I Was Almost Killed By Discarded Fishing Line!

[Scuba Chris]

Properly Dispose Your Used Fishing Line!

For years i've pushed for anglers to clean-up their areas for others. I've stepped on a circle hook once & it was painful extracting it. I usually spend the first 10min cleaning someone else's mess before i set-up my gear. I'd rather see plastics in a garbage can rather then around a Sea Turtle's neck.

So this day i got to my site extremely early & started to set-up my shore casting rigs. I had enough natural light to see enough of my surroundings to maneuver around. I walked across a cliff overhang to set my first rig up & hopped over a open fissure as i've done for years. This time my foot got snagged & i went down through the fissure head first roughly 8ft to the reef. I was lucky a swell came in to cover the rocks with 2ft of water seconds before impact. I instinctively put my right hand forward to help break the fall.

The next thing i remember was gasping for air as i was swallowing salt water. My right wrist was in pain & my leg was torn-up scraping the rocks going down. My shorts was partially torn as my backside got a puncture. If things were different i could've been knocked-out, or worse. All because a fisherman left 100's of yards of discarded fishing line all over the sharp rocks. I was there 2 days earlier & no line was there. If this was thrown in the water it would kill endangered Green Sea Turtles which congregate in numbers exactly where i landed.

Right now i'm not sure if my right wrist is merely badly sprained or fractured. My right leg is hurting & my backside is not only hurting but constantly bleeding. At the early morning twilight hours i couldn't make out the fishing line. If the line was in the water it could kill many endangered local species like Green Sea Turtles to Hawaiian Monk Seals by entanglement.

I'm in extreme pain & don't know how long this will sideline me. This happen all because a lazy angler most likely decided to re-spool his/her casting reel & left all the line just laying around to cause injury & possible death to wildlife. I spent 30min just cutting that line up & disposing it in a garbage can that was only 60-80ft away!

Please pick-up after your selfs. I always bring garbage bags for exactly this. I'm sharing my story here in hopes it'll ring a bell that says respect your environment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLQTfwpUoas

[fishmounter]

Oh man Chris, so sorry to hear that you had that brush with death because of some dumbsh_t fisherman. I just don't understand why fishermen are such pigs when it comes to putting their trash either in a trash receptacle that is placed here and there for that reason or at least wad it up and put it in your tackle bag or pocket and throw it in your trash can at home. I fish a nice nearby park lake on weekdays because I'm now retired, and I can tell you that on Monday mornings, before the park workers come through and start picking up the trash,.. there are so many empty worm and bait containers, empty soda cans and GLASS beer bottles everywhere. Even right next to the big green trash cans! But the worst thing is all the discarded fishing line that seems to be everywhere! Several times, while wearing sandals, I've had my ankles cut badly by heavy monofilament that some idiot has left on the shoreline. Just laying there! Why anyone would use 30 lb test mono at a park lake is beyond me.. For kids and ducks, geese, old farts like me, discarded fishing line is really dangerous! I've even seen poor dogs get it wrapped on their legs! I've been able to coax many ducks and geese (mostly the friendly turkey-faced Muscovy Ducks that see me all the time) up on shore close enough to me so I can grab them and gently cut and remove the fishing line that is sometimes so badly wrapped and tangled on them that they cannot hardly walk or swim. Some have died from deeply cut infections also. There are signs posted warning of the danger of discard fishing line, but I guess no one reads them or cares..

[Benjamin NetanWahoo]

Sounds like a scary experience!

Good thing that there are companies like Mustang® who make PFDs like the Elite™ 28 Inflatable PFD (Auto Hydrostatic) that can possibly save you from any event just like the one you have described. Paired with a good shoe like the Five Ten Canyoneer™, whose sole has excellent grip in wet conditions and are designed for Search and Rescue teams, they can also be a life saver.

Finally, if you do get injured, the attorneys at Jacob Emrani's™ office will fight for you, and you can contact them at 888-952-2952

Call Jacob!

And for those scrapes and bruises, nothing like Neosporin™ and 3M™ bandages to assist with the recovery.

Finally, Rubbermaid™ makes an excellent trash can where anglers can toss their discarded Maxima™ fishing line.

This post sponsored by Bud Light.™

[sodapop]

Sounds like a scary experience!

Good thing that there are companies like Mustang® who make PFDs like the Elite™ 28 Inflatable PFD (Auto Hydrostatic) that can possibly save you from any event just like the one you have described. Paired with a good shoe like the Five Ten Canyoneer™, whose sole has excellent grip in wet conditions and are designed for Search and Rescue teams, they can also be a life saver.

Finally, if you do get injured, the attorneys at Jacob Emrani's™ office will fight for you, and you can contact them at 888-952-2952

Call Jacob!

And for those scrapes and bruises, nothing like Neosporin™ and 3M™ bandages to assist with the recovery.

Finally, Rubbermaid™ makes an excellent trash can where anglers can toss their discarded Maxima™ fishing line.

This post sponsored by Bud Light.™

I think we know who this is

[fishmounter]

Scuba Chris... Your remark.. "As a Christian i respect other people as well as wildlife".. kind of floored me. So are you saying that if you are not a Christian you do not respect people and wildlife? I don't want to get into it and prove you way wrong, so we probably should not bring religion or politics into a fishing forum website.

[TUNAVIC]

Wow,scary morning Chris for sure,glad you’re ok,I see a lot of abuse of the resources myself,kinda sad. And now adays heaven forbid you confront someone about leaving trash ect...it could go from trying to encourage cleanliness to getting punched in the face or worse.
Take care Brah!
Cya Tuna Vic

[etucker1959]

Scuba Chris... Your remark.. "As a Christian i respect other people as well as wildlife".. kind of floored me. So are you saying that if you are not a Christian you do not respect people and wildlife? I don't want to get into it and prove you way wrong, so we probably should not bring religion or politics into a fishing forum website.

Talking Politics are ok to discuss on this Forum! lol However, we do stay away from Religion.

[Scuba Chris]

Sorry to hear that stupidity is catching. Doesn't take much effort to realize you can properly throw your items away. I bring a beach cart when i go out & i throw everything in it because i bring garbage bags. Most times i throw everyone else's garbage away as well. As a Christian i respect other people as well as wildlife. I'll continue to do my part. Thanks fishmounter for being responsible:)