Another reason to use your knife....

kniferbro

kniferbro

Joined
Jan 22, 2011
Messages
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I know many of you including my self look for reasons to use our knives, this popped up on my Facebook, thought I would share.
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I was walking around a local lake and heard something thrashing around in a tree. I was a robin wrapped in fishing line trapped against a branch a few feet off the ground. I had my Vaquero Grande with me, 6" serrated blade. I reached in carefully with the tip and eventually cut it free.

The lake is about a mile around, at the edge of town, and people come for boating and fishing -- catch and release. They "release" a lot of line, I see it in clumps along the shore. Really a shame.
 
A regular 3 or 4 inch diameter PVC pipe capped at both ends with a hole cut in it serves as a good receptacle for used monofilament fishing line. I used to see them mounted at launch ramps and fishing piers when I lived in St. Pete.

I see a LOT of seagulls when I am working. I can't count the number of them that had a hook through their beak when they probably tried to take herring chunks that people were using for striped bass. Or gulls with their legs tied together by monofilament or a wing tangled in it. I have a big dip net on my boat to catch them when I can lure them to the boat, which isn't difficult. I also keep a pair of chain link fence cutters on my boat. It comes in handy for cutting lobster trap wire to do at-sea repairs. It also has no problem cutting through fish hooks. If I can get the gull in the boat, I cut off any mono that has them tangled up or try to remove any hooks I can. I've seen gulls with their beaks pinned closed by hooks through them, including circle hooks.

It is a crime to molest seabirds in Massachusetts, and there are millions of seagulls, but I can't stand to see one struggle to fly or eat because someone was too lazy to reel them in and cut the hook free or take their used fishing line ashore with them.

And I always cut up 6 pack rings. It's not always litterbugs that cause litter. I work on a whale watch boat as a third job and soda comes in cans, and is brought aboard by the case. Each case is 4 six packs held by those rings. Even if we throw the holders in the trash, sometimes the wind can blow them out and overboard, so we cut them up, just in case.
 
This is a nice, thoughtful thread. Thanks for starting it. Every action has a consequence. Let's choose good consequences over bad.
 
Pete1977 said:
A regular 3 or 4 inch diameter PVC pipe capped at both ends with a hole cut in it serves as a good receptacle for used monofilament fishing line. I used to see them mounted at launch ramps and fishing piers when I lived in St. Pete.

I see a LOT of seagulls when I am working. I can't count the number of them that had a hook through their beak when they probably tried to take herring chunks that people were using for striped bass. Or gulls with their legs tied together by monofilament or a wing tangled in it. I have a big dip net on my boat to catch them when I can lure them to the boat, which isn't difficult. I also keep a pair of chain link fence cutters on my boat. It comes in handy for cutting lobster trap wire to do at-sea repairs. It also has no problem cutting through fish hooks. If I can get the gull in the boat, I cut off any mono that has them tangled up or try to remove any hooks I can. I've seen gulls with their beaks pinned closed by hooks through them, including circle hooks.

It is a crime to molest seabirds in Massachusetts, and there are millions of seagulls, but I can't stand to see one struggle to fly or eat because someone was too lazy to reel them in and cut the hook free or take their used fishing line ashore with them.

And I always cut up 6 pack rings. It's not always litterbugs that cause litter. I work on a whale watch boat as a third job and soda comes in cans, and is brought aboard by the case. Each case is 4 six packs held by those rings. Even if we throw the holders in the trash, sometimes the wind can blow them out and overboard, so we cut them up, just in case.
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Gulls have also been known to grab the rings from landfill areas and drop them elsewhere. So, like your example shows, there are many ways that these rings can get to an area where they can do harm besides littering (although that is probably the most common cause).

Great thread and good replies. I've been cutting mine up for decades. :thumbup:
 
Awesome reminder. I've been slacking when it comes to this. I'll definitely start up again.
 
Fishing line is some of the worst stuff for impacting wild life (fish and other) that people strip off their reels to eliminate a knot or tangled line. I always try to stick this line into my pockets, vest, or somewhere to dispose of later.
 
Charlie_K said:
In my experience they're far easier to cut up with scissors.
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If I carried scissors in my pocket....

I do admit to grabbing scissors more than a knife when I'm at home. But that's for another thread.
 
Can't remember the last time I've bought something that had that plastic holder. I usually just pulled on it and ripped the drinks out thereby tearing the plastic anyway. Not as classy as using a knife but still gets the job done.
 
Fishing line is the reason I started carrying a dive knife. Specifically for the braided stuff, mono can be broken but spiderwire and the like is tough, and darn near invisible underwater.
 
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