irons64

I think it was W.C Fields that said, "never drink the water, children p**s in it and fish f**k in it". On a more serious note, i understand some fishermen die each year through infection of some kind. Not wanting to go overboard, i was wondering if it is safe (for the fish) to use a disinfectant hand wash. At the moment i wash my hands with my drinking water, but i'm a little worried if i have cuts or, as still quite new to the subtle art of fishing, i still hook my fingers at least 3 times a session! Am i overreacting, advice please.

Thanks to all that gave advice on my use of slugs and snails for bait. Just to let you know how it went, firstly make sure you place the lid back on bait as i found out the little buggers can move when they want to. Snails when stuck on a hook let out a horrible green bubbly goo, very hard to grip (like haveing a handfull of snot!). Not a bite or nock, but the little thrush that watched me fish had a great time. As for the slugs, wow i hooked a 50lb+ cat fish and had a stale mate for about 20 mins until it had had enough and spat the hook out minus bait. But the sun shon and the breeze was kind and i saw plenty of wild life so all in all i still had a good day.

I'm an Anglersnet virgin, come to think of it i'm a internet virgin so be gentle with me. I am off to my local lake in the morning and i was going to try a few snails and slugs, i have just read on this site some people have had some luck with these slimey little critters. I've been fishing for about a year and never really targetted any particular fish, i'm happy to catch anything. So i will be happy to let you all know how it went (got a few worms just to give me a chance).