Safety Tips to Follow When Fishing
Fishing is a fun recreational activity. It is an excellent way to spend leisure time and engage with nature. Dipping the trolling rod into the water and catching a fish could be so satisfying. Compared to other recreational activities, fishing injuries are mostly not serious. Injuries sustained during are usually due to piercing or cutting tools or falls.
Tools, like fishing hooks and rods, can be hazardous when not properly handled. Get familiar with tips to prevent and treat fishing hook-related injuries. It is essential to look around and ensure that nobody is close before casting. Carefully handle the hook during the bait and remove the fish, and always wear rugged shoes when fishing to prevent foot injuries from stepping on discarded hooks and sharp rocks.
Engaging in wildlife and water in the ever-changing outdoor conditions requires being familiar with the safety tips and procedures involved as well. It is also ideal to go fishing with a group of people. When conditions are terrible, one person might be endangered while another seeks help.
Planning a fishing trip should always include checking the weather forecast to ensure that sky conditions are suitable for the journey. However, predictions sometimes may not be accurate. Hence, it is essential to be alert to any sudden change in the weather while already fishing.
Life jackets are an essential piece of equipment while fishing on a boat. For the optimum fishing experience, it is necessary to wear a US Coast Guard-approved life jacket. Falling into the water and drowning is always a possibility. Wearing a life jacket could easily prevent this.
Fishing not too close to the water edge is an essential safety precaution for anglers. Anglers may be in danger of slipping into a deep end. Standing close to the water edge could also lead to frightening moments like being displaced by a big fish. Unexpectedly falling into the water can also lead to unfriendly encounters with certain fish species like poisonous stingrays and aggressive catfishes.
It is essential to wear sunscreen and sun protection gear on fishing trips. Ultraviolet damage to the skin can occur as quickly as 15 minutes. Fishing could easily expose individuals to skin damage through the reflection of ultraviolet rays in water and sand. Therefore, it is recommended to apply sunscreen just before fishing. People who sweat a lot or get wet during fishing are advised to reapply the cream frequently. In addition to sunscreen, hats, pants, long sleeve shirts, and sunglasses are also serve as protection from the sun.
It is essential to go fishing with basic first aid equipment and first aid knowledge to remove hooks from the skin and treat the wound. In situations when the hook deeply penetrates the skin or bone, or sensitive parts of the body like the face or eyes, it is best to seek medical treatment immediately.
Anglers should check water temperature and get out of the water when they get cold. Natural bodies of water are usually cold no matter the season. Staying in cold water for too long could lead to a dangerously low body temperature. This condition is referred to as hypothermia. Hypothermia could cause the body to drop below its average temperature of 98.6 degrees and could have serious health effects like inability to think, unconsciousness, and even death.
Originally published at http://mackprioleau.wordpress.com on February 23, 2022.
