My worst fear ..... Realised!

[p eye]

Hi all, I thought I would tell you about my most terrifying moment since I started fishing 20 odd years ago. I am a Carp angler and subsequently spend a lot of nights on the bank, with this comes your wildlife. I am obviously pleased as punch when I see the deer drinking only yards away, I am chuffed as I watch the Bats swooping around my bivvy,amazed as I watch foxes playing in the wood behind. But what I cant cope with is RATS!!!! I hate them, I am absoloutley petrified of them! They scare me so much. I dont know why, I am a farmers son so I should be used to them, but I just cant cope with them uggghh!! Anyway this evil little creature has made me seriously consider quitting the night fishing scene! I am not kidding! Last night as I settled down for a nice cosy night in the bivvy I was alerted by something, I didnt know what but there was something!I grabbed my torch and was Horrified to see a RAT!! squeezing it's way into my bivvy through a gap in the door no bigger than 2 inches! All I could see was the head and 2 legs as it was struggling to push into my bivvy! I absoloutley FREAKED! I launched my torch at the Rat and as I did the bulb flicked off leaving me in darkness, I didnt know whether the rat had gone or had come in the bivvy, I was terrified. I sat motionless, tears in my eyes (I am not kidding). After about 20 mins I plucked the courage to move and luckilly there was no sign of the evil thing. Anyway just the thought of a rat doing that was enough to cut my 5 day session short by 3 days. I cant believe it would come in my bivvy, next time I will do my zip up properley (If I get the bottle to go during the night again) Has this ever happened to any of you guys? God ..... I hate Rats!

[chesters1]

all the time ,get used to them ,they are fairly harmless ,as darkness falls you should do highland dancing or reels interspersed with whirling derviser type shennanigans untill first light ,you should not encounter any more trouble

[tj]

It once happened to me in France and I like you shone the torch on only to see a whacking Rat pulling a pound bag of boilies out through the bivvie door!

After that I kept my bait firmly covered and inside a thick plastic bicket.....outside my bivvie.

[Peter Sharpe]

Aahh, bless.

[Chris Plumb]

Can't say I'm bothered by all the scurrying around - though we've had a bit of a mink population explosion on some of the waters I fish - which has kept the rats at bay - though they are preferable to tangling with a hungry mink (I've had them nick my meat when barbelling).

 

What I'm more worried about is the potential for Weils Disease - a nasty little disease picked up from rat urine. I always carry antiseptic wipes with me becuase of it...

 

Chris

[Chris Plumb]

There's been a couple of excellent threads on Weils in the past here...

 

http://anglersnet.co.uk/cgi-bin/ubb/ultima...ic;f=1;t=006177

 

And here..

 

http://anglersnet.co.uk/cgi-bin/ubb/ultima...ic;f=1;t=004587

 

Be careful out there...

 

Chris

[Alan Pearce]

Fishing as I do non commercial waters, I never see or am bothered by rats. I don't believe that they inhabit waters seldom frequented by man. Saying that there are a couple of waters I fish that have become popular but there is no litter, bait or food left around, and NO rats.

 

Alan.

[DMCA]

Chris Plumb:

Though we've had a bit of a mink population explosion on some of the waters I fish - which has kept the rats at bay - though they are preferable to tangling with a hungry mink (I've had them nick my meat when barbelling).

IN my teens I fished a water that was infested with rats. I would amuse myself at night by catching them in the landing net: prop the net upright where they run and every few seconds off it would go, shaking about with ratty entangled inside. Quick flick and he was out and away again. One year, though, come the start of the season not a rat to be seen...not one...after a while it became clear why...mink had taken up residence and that was that. Don't know if the mink simply ate them all or the rats evacuated the place en masse.

 

Incidentally, on that telly programme about the Thames I mention elsewhere, it was pointed out that mink were the reason for the general disappearance of water voles...except, that is, where people regularly walk their dogs...the mink won't stay where there are dogs but the voles aren't bothered. Good old dogs (might eat your sandwiches and groundbait but they keep the mink at bay.)

[Richard Harvey]

Hi P Eye,

You could go armed with some popping candy /space dust stuff as is mentioned in this thread from 'Non-Fishing chat' forum.

Just leave a bowl of this crackling kids confectionary out side your bivvy before you sleep

http://anglersnet.co.uk/cgi-bin/ubb/ultima...ic;f=6;t=003848

[phonebush]

In the USA we don't fish long sessions. Probably 3 or 4 hours is the average. But that is not my subject.

One afternoon I happened to see a snake taking a field mouse.

I reached back toward my bait and another field mouse ran up my arm, across my chest and off into the field.

Yep, I sure did but my pants were already wet from an unhooking episode. I'm not especially afraid of either mice or snakes but I'm sure my heart stopped for a moment

Phone