Fishing: How To Fish: Safety
Enviromental Conditions
Areas conductive to fishing are often breathtaking, but this does not necessarily make them safe. Making sure that a fishing trip doesn't turn sour is therefore important.
Site Selection
When choosing a site for fishing, consider safety factors along with more obvious ones like the probability of catching fish. Because is practiced in a variety of environments, evaluate factors specific to safety in each environment.
Shorelines
Shoreline hazards may include the following:
- Quick drop-offs into deep water
- Slick rocks, muddy banks, and slippery stream and lake bottoms
- Litter, garbage, and junk that might cut entangle, or otherwise harm participants
To minimize shoreline hazards, scout areas where you will be fishing. Identify hazardous areas, and post signs, rope off, or otherwise prevent access. Establish and stick to water safety rules designed to keep participants away from hazards. Where you must fish near hazards, establish and instruct participants in safety procedures, using the buddy system and the rescue techniques. Assure that proper supervision and rescue equipment are available, including reach poles, ring buoys, and throw lines. Pick up or eliminate the broken glass, discarded line, and other materials that might harm participants. Instruct participants about the hazards of weather or tide changes. Know the tide tables from the area, and listen to National Weather Radio forecasts frequently.
Piers, Break walls and Docks
Hazards typically found at piers, break walls or docks may include the following:
é Slippery conditions, particularly due to ice, algae, or slime.
é Changes in the tide
é Heavy winds
é Uneven terrain, litter or discarded line Absence of lifesaving equipment
é Absence of ladders or other means of getting out of the water if someone falls in
é Absence of handrails, ropes, or wheelchair stops
Obviously many recommendations for shoreline fishing safety apply here as well. In addition to these, consider locating ladders or other places where participants can get out of the water if they fall. Also, carry long-handled nets or other fish-landing gear appropriate to the location. Discuss how to land fish safely from the pier, and stick to this procedure.
Wear footgear appropriate to the conditions. This may include felt soles, or caulks (golf spikes or Corkers) to minimize slippery conditions. If possible, establish handrails or ropes and wheelchair stops. In any case, know the limitations of angler groups, and match them to appropriate locations.
Streams (Wading)
When wading in streams, hazards may include the following:
é Fast currents
é Unexpectedly deep water
é Slippery rocks
é Deep holes
é Water levels rising unexpectedly (dam releases)
é Cold Water
In addition to these recommendation guidelines for minimizing stream wading hazards include instructing participants to recognize if a stream's current is safe for wading. Use a buddy system with two anglers wading together if necessary. Use a wading staff and shoes with caulks, felts, or other non slip surfaces. When wearing waders, use suspenders and a wader belt, and wear a PFD. Exercise every caution and use good judgment when wading in cold water. Instruct participants on white-water safety.
If the current sweeps participants off their footing, instruct them to roll onto the back and swim fell first, using a backward sculling motion with hands until reaching calmer water. They should not try to put their feet down again until the water is shallow or calm. Wear polarized glasses to better see bottom hazards. Pay attention to water levels if dam-controlled waters are likely to rise unexpectedly. Find out the dam release schedule. Put a stake at the water's edge and mark the water level on it. Watch it carefully for changes, and listen for a signal indicating a release has begun.
Surf
Surf fishing, whether from an ocean beach or large inland lake, has its unique hazards. These include the following:
é Undertows, swift tides, and currents
é Large waves
é Slippery Conditions
é Holes
é Sharks, Jellyfish, skates
é Sharp coral, rocks or broken glass
In addition to these recommendations for minimizing hazards, make sure to use care in high-wave conditions. Avoid areas and weather conditions where rogue waves are known to occur. Instruct participants in how to identify dangerous tidal currents, such as rips, undertows, and so on. Find out where the dangerous currents areas are and stay away from them. Use the buddy system.
Wear wader belt and suspenders. Instruct participants that if caught in a rip or undertow, swim with the current and angle back to the shore. Know the tide tables, and use a watch to keep track of the time so you know when to start back into shallower water. Learn about sharks, skates, jellyfish, and other potentially harmful marine organisms. Do not enter the surf to fish where they are frequent. Do not wade barefoot or in shorts. In areas frequented by skates and rays, do the stingray shuffle, sliding feet along the bottom rather than picking them up and putting them down.
On the Water
Many people fish in boats on the water. Hazards may include the following:
é Weather
é Wave Conditions (high or steep waves)
é Underwater obstructions, shoals, bars, and so on
é Deep Water
é Inaccessibility if rescue needed
é Turbulence from tides (ocean), steep gradients ( white water), or power plant outflows
é Currents
Small craft safety is separate topic that we covered in chapter 10. Some additional recommendations are to arrange for participants to take a boating course from the Power Squadron or Coast Guard Auxiliary (contact 800-336-BOAT for course information in your area). Check for proper safety equipment, such as ring buoy, PFDs, signals, lights, radio, fire extinguishers, capacity plate, and so on. Don't go out if unsure of the safety conditions with the boat, boat operator, the weather, or the water conditions. Go out with U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain on a vessel inspected by the appropriate authorities. Wear a PFD.
On the Ice
With the popularity of ice fishing in Northern climes, consider hazards on the ice. These may include:
é Thin ice
é Weak spots and pressure ridges
é Cold weather and hypothermia.
é Whiteouts and getting lost
é Ice floes breaking off and drifting out with anglers on them
Recommendations for minimizing ice fishing hazards include finding out where the dangerous areas are and staying away from them. Most ice anglers mark hazardous areas with evergreen or other branches. Use particular care in areas where the ice abuts open water. An offshore wind can break off ice floes and blow them out with anglers on them. Avoid areas where current enters the lake or springs bubble up from the bottom. Avoid pressure ridges.
Three inches of solid black ice is a minimum for one or two anglers on foot. Check ice depth frequently. Carry a rope, ice creepers, and ice grippers (one-inch-by-six-inch doweling into which you have set a thick nail, screw, or bevel-edged metal bar, sharp end protruding). If another angler goes through, lie spread-eagle on the ice, as far away as possible, while reaching a line, pole, sled, or other item to the dunked angler. Pull him or her out and roll to safe ice. Instruct participants that if they go through, they should catch themselves by leaning forward or backward to prevent complete submersion. Kick legs so they come to the surface, and attempt to swim into the ice, rolling toward safe ice. The ice grippers are literally lifesavers in this situation as they enable the stricken angler to pull him or herself out in a hand-over-hand manner.
Watch the weather, and pull fishing lines at the first sign of trouble. Carry a transistor National Weather Service Radio, and check the forecast frequently. Also, carry a windbreak or tent and a compass. Take a bearing on destination while heading out onto the ice. Follow it. Write it down. Upon arrival, immediately take a bearing back to your starting point. Write that down. If you starting point is not visible, subtract 180 (if original bearing was 180 or more) or add 180 (if original as less than 180) to get your return heading. Believe your compass. If caught in a whiteout with no compass, stay put. Instruct participants on proper dressing techniques for the winter outdoors.
Weather
Weather is always a factor on a fishing outing. Anglers should be aware of the weather, if for no other reason that to blame it for no fish. Weather hazards faced by anglers include the following:
é Lighting storms
é Sudden changes, including wind shifts, microbursts, tornadoes and similar phenomenon.
é Hypothermia
é Heatstroke or heat exhaustion
To avoid weather hazards, set up a weather committee composed of individuals interested in learning more about the weather, or rotate weather forecasting responsibilities. Establish a weather officer position. Use the need to know more about the weather to provide incentives for participants to learn how to forecast.
Instruct participants on how to read the weather and recognize the signals for approaching hazardous conditions. Develop a safety policy for getting caught out in bad weather. In lighting storms, get off the water at the first hint of thunder or lighting, and stay away from tall trees or structures. Lay fishing rods, radio antennae, and other high objects down. Avoid being or standing near a taller target. Instruct participants in avoiding hypothermia, heatstroke,and heat exhaustion. Cover the symptoms and first aid procedures for all. Carry a National Weather Service radio and listen to the forecasts frequently.
Staying dry, warm, and protected from the elements is a prerequisite for fishing fun. Anglers should be remembering more than how cold they got or the wicked sunburn they acquired. Here are some factors to consider and a discussion guide for dressing properly for the weather.
Dealing With the Cold
To help people understand proper dressing for the cold, start with how a body losses heat. When a body loses heat faster than it can replace it, two things can result. Frostbite occurs if skin layers begin to freeze. Hypothermia, or the lowering of the body core temperature, occurs when the metabolism can no longer burn calories fast enough to keep vital organs at 98.6 degrees F. (First aid manuals and cold weather survival publications describe these, as well as appropriate first, in great detail. The Adirondack Mountain Club, Box 867, Lake Placid, NY 12946, 518-523-3441 also have several good resources.) Either condition can be serious, and fatal, if left untreated. Human bodies lose heat in four ways (see table 16.1). To conserve body heat, understand and prevent each of these ways (see chapter 5 and 6 for more information.)
Dealing With the Heat and Sun
A body deals with the heat by sweating. Wearing light, cotton clothing in hot and humid conditions may be an excellent strategy, because cotton's slow drying, high water absorption properties help keep you cool. However, in marginal situations, even with the temperature in the 60's, a cotton strategy can contribute to the onset of the hypothermia. A better choice for hot conditions would be light, quick drying clothing made of materials such as supplex, nylon, or polyester. These materials allow air to pass through to cool the skin, but dry quickly, thereby minimizing unwanted heat loss as conditions change.
Of course, sun protection is essential. We recommend long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Hats with wide brims and long bills are important. Sunglasses should be standard equipment. Sunscreen with a high ultraviolet protection rating critical.
The Layer System
Today's outdoors person has many choices for outdoor wear. Although the type of clothing and material may vary, the smart angler chooses the layer system to dress for the weather and the activity. The layer system calls for a series of thin layers of clothing, starting with long underwear, and progressing outward to include water and wind protection as the fourth or fifth layer.
The layer system has the dual advantage of allowing for a wide array of activities, from strenuous to passive, and making maximum use of the excellent insulating properties of the dead air trapped between garments. If the angler heats up while hiking in, he or she can remove and outer layer, or ventilate through removing hat, gloves, or opening shirts at the sleeves and collar. If he or she gets cold, the strategy calls for putting on a hat, buttoning up, or adding another layer to match the condition.
Frequently in winter, folks will bundle up in heavy, one-piece snowsuits. They may be fine for sitting on snow machines, but they offer few alternatives for the angler who breaks a sweat while hiking a mile out onto the ice dragging a heavy sled, drilling a few ice holes, then sitting in the wind waiting for a bite, wondering why he or she is chilling down so fast.
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