or mess up my swim.

And the reason you are catching fish where the ducks are diving is that you may well be fishing over somebody else's bait. ;)
 
And the reason you are catching fish where the ducks are diving is that you may well be fishing over somebody else's bait. ;)[/QUOTE]

Could be true on some waters but It happened to many times on 100 plus acre waters I used to (in my keen caping days) almost live on. I knew 100% no one had been fishing for weeks in certain areas. I would wang out a bait to these areas and sometimes the rod would be "off" within an hour or so.
I often used to lead around these areas and often it held a dying weedbed or soft silt. The birds (and carp) were there for that reason imo...

Regarding the pens, well I understand what you say about the benefits but as mentioned before, the antis or the like will see it differently.

"along comes Mr twitcher" looking through his bino's and see's Mr angler wafting his laser pen around like "Dearth Vader" !! Birds flapping off in a hurry.

Sounds a bit "over the top" but there is an element of truth there..

Martin
 
Martin Hemington said:
"along comes Mr twitcher" looking through his bino's and see's Mr angler wafting his laser pen around like "Dearth Vader" !! Birds flapping off in a hurry.

Sounds a bit "over the top" but there is an element of truth there..
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On some waters. On others it's going to be a case of "excuse me sir, you are trespassing. Please sod off.";)
 
Pete Marshall said:
Wow...sorry I asked now:eek:, As I said, I have used laser dot sights on rifles in the past, not on birds admittedly, but on deer. I understand some stalkers like them as they can see if the idiot client is miles off target and get ready to take a decent shot. The deer didn't notice the dots at all, but I suppose flashing them around at night on the water would be more noticeable.

The ones used for sighting on guns are considerable more powerful than the ones you use for classroom presentations, which is what I assume anglers use. Whilst it isn't a good idea to point these into eyes I have been told it won't usually cause serious damage, but they do come with lots of warnings on the box telling you not to do this.

My wife, who works for probation, has told me that a couple of her chav kids were given ASBO's for, amongst many other things, pointing these things at Police helicopters in Birmingham. The Police don't like that! I thought that maybe poachers were using them against bailiffs:(

At least I now know what they were used for and why they have been banned and no longer feel I am missing out on some secret technique:rolleyes:
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Pete, the laser pens usually used by anglers are indeed a similar type to those used for presentations, available in numerous high street shops and costing anything from £2.50 to £10. As you say, they are unlikely to harm anything even if shone directly into the eye. They are a red laser, and the power and focus mean that the dot size will be far too large for gun sight use, spreading or diffusing to roughly 30<50 mm diam. at 70/80 yards range. For some reason, when shone at night on the white feathers of a swan for instance, they can have the effect of apparently making the feathers fluoresce...an amazing sight, and one the swan is naturally not fond of...but it is harmless. They do swim away when this happens, but I have yet to see one so alarmed that it did so in any great panic, far less attempt to take off!

The type which have been causing major problems in the hands of the sociopathic minority out there are usually the larger (6"/8" hand torch size) and more expensive (£20<£100) green lasers available through ebay etc., which are hugely powerful, have a massive range and are thus very much more dangerous.

Cheers, Dave.
 
Going back to the original post, laser pens were banned from one club that I'm in, as a member had one shone in his eye by another member, which lead to a hospital visit and the police being involved.

The view was taken that it was another accident waiting to happen. Also it only takes a stray beam to be shone in a member of the public or landowners eye, and then the real fun begins.

Neil
 
Bad enough having the symphony of buzzers without the light display too.
Those things are a pest do we really want our fisheries subjected to yet another electronic 'aid'?

Leave them to the idiots on the streets I would have thought, as Anglers we would be united against such a invasive and damaging piece of kit.

Beggers belief.
 
For what its worth, I find on the Kennet that a well directed headtorch beam flicked on and off 4 or 5 times usually stops swans in their tracks once its gone dark. Either that, or the beam illuminates the line, which the swan then spots, and swims round it. (My headlamp is is of the 'beam' type rather than the more diffuse LED type)

Not the whole answer, and it didnt stop a bunch of 24 ( Thats TWENTY FOUR) of the hissing white b******s swimming through my pitch on Upper Benyons last thursday night, but generally when they are in 1's and 2's, a headtorch beam does the trick.
 
Let's put this into context. Lasers are generally used on large waters where the chances of a stray beam across a 100 acre pit doing any harm to or annoying a member of the public or anybody else is virtually non existent. Also, the birds are fast learners and when, during daylight, the coots have had a zap or two they quickly learn that an angler pointing at them may be about to shine his pen and they back off. This is much the same as a duck spotting a bag of bread from the other side of a lake or seagulls spotting a catapult and homing in on your boilies as they hit the water, its just conditioning.

Used sensibly a laser is just a tool to minimise the disturbance to your swim and the chance of harm from hooking birds if they do get on your bait. They do cause the birds some alarm - that's why they work and as for the idea that its their water and they should have priority - I'll only accept that from someone who has never sworn at a swan and I know that there won't be many coming forward with that claim. :)
 
As ever, a small idiot minority spoiling things for the majority of sensible people.
Clearly, if someone is stupid enough to shine a lazer into the eyes of a fellow angler then it would suggest they would have even less thought for a poor defenceless creature and here lies the problem.
These are the same idiots that leave litter and line everywhere, are no doubt on benefits and have a couldn't care less attitude to everything until it's taken away. At this point, they are the first people to start moaning! Perfectly aware of their rights but completely unaware of their wrongs. Such is life. Rant over.

Regards,

Jeff
 
Neil Smart said:
Look it up.
Might help your confusion.
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I don't need to, I have a nasty habit of working with fibre optics on a fairly regular basis, they aren't damaging unless shone into eyes. Even then the low power rubbish that people generally use to deter wildlife isn't powerful enough or focussed enough to do any permanent damage unless you are cretinous enough to hold it to your eyeball.
 
Chris Jones said:
I don't need to, I have a nasty habit of working with fibre optics on a fairly regular basis, they aren't damaging unless shone into eyes. Even then the low power rubbish that people generally use to deter wildlife isn't powerful enough or focussed enough to do any permanent damage unless you are cretinous enough to hold it to your eyeball.
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Surely the things were made as an aid to pointing at boards in a room, not into eyes.
The Home Office are taking a dim :rolleyes: view of it though, the very fact the laser can temporarily 'blind' someone or something is enough reasons for banning the use other than what it was intended for.
Sorry to say there are more than enough 'cretins' to spoil it for everyone, as witnessed at the local bonfire night here, the things were everywhere and I am afraid eyes were the target for some.
Ban 'em ;)
 
Neil Smart said:
Surely the things were made as an aid to pointing at boards in a room, not into eyes.
The Home Office are taking a dim :rolleyes: view of it though, the very fact the laser can temporarily 'blind' someone or something is enough reasons for banning the use other than what it was intended for.
Sorry to say there are more than enough 'cretins' to spoil it for everyone, as witnessed at the local bonfire night here, the things were everywhere and I am afraid eyes were the target for some.
Ban 'em ;)
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There are different classes of laser. The type that could do genuine damage if shone into eyes from ranges above a few feet aren't what's being talked about. They aren't generally available and aren't cheap enough or available enough for Joe Average to buy on ebay. The problem of eejits shining them into aircraft cockpits is a different matter. It isn't about pilots being genuinely blinded, (unless they've got NV goggles on) rather that they are dazzled and night vision temporarily screwed up. Not the best of situations for an aircraft at low altitude.
The lasers used to shift a few wildfowl on aren't capable of doing any damage to anything unless the user put it to his eye, turns it on and stares at it for a while. The same type of damage could be caused by a decent high power torch.

Ban 'em all you like, makes no odds to me;):p. It would be pretty pointless for any issue other than that of aircraft safety though.
 
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