Beware The Rat!

http://www.anglinglines.com/blog/

Beware The Rat! - This article may just save your life!

I had a teacher in college die of Weils. Here's the freaky bit, she got it from a coke can bought from a vending machine. Some of the cans got contaminated while in storage.

I think the other water users are much more aware of the threat, you always here warnings being given to canoeists and bathers in the rivers during the summer.

I got bitten by one last summer on Ballinafid. It was a real balmy night and i had one leg draped out over the side of the bedchair. I was fast asleep when i was awoken by what I thought was, well, I dont know what I thought it was, looked down to discover a hugh rat was feasting on my foot. To say I screamed like a little girl is the understatement of this or any other centuary. Had to kick the mother f****r off while he was still holding on by his teeth. Had to pack up the following morning and head for casualty. Not very pleasant. Speaking of which, has anyone ever read ''the lair'' by James Herbert? Great book, just dont read it while ur our fishing with rats running around.

be aware lads its out there, a friend of mine son died from it he got it while fishing in the liffy at island bridge

it seems that everyone nowadays knows someone
whose been affected by this,is this due to an increase in the
number of rats or better education don't know,mabey someone
with better computer skills than mine may be able to put the message
up on this site.cheers

very true Budc,lots of people know someone thats been affected it,i think some of the problem is down 2 the amount of rubbish that gets dumped,theres not 2 many lakes that dont have cr@p thrown around it,it is more noticeable in aut/winter when all the weeds have died down.its a disgrace 2 see our lovely country in such a state.

its not only the rubbish thier feeding on its what were throwin in to,if the fish and the birdlife dont get it they gladly will,boilie and partical fed rats no wonder thier as big as cats:)

Ken Townley was very ill for nearly two years with this, his advise is to tell the doctor/hospital that you are an angler at the earliest stage, his started with a series of flu like symtoms and got progressivly worse.
Maynooth put down tube and poison on a regular basis, its crimanl when anglers kick them into the river and they are there for there own well being!

One word..Dog!!

Dogs are not allowed, and thats why they are in waven tubes......shoot again big boy......

One word...........Mink!

No Mink - Rats, Mink - No Rats!

mink-no fish.......

Mink are from countries with very cold winters,to make it through the winter they kill loads of fish and store them.The cold helps to keep the fish fresh enough to eat.
The problem here is they kill loads of fish before the winter comes thinking it will get that cold.Here the fish go off so they go kill more and do it all over again.

I'm Not promoting the introduction of mink, I was merely pointing out where there are mink there are very few rats to be seen.

I carry a bottle of milton hand gel, it contains isopropyl alcohol, for cleaning the paws.

old thread lads i know,but one i think worth bumping up every now and again especially for newer/younger members,if anyone knows anywhere in Ireland that stocks the daiwa anglers disinfectant they might put up a post/link.

Any Boots outlet will sell a hand cleansing product that kills germs and bacteria.They mostly dont need water ,you just rub them into your hand and its job done.Ethyl alcohol 62pc.I use one called Fresh and clean from boots.As it has no smell,and will not taint your baits.Comes in a 2fl,oz bottle for 3e.OXO.

babywipes?

I,d say the mink is fairly naturalised to this country by now tom
poultry would definitely be their preferred diet we used to get plaqued
by the BAD PEOPLE when i used to brred birds for the gun club
a couple of polecat ferret crosses is the only job for the rats,
if you were to bring a ferret with you fishing a rat wouldnt come within a mile of you once they got the smell of the ferret
I,m sure i speak for the majority when i say the only animal in this country that gives me the creeps is a roland:-x:

Hand-washing the most important precaution people can take, both for leptospirosis and many other infections. Although the bacteria do not survive for very long on human skin, they can certainly remain viable for long enough to transfer from your hands to your mouth, or into food. Having said that, they are extremely easy to kill!
The bacteria are extremely small, but so far there is no evidence that they can directly penetrate normal skin - such as that covering most of your body. Mucous membranes are less of a barrier and so it is possible (though far from a certainty) that the bacteria can enter the body via the skin inside the nose, vagina and airway. Unless the body is completely immersed or the patient inhales/swallows contaminated fluids, the risks remain very low.
Domestic soap (real soap, not just liquid handwash) is very effective, so washing in the normal way is considered perfectly adequate for leptospiral disifection of skin. Alcohol-based gels and solutions, as used both in hospitals and in many household 'disinfecting hand cleaners' are also very effective and will instantly kill leptospira on skin. If for some reason none of these are available, then using fresh water alone is actually not a good idea - the bacteria will survive on the skin as long as they remain moist, so leaving your skin to dry is the best option. Where you have come into contact with contaminated water, drying your skin will kill leptospira within a few minutes.
If your skin is broken, the bacteria can potentially enter your bloodstream directly - and so while washing the skin is important to remove the bacteria as soon as possible, it is still likely that some have entered the injury site and will be immune to surface washing. In these cases we advise you contact your local doctor immediately, explain the situation and request a preventative antibiotic dose and/or a blood test (depending on the likelihood that the water was contaminated).

taken from the leptospirosis information center site

http://www.leptospirosis.org/topic.php?t=23&f=46

worth a look

Was told by someone a few years ago that the reason you couldent fish far bank on Ballinfid was because fisheries board found it was a haven,for weils,well belive it to.

Most chemists sell stuff that works the same as it bud

just a reminder lads