Should all anglers be able to swim ?

I've never even contemplated this question as I was able to swim from a very young age but I was just wondering how anglers who can't swim view this topic.

Say you were fishing a river bank and slipped in but weren't wearing a buoyancy aid / life preserver , what would you do ?

If you can't swim should you learn before starting to fish or should you always wear a life jacket ?

What do you think ?

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Tight Lines. :)

Give or take one or two, can't pretty much everyone swim?

We were taught to swim at school – is that not still the case? Or were we the odd ones out anyway?

i cant ,but always have a lifejacket ..

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WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

me neither ,you would be surprised how many cant swim and just wont admit it ,come on guys n girls tea's out lets have a true reflection on this one,oh and i always wear a life support on rivers and still-waters.

i do admit, i owe it to my family to go learn, and this winter is going to be the time i do, as its my duty i think.

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dont you just love nature

As another interesting point to you people that SAY you can't swim, if we pushed you into a swimming pool would you drown? A frantic movement of your arms and legs will keep you up and propel you one way or another, isn't this swimming? Everybody i'm sure (unless a phobia of water) would be able to "learn how to swim" in a survival situation.

Even with a lifejacket i'd recommend being confident in swimming, what if it fails? What if there's no one to help you get out of where you are floating.....etc

Bit of a difference in a heated pool and a "freeze your *******s off" river with a current and rocks and stuff . In a pool if you have the presence of mind you can lie on your back and relax with your head back and float even though you can't swim a stroke . In a river if there was a strong current it would be a different matter even for a swimmer .Best thing is not to wade out of a comfortable depth so if you do slip you can still ,hopefully ,get up again and use a stick to feel for where you are going ...rocks,shelves etc etc .

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Previously known as molley
and
Don't call me "mate" .

You'll still float in flowing water! If you havn't fallen in with waders on (i had a shot on tuesday! ) you'll be amazed at how bouyant they make your legs! Which are the heaviest part of you! I agree though, the shock of the cold to a non swimmer must be even more frightening!

Put it this way - learn to swim, it's stupid not too. Relying on a lifejacket is one thing but they do fail.....

in some case`s would it make a difference if you can or cant swim
as I have learnt the hard way fishing a river without my life jacket on and nearly went with the flow of the river and I can swim well but if my friend was not with me I would have been in deep s*** and he has been in the same way when he went under and his waders filled up with water in the blink of an eye
think what I`m saying is dont think that your a swimmer your safe keep the life jacket on at all times I learnt the scary way

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A Day With The Wife Or A Day Out Fishing Umm Please Dont Make Me Choose She`ll Not Like It

the main danger is probibally strong river currents, wading safely takes experience, in deep moving water an awareness of the danger is often the bit thats missing

a primaloft jacket gives surprising floatation

My Dad taught me the basic rudiments of swimming when I was about 9 or 10 I guess. I perfected my swimming when I lived in South Africa with easy access to a load of swimming pools During the 70s I did a bit of scuba diving which helped.

These days, being well into my sixties I will not go out in a boat without a life jacket. In fact I have just ordered a new one as my old jacket is well beyond it's sell-by-date.