Indiana Open Country

Posts Tagged ‘safe family fishing’

I have been fishing from the time that I was able to walk and it was a passion that I have never really been able to shake. I don’t know what it is about tossing a piece of bait into a lake, river or pond and snagging a fish that is so exciting…but I love it.

Throughout the years I have heard horror stores of people who have gone fishing and paid the ultimate price with themselves or someone who is close to the. This article is to share with you some of the things that you should and should not be doing when you are headin out to catch the perfect catch.

Fishing is an incredible activity that can bring joy to any and every family and I for one don’t want to see anyone getting hurt when they are out on the water. It is a real tragedy when I hear about a fisherman who took some crazy chance and ended up on the wrong side of the fishing fun.

So here are some things to watch for when fishing.

1. Watch the water levels. There is nothing worse than trying to fish when the water levels are high. More accidents happen when people are trying to fish high water than in any other time of the year. They tend to take underestimate the power of high water and end up stuck in a situation that they did not expect or know how to control.

2. Snakes. This may seem like a common sense measure but always remember when you are at a lake that and you are fishing that there are going to be snakes. I can’t remember any place that I have been fishing that I have not encountered at least one snake at some point when I was there. You may not see them every time but rest assured that where there are frogs and there are fish that there are snakes.
3. Alcohol. Many accidents have been created on the lakes when there is alcohol involved. That super human ability that you think that you may have is not real and you may end up hurting yourself or the people that are around you.

4. Other people. Countless times that I have been out on the lakes I have seen people who are not cautious of the people that are around them and they end up hooking someone. Remember, especially if you are fishing with kids that you have to make sure that there is plenty of room between each person that is fishing. Kids are really great at hooking other kids and nothing is worse than digging a little shinning hook out of your kids arm.

5. Too close to the water. Kids have a tendency to get too close to the water when they are fishing. They get excited and want to get right into the action. I am happy when my kids are ready to go, but I have to pay a great deal off attention that they are not going to get to close to the water or fall if there is any sort of cliff or overhang between them and the lake.

6. Type of fish. This one may be a simple one and there are not too many poisonous fish or mammals that are going to get caught in Indiana lakes, but there are a few. Catfish have fins and walleye have teeth. Those may seem simple but make sure that they are aware. There have been countless times that I have had my hand stuck by a catfish fin and watch is swell up overnight. You can never be too careful when it comes to you family.

7. Bugs. make sure that you are bringing the proper bug repellent. Mosquitoes, spiders, chiggers and ticks can bring disease and pain. The correct spray can prevent all of them and in turn make your fishing experience eve more memorable.

(** How The Weather can Effect Fishing ***)

So there you have it, seven different steps that you can follow to make sure that you and your family are safe when it comes to spending time on the lakes.

Every kid in my opinion needs to learn how to fish. It is a cheap, simple way to spend super high quality time with each other and have a boatload of fun.