May 22 2008
Monofilament, Deadly Deceiver
With the Memorial Day weekend fast approaching, plenty of folks will spend it fishing. The art of angling is the art of deception, and monofilament is a valued ally. It’s strong, elastic, and almost invisible. It breaks the connection between lure and angler, tricking gullible fish into believing that they’ve found a free lunch.
It’s all too easy to snag a hook and snap a line. Retrieval isn’t as easy, and we’re often tempted to leave the hook and line behind. But when we leave monofilament behind us — whether it’s in the water or in the trees, and whether it’s ours or some other angler’s — we weave a tangled web indeed. The likely result? Disability and death, as arbitrary as it is unnecessary. Ask any experienced wildlife rehabber who’s had to cut it off a duck’s gangrenous leg, a goose’s swollen neck, or a muskrat’s bulging abdomen. And monofilament is forever, or near enough — unless we take the time to remove its lethal web wherever and whenever we find it. That’s worth a little effort, isn’t it? I sure think so. Read more…
