This is a bit of a flippant statement about rinsing your hand in the water.............Perhaps the biggest risk to health on my club lake is loosing your fingers.
This is not as daft as it sounds. The pike have learnt that anglers mean returning silver fish and a free meal.
At this time of year they are just not frightened by an angler sitting above them on the bank. You can wave your arms, poke them with a landing net handle. They just sit there. Some are well into doubles. As soon as a roach is slipped back they strike like lightening. You have to return fish away a bit. They sit at the end of matchmens keepnets in anticipation.
A couple of years ago whilst doing my bailiff bit I saw a chap pull back and started screaming. There was a near double pike on his fingers. He made the mistake of wiggling his hand in the water to wash off groundbait. From memory he had about 9 stitches at the hospital.
This is not as daft as it sounds. The pike have learnt that anglers mean returning silver fish and a free meal.
At this time of year they are just not frightened by an angler sitting above them on the bank. You can wave your arms, poke them with a landing net handle. They just sit there. Some are well into doubles. As soon as a roach is slipped back they strike like lightening. You have to return fish away a bit. They sit at the end of matchmens keepnets in anticipation.
A couple of years ago whilst doing my bailiff bit I saw a chap pull back and started screaming. There was a near double pike on his fingers. He made the mistake of wiggling his hand in the water to wash off groundbait. From memory he had about 9 stitches at the hospital.