Wonders of Nature

One of the most enjoyable parts of fishing is seeing nature in all its glory. There is something special about seeing a family of ducks with moma and poppa ducks floating along a lake effortlessly with all their chicks floating behind.

Seeing full-grown swans in all their majesty in full plumage. Sometimes they can be a pest if they want to come to where you are fishing and want to take your feed or if you are fishing in the place where they enter or leave the lake. They can have a mind of their own.

My Experience Of Nature Whilst Fishing

However, not all situations are so good. I have had a couple of scares with snakes that left me shaken.

Let me say right up front that I have a tremendous fear of snakes so when I saw my first one close it frightened me. I was fishing on a lake in a favourite spot. There is a flat area but to my right are some bushes on an outcrop. I had two rods fishing on maggots. The right-hand rod was a feeder and I was just flicking the line just outside the bushes for Carp and was fishing with a float for roach etc. with the other rod directly in front of me.

Now I am not a professional fisherman. I’m just an ordinary amateur who enjoys fishing and this particular day I was catching some carp (avg. 3-5lbs) on the feeder and catching a nice roach and perch. I have never entered a match but thought to myself “I wouldn’t mind entering a match at some time”. I just looked down at my feet; about 6 inches from my foot was a snake. I jumped up, shouted out and looked back but the snake had gone. It was a grass snake but it still frightened me and I collected my gear and packed up. I did return and fish in the same spot without any incident.

On the same lake, on an outcrop of land large enough for three pegs. I am fishing with the same rig of two rods, a feeder and one float.

It was summer; I was wearing shorts and enjoying the sunshine when along the edge of the lake this adder snake looking for somewhere to come onto land.

I pulled one of the rods and with the end tried to push the snake out of my way and into the lake. However, the snake wrapped itself around the end of my rod. I tried to flick it off and smacked the rod onto the water. This broke the end of my rod but the snake was gone. My heart was beating like mad.

I had read about a brave Australian guy who had come to the rescue of a man who had a poisonous snake wrapped around his ankle, he had grabbed the snake and killed it only to die by what they thought was snakebite but was by heart attack. I could understand how that happened.

Now I decided that I wasn’t going to be denied my fishing so settled myself down with a drink out of the flask and a sandwich. Down to one rod and float.

I know what people say that you should leave them alone and I am sure this is true.

I have fished that lake since but not those pegs.