Making the most of your time - Fishing Safety rules everyone
should know
by: Rebecca Blain
When you are going fishing, whether nearby your home or on a long
distance trip, there are many fishing safety rules that you need
to keep in mind.
These rules can help prevent injury to yourself and others while
shore and boat fishing.
There are several different areas of fishing safety that you
should be aware of. These include the following:
Equipment Safety
Pier Fishing Safety
Offshore Fishing Safety
Shore Fishing Safety and Noodling
Ice Fishing Safety
Equipment Safety
Before you go fishing, you need to make certain that all of your
equipment is in safe working order. This should be done before
you even consider going out to any waterfront. You need to check
several things while looking over your various pieces of
equipment.
First, you need to check your fishing rod and reel. Both of these
pieces should be in top condition, with the rod having no cracks
or breaks. If your rod separates, you need to make certain that
it is very secure when it is built together. The reel itself
should operate smoothly, with the line coiling without tangles.
If the line is tangling quite a bit within the reel, you will
need to unbind the line and replace it with new. If this behavior
continues, you should consider a new reel.
The type of line that you use should be a consideration as well.
Dependent on the conditions you are going to be fishing in, you
will want to use different line. With rocky bottoms, where your
line is going to get caught easier, you will want to use a lower
line rating. If you are fishing for larger fish, the test on the
line should be increased to match what you are planning on
catching.
The final fishing safety check that you should make is on your
tackle, sinkers and lures. If any of these are rusted, you should
replace them with new ones, as rusted equipment can change a mild
injury into tetanus or a worse illness.
Pier Fishing Safety
One type of fishing that many people enjoy is pier fishing. When
you go fishing off of a pier, there are several fishing safety
rules that you should keep in mind. First, you should only place
your feet into the water if you know that there are not vicious
fish, such as Muskie, in the water. Muskie, as well as other
types of vicious fish, are renown for biting off the toes of
unsuspecting fishers off of piers. For this reason, you should
avoid doing this. In addition to this, you should never run on
the piers, especially if you are carrying any sharp equipment.
The most important thing to keep in mind when pier fishing is to
use your common sense. Falling from the pier, especially taller
ones, can be life threatening. Leaning over the pier edge, as
well as being careless, can put yourself and others in danger.
Offshore Fishing Safety
When you go on a boat for a session of offshore fishing, you need
to be extra careful. Out of all of the forms of fishing, this is
the most dangerous. You need to be aware of the weather and
potential weather changes at all times. In addition to this, you
need to make certain that you are always wearing a life
preserver. While these may be uncomfortable, or ugly to wear,
they can make the difference between life and death. You should
always make certain that you know you do not hit anyone with your
hook when you are casting. This is the most dangerous aspect of
offshore fishing, as you are most likely fishing in close
quarters, which requires a higher level of skill when you are
casting. Hooking yourself or a companion is a real likely hood in
this style of fishing, unless you are extremely careful.
Shore Fishing and Noodling
Shore fishing is the style of fishing that most people
participate. During fishing seasons, hundreds of people gather
around oceans and rivers and ponds to take their hand at trying
to catch the largest fish possible. Lures are constantly flying
through the air, and lines get tangled more often than not. When
you are shore fishing, you need to make certain you are aware of
all of the people around you, and that they are aware of you.
Taking children to crowded beaches for fishing can be extremely
dangerous, as they can get hooked while running and playing.
Injuries sustained in this manner can be severe. As long as you
are careful, and you do not run or dart across the path of
someone casting, shore fishing can be the safest of all types of
fishing.
There is one form of shore fishing, however, that is extremely
dangerous. This is called "Noodling". Noodling, or another term
for "Idiot", is the practice of wading out to waist or chest
level and bending down to search holes, logs and other hiding
holes for catfish. Then you wiggle your fingers. If there is a
catfish - or another type of creature in residence - they will
attack your bare hand. Then the fight begins, and the Noodler
needs to bring the fish to shore. Many lose their lives yearly to
this extreme sport, and it should be avoided, as it is not safe.
Ice Fishing Safety
When you are going ice fishing, there are a lot of safety rules
that you need to follow at all times. Unlike the other forms of
standard fishing, ice fishing presents a lot of health risks.
First, you should never go ice fishing without a well built
shack. The shacks provide you shelter while you are ice fishing.
Without this shelter, you will be susceptible to hypothermia and
other health related problems.
The second thing you need to keep in mind at all times is the
condition of the ice and the weather predictions. Falling through
the ice while ice fishing, especially alone, is a death sentence.
Being trapped on the open ice during a blizzard is also extremely
dangerous, even with the shelter of an ice shack available. When
you are stocking your ice shack, you need to make certain that
you have enough wood for the wood stove, or heating device within
the shack. This device should also be cared for and watched over
at all times, so the ice beneath the shack remains stable or that
the shack does not burn.
If you keep these fishing safety tips and rules in mind, you
should be able to have an enjoyable time fishing without high
risk of injury to yourself or others, no matter which form of
fishing you choose to participate in.
Rebecca Blain is a professional and hobbyist writer who enjoys
taking care of her Siamese Fighting Fish and educating people
about discount fishing reels & supplies which you can read more
about here:
http://www.discount-hunting-supplies-and-tips.com/discount-fishing-supplies.html
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See Also:
Index of All Hunting & Fishing Articles
Index of All Sports Articles
