Experiences with Nature

[GrahamM]

Amazing, wonderful, awesome, strange, funny - they can be all of those, but what experiences have YOU had with nature's wonders.

My most memorable, and horrific, experience, was the night I was eel fishing and hundreds, (and that's no exaggeration, hundreds) of rats invaded my patch on the bank. So many they showed no fear of me and the stones I threw at first before I chickened out.

They ran all over me, ate all my food and bait, and then disappeared as fast as they came.

I suppose I should be grateful they didn't try to eat me! But I'll never forget that night, and will never look at a rat the same again.

 

[john conway]

One of my encounters with nature was also on the canal night fishing, and I’d just returned a 2lb eel to the water when I disturb something at the waters edge, made me jump but that was all. Ten mins. later there was a movement on the edge of my peripheral vision. Slowly turning my head, and my headlamp, I picked out a little rat messing about at the water’s edge. The rat didn’t seemed to be upset by the light and keeping very still it slowly made its way right up to my wellies and with both of it’s hands on the toe of my welly looked up at me wiggled it’s nose and then calmly scurried off along the canal bank. Rats carry Weils Disease and if you want some interesting reading go to http://www.tsd.jcu.edu.au/hist/fever/weils/weils.html our just type Weils Disease into any search engine. It took me quite a long time before I was happy about eating my butties at the waters edge not to mention biting of my line instead of using my knife our scissors.

 

[GrahamM]

I fished the River Vienne in France a few years ago and an angler who fished the same swims as us a week earlier died from weils desease not long after. They found that he'd caught it from that visit.

I really don't like rats.

When I was a kid I hit one once with half a house brick and it ran towards me and reared up, instead of running away from me.

In fact I hate rats.

 

[Carp Angler]

Rats aren't very nice are they?

We're infested with mink down here, which the tree huggers let loose, and they show no fear whatsoever.
One came out of the bank behind me near my head one night, so I poked it in the face with a maglite and it hissed and bared its teeth at me.

 

[Phil Hackett]

"....which the tree huggers let loose,...."
Correction! these people are not tree huggers!
As some one who researches British native trees, I can assure you that most of ALF's members wouldn't know a Populus nigra from a Ford popular.
Come to think of it, nor would most anglers either!

 

[Carp Angler]

Sorry Phil, I was just using it as a derogatory term for them.

Errrrr... a member of the Salicaceae family, a deciduous fast grower that inhabits wet woods and stream sides.

 

[Paul Williams]

Rik, you clever ******D!!!!! )
Phil, they do hug trees!! i agree they don't know their names though, then again i can't remember the names of all the girl.....better not go there )

 

[Philip Inzani]

I have had a few run in's with nature but one of the most memorable was with a wild Pelican. Now believe me Pelicans really are the ultimate, line snagging, rod smashing, fish scaring, bait eating B*****ds that an angler can come across (you probably guess I dont like them!)

Most vivid memory was when a Pelican decided that my landing net was edible and and tried to pull it into the river. I jumped forward and just managed to grab it as it pulled it over the edge.
Now most birds/animals seeing a 6"4 bloke jump up from behind cover would run/fly away pronto...but not this Pelican Oh no, it decided it was not going to give up without a fight and it attempted to take off while I was still holding the net in its bloody beak. I got involved in an almighty tug of war with it and got dragged half into the river. It let go at the last second and left me in a crumpled heap soaking wet and screaming obscenities at it as it flew away. However the worst bit of all was that as I had been sitting low behind some reeds, I had not noticed that a group of families had set-up a Barbecue on the opposite bank and now every head was turned and staring straight at me..I could have cried!

 

[Rob Brownfield]

Two memerable incidents for me. Both occured on the River Don in Aberdeenshire.
One evening I was wading in the estuary whilst after sea trout. I was up to my chest in water when, infront of me, a HUGE bow wave started heading towards me. In the early evening gloom, my mind started racing. It was far two big to be a salmon. As it approached I started backing up very quickly until I slipped and fell backwards. At that moment, a rather large seal stuck its head out off the water not more than a rod length away, snorted, and turned away. I actually felt the swirls across my legs as it powered off. Seals are VERY big when they are that close!!!
Second incident was further upstream. I was approaching a pool that involves a climb of about 40 feet down to the rivers edge. I peered over the edge of the "cliff" into the pool to see if there were any fish lying there, and, there, swimming happly were 2 adult Otters and a cub. The adults were diving and bringing up fish/mussels and giving them to the cub which was promptly dropping them again!! It was a real joy to watch...

 

[Chris Bishop]

Muscovy ducks. Feathered Exocets. I was standing outside a pub zander fishing one night and saw one in the distance, heading straight for me.

It'll see me any minute and take evasive action, I thought. But it didn't.;

It hit me straight in the chest, knocking me off my feet, before having an action replay of its lunch all over me.

Muscovies are also the only feathered creature I have ever heard break wind, which I believe is another first for evolution.

 

[DAVE COOPER]

My worst moment with feathered friends was in the late 60's when I was about 6 or 7 years old. My older brother and I used to fish the River Cuckmere in Sussex. One of the sections we fished was behind a flour mill and we had to walk down a narrow pathway to reach it.

Behind the mill, this path passed a turkey farm. There were hundreds of the white females in the yard and one huge male bird. This male one, whenever anyone paused for a look, would streak across the yard and crash into the gate. Needless to say we boys would goad it while it jumped sqwauking trying to get at us.

That was until one day when it charged across the yard and into the gate and the gate came open. Then we had this huge angry bird chasing us down the lane doing its best to administer revenge for the weeks of annoyance it had put up with.

Thankfully, big turkey's are not as fast as small boys and we finally lost it, but it hours before we got up the courage to go home again along the path.

 

[Dave Johnson]

nice one Coops....is that what got you onto sheep annoying/loving?....lol

chub

 

[sam oddy]

My favourite moments concern a mammal if not endangered certainly one in decline - the short tailed vole.

On my local ponds I became very well acquainted with one chap over some eight or nine night sessions last summer / autumn.

He was an accomplished bait thief, quite often prepared to dive into the sweetcorn tub after sussing out I was no threat.

His favourite titbits were Nutrabaits caviar, salmon and black pepper boilies - one night I counted no less than eight occasions of him filching his prize.

Not exceptional but pleasing and certainly entertaining.

 

[Andrew Miller]

I remember,years ago, fishing a very small stream when a fox half jumped the stream and swam under my rod and jumped out again. "Wow" I thought! then about 10 seconds later a pack of hounds were jumping all around me followed by horses, one which jumped right over me. The amazing thing was that my tackle and myself were untouched except that (and that what upset me more than anything!) them thieving hounds ate all my luncheon meat and I had no bait left!
Windy
p.s for those who wondered why I didn't hear them , I am deaf!

 

[Paul Williams]

Windy,
Thats a cracker and you being deaf makes the situation hilerious!! (and you know i mean the situation and not your deafness)
Pity it didn't happen on a SWAG trip we could have got some great pics!!

 

[Gareth Lewis]

My most memorably encounter with wild life, was fishing the river Lark, near West Stow in Suffolk last year. A lovely sunny Sunday targeting the rivers Roach for fun and the resident Signal Cray fish for the pot. The swim fished was at the weir adjecent to the nature reserve. Both my kids were with me, and the wildlife highlights included the following. A European Bee-eater caught and ate a blue damsel fly on the wing in a hover only feet away from us, a Marsh Harrier patroled over us regularary, a herd of 6 Fallow Deer Hinds, and 4 Fawns came down to drink 20 yards from us, a nest of Grass Snakes hatched out of the bank vegatation, some passing around our feet, and some taking to the water, and a fearless Mink raiding our Crayfish bucket twice. The bucket being between my 8 year old daughter and me (we were no more than 2 yards apart). Each time the Mink reached into the bucket to select a Crayfish, it eyeballed us and I swear that it was thinking,"You'd better not tangle with me pal!"
The three of us caught steadily all day accounting for over 100 Roach,Perch,Dace,Minnows, Stickle backs and gudgeon. We also took home over 50 Crayfish for a scampi and chips Sunday Dinner. A day that neither I or my children will ever forget.

 

[Steve Muir]

The last day of the season a mate and i were invited to fish from a boat
moored on the river Thames. We were fishing from the front of the boat
resting the rods against the rails. I was just settling down when two
Canada geese flew straight at us knocking my rod into the river.
I was as sick as a fat cowboys horse.

My mate laughed for a fortnight and let everyone in on it (B#%*$+D)
Harrison Blanks don't float.

Regards Steve

 

[Stewart Bloor]

Steve, I know the problem with Canada geese. I've just had a 3 nighter on a lake where I have been plagued with the birds. There is a mute swan on there that is the most aggressive, territorial bird I have ever seen and I am not exaggerating if I say it spends all day and night chasing geese from the water. During the course of the session I lost count of the times fleeing geese nearly dragged my rods in. I'm going back tonight - with back leads to minimise the problem.

 

[Steve Muir]

Stewart
Cheers mate your spot on they are a problem and i am sure
the numbers are increasing.
As this was the tidal stretch of the Thames i had no chance
of rescuing my gear.Two hundred and fifty quid gone in seconds.

Regards Steve

 

[Davy North]

I once had a run in with a seal while beach fishing on holiday in Norfolk. It was early morning and I was the only one on the beach, when this big seal hauled itself out of the sea right in front of me. The beaches are very steep there so you can imagine it wasn't far away. Thinking to myself these fella's have big teeth I resorted to waving my hands at it and shouting "shoo!". At which it raised its flipper and started plucking at my line, turned seaward and swam off in the direction of my bait. Presumably to check if there was anything on the end. Fortunately me being me there wasn't, but a few tense minutes passed, thinking of how I'd get a 15 stone seal untangled from a 60lb shock leader. After a while the seal popped up some 100 yards away, no doubt disgusted with my angling ability, and never came back.