Safe rock hopping
This article is intended as a very basic guide only. For professional climbing instructions, equipment etc we strongly advise you contact a climbing professional.
Rock fishing gets more popular every year. It used to be a summer only pastime, but now keen anglers also fish the rocks in the winter for cod. Sadly, recent years have seen a number of anglers falling or being washed from the rocks and lost.
Yet with common sense and taking the time to learn a few simple lessons, rock fishing, at any time of year, can be safe and rewarding. This feature covers some basic ground rules to keep you safe and catching fish.
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It's not actual sea conditions that you need to consider first, but how current weather trends will have affected access to your chosen mark.
Most rock marks require an initial approach down grass banks of varying degrees of steepness. Easy in the dry weather of high summer, but lethal when wet and frosty. Even quality climbing boots will have limited grip on steep, wet grass surfaces. If the access is grass and steep, then even a light shower of rain should see you considering alternative marks. In the same vein, consider the implications of an exit route from the rocks should it rain whilst you're fishing.
Any steepish gradient is made much safer by using a securing eye and ropes. These do not need to be high tech climbing accessories necessarily. A simple wooden stake driven deeply into the ground, or even a metal caravan securing bar with an eye in about 2' long and hammered home is enough to take your weight should you slip. These weigh little, but are indispensable on some marks. If you both carry 40' of rope you will have enough linked to get you into and out of most steep situations. The rope need only be 8mm which will fold into the top of a rucksack. Remember, the rope is not for climbing but for supporting. You need tuition and experience to climb.
Be wary of sheep paths that work around the edges of cliffs etc, with a single step sideways likely to send you to an early grave. Such paths are fine for lightweight sheep, but not for a 15 stone man plus tackle and could give way after recent heavy rains. Unless you are 100% sure that the path cannot subside, then the best access is directly from above working down in a zig zag motion to steady your descent. And when walking any path near a drop off don't walk close together, but keep a distance between you of at least 20' to distribute your combined weight.
WEATHER - SEA STATE
A lack of understanding of how ebb and flood tides will affect certain marks is by far the commonest reason for loss of life amongst rock anglers.
Any exposed rock mark facing head on to the sea will at some time be subject to heavy swells that only occur when a tide has changed from flood to ebb and vice versa. To further explain, an ebb tide carrying water in a direction away from the rock mark may flatten and calm a sea to just a light swell, but on the flood the weight of water pushing forward straight at the rocks could produce much higher swells that rush up the rock face and wash the unsuspecting off.
Such swells are more frequent when storms exist several hundred miles out into the Atlantic for west coast anglers. Even at this range that can send in deep rising swells that appear from nowhere on flooding tides. They also occur when barometric pressure is falling after a period of high pressure as this foretells an incoming deterioration of weather, especially if tides are rising towards spring tides.
The obvious rules are stay away from the rock marks when the weather is unsettled and the wind swinging from all quarters. Let the sea state fully settle after a gale before venturing onto the rocks, and try to make your trips in the middle of settled pressure systems and not as they end with storms imminent. Weather forecasts are overrated regards accuracy in this country and fronts can attack the coast many hours in advance of estimated broadcast predictions.
SAFETY ON THE ROCK
The most dangerous time of all is when you're actually fishing. Try to choose a fishing stance that is as flat as possible and never stand too close to the edge when retrieving line and fish. Any casting needs to be done as far back from the waters edge or rock edge so that should you slip you only fall onto rock and not into the water.
Landing bigger conger, huss and cod requires gaffing or lifting as close to the water as possible. This makes the person performing this task extremely vulnerable to slipping, falling, or being washed off by a rogue wave. To combat this he needs to wear a thin safety rope attached to a separate waist rope as fallows.
Take a length of 10mm rope and either knot or plat a loop into each end. Attach a split link spring locking carbine hook (chandlers, climbing shops) to one loop only. When going down to land a fish this rope belt is placed around the waist by passing the carbine hook through the free loop. A second carbine hook attached to a safety rope is clipped to the belt carbine hook. Wear the waist carbine hook at stomach level so that if you should fall you can pull directly on the rope yourself to help haul yourself in.
Rarely do rock marks have a suitable natural anchorage point for the safety rope, so you'll likely have to make your own. The best anchorages are obviously rock climbers Pitons hammered into a suitable crack and these are the best suggestion. Expensive maybe, but quality you can, and may have to rely on. There are other easier, though a little less trustworthy options.
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These eyes permanently fixed into position are plenty strong enough to hold a person on a rope should he fall into the water and are a fixed anchorage until his companions can grasp the rope and haul him in. Even so, it's wiser to attach the safety line through two eyes, just in case and don't rely on the eyes to take your full dead weight at any time. These filler secured eyes are proven by Aussie anglers and a common sight along Australia's rugged rock marks where severe swells have caused many lost lives.
CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT
It's amazing but some anglers actually wear waterproof trousers whilst descending to rock marks. If you slip the smoother surface of waterproofs and your own weight will act like a sled and see you slide at increasing speed towards disaster. Wear only normal trousers like
jeans or cords.
Coats need to be waterproof, but some companies now do waterproof coats with a floatation capacity that is enough to keep you afloat should you fall in. Anglers are more likely to go for one of these than carry and wear a proper lifejacket, though some instances do require the latter option. Go for bright colour like red, yellow or orange so that you can be seen. It's no good being able to float if the search lights miss you.
Proper climbing boots are the only option, never trainers etc. Types of boots are numerous, but whether you choose all leather ones or the new generation of performance suede type, go for a full boot with upper ankle protection. On steep slopes it's the ankle working at acute angles that keeps you upright. A boot with full ankle support is essential.
For any less than easy ascents all kit should be carried in a rucksack. Boxes, hand held bags, cool boxes and holdalls can all throw you off balance and create an accident. Rods and rod rests needs strapping together tightly with cord or velcro straps. On really steep descents, take off the rucksacks and slide them and the rods down on separate ropes.
Other small items essential to your well being are a torch, first aid kit, a cigarette lighter which will make a fire in an emergency and double as an extra signalling system and a small pack of safety flares. The latters inclusion cannot be stressed enough. Pains - Wessex do a kit with flare cartridges that are fired from a pen sized projector all packed into a compact pouch. Any good chandler or surf shop will stock them.
Last, but not least is to never fish alone, but always with at least one friend and to tell someone in the family or a home based friend exactly where you will be and what time you intend to return home in case of emergency.
THE ROCK HOPPERS SAFETY CHECK LIST
40' of rope per person
2 Pitons and hammer
2 large spring locking Carbine hooks (ASI 316 Stainless steel)
Torch (with new batteries) for signalling
Small pack of safety flares
Disposable type cigarette lighter
Basic first aid kit
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