SWFF Safety question

[MichaelL]

Am about to attempt my time SWFF around the Gower coast soon, when fishing rivers, I always wear a life preserve, its an 'Englands' 150N bouyancy aid rather than life jacket - is that reasonable for sea use? Might seem a stupid question, but do people carry distress flares/transponders as per a boat ?

I plan on starting on some mainly sandy beaches and/or simple rocky shore lines as I understand estuaries can be death traps , specially to those who dont have a clue. re: rip currents, I guess I just have to make sure that I find out about sandbars and don't wade out that far - when SWFF on a sandy beach, how far out do you tupically wade ? Is it like fishing a lake, fish the margins, walk out slowly .. ?

[Guernseybass]

Hi Michael,

Good questions and ones i think it is important to address.

As to the life jacket, i know that some SWFFers wear them but due to the swells/waves people tend to avoid the automatic inflating kind as sometimes a rogue wave can set them off.

I have not heard of anyone taking flares or transponders with them, and i wouldn't dissuade you if you feel safer or have them already. Most people, myself included make sure they have a fully charged mobile phone in a waterproof pouch or bag ( ziploc ?) before they leave the house. when fishing the sea it is alway better to fish with a friend especially on a new mark but if you can't, make sure you tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.

generally i think you do wise to avoid estuaries unless you go with someone who knows the area and tides very well.

in regards to beaches, i would suggest that you look at the beach at low tide - look out for any rocks or holes where fish may concentrate. also look out for sand or gravel bars which may be at right angles to the beach or parallel, and gullies - which are sandy areas between rocks, which may be a few feet across or 30/40 foot wide.

all these features will attract fish as they provide a refuge for baitfish, crabs etc - on a dead flat beach the slightest hole or bar may be the only place on the whole beach where fish may gather. also look for what is called an 'edge' where the bottom changes - from sand to gravel, gravel to rock, rock to sand etc, as fish patrol these edges looking for food.

it is then useful to see how both the rising tide and falling tides effect these features - are fast currents created, are troubled or disturbed water created ? does the backwash of the waves on the beach create a riptide along the beach, or at an angle etc.

in any of these areas, fish may lie head into the current ( like a Trout or salmon ) waiting for food to be swept to them.

how far you can wade out depends on the height of the high tide and the incline of the bottom - obviously on a flat bottom you can wade out further on lower tides than higher tides. where the bottom shelves off very steeply you may not be able to wade out more than 1 or two feet at any stage of the tide. fortunately you may not need to as the deeper water offers safety to the fish and they may often be at your feet

again its about knowing the structure of the beach and the effect of the tide. one piece of advice i can't reiterate enough is that if you are wading out - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE NO HOLES OR GULLIES BEHIND YOU, as whilst you may be standing in knee deep water if the only way back to dry land is via a 4ft deep gully, you are going swimming. these marks i find are always safer to fish on a falling tide - more than once i have been cut off whilst playing fish and after releasing it have had to bounce on tip toes through water to safety within inches of the top of my chest waders.

so to sum up :

1. do your research - and check out Ed Mitchells and Lou Tabory's books.
2. never understimate how dangerous the sea is.
3. and make sure you donate to the RNLI - you may need them one day !

tight flylines.

Mark.

[MichaelL]

Excellent, thanks very much for the advice.