Developing Safe Casting Practices is Critical
Anglers need to learn that they have to take responsibility for their actions. Casting plugs can hurt but once hooks are added great pain can be inflected if someone does not get in the habit of paying attention to where there plug is at all times. Anglers need to be aware of their bait/plug from the time they begin their cast until the time it is retrieved. That means looking behind, overhead and in front.
The back cast is the greatest concern. Fishermen get so intense about where they are going to cast to that they sometimes forget to look behind them to see if their back cast is going to hit someone or get hung in a tree. When you are fishing from the bank, someone may come up behind to watch you or just be causally walking by. When in a boat, most anglers know their partner(s) are there, but don’t realize that their back cast can reach their partner(s).
On the forward cast most anglers are aware of other people, but sometimes forget about power lines and overhanging trees. Be cautious also of throwing over someone else’s line. Never cast directly at another person.
Once the cast has been made, the plug can get hung up including during practice. Caution students about putting too much pressure to retrieve the snagged plug. Also warn them about grabbing the line to pull it free. Monofilament line can cut through the skin. Instead, have anglers wrap the line around the rod handle and use it to pull the line free. Once it comes loose it can shoot back like a bullet and hurt whomever it hits. Alert anyone around you before you begin to pull so they can avoid getting hit if the plug flies free.
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This image is used courtesy fo the Future Fisherman Foundation. If you would like your own copy or copies for your students, Visit the Future Fisherman Foundation Resources page and order “Fishing is Simple Handbook”