Fished Pitsford for first time ever yesterday (due to Draycote being shut). It was pants Strange really, it was very muggy and overcast, light wind, looked ok....but no fly life at all, very few fish showing, not many even interested in chasing a lure, it just felt pretty dead. Fished all round dam end (drifting, with lures, northampton style, all sink rate lines tried and most patterns), then eventually worked back up to lodge and finished early around 6pm. Saw a few others catch but I think everyone struggled. I finished with a very hard won 3 - random isolated fish from various places.

Anyway....the "lesson"...Had an unexpected "break" early afternoon when my boat partner got stung by a wasp on the neck, out in the middle of the ressie near the dam (quite what a wasp was doing way out there god knows). He had a bad reaction, almost blacked out, got the shakes. Scary. I took over the engine but it was too far to motor back up to the fishing lodge at the other end, so I gunned the engine over to the sailing club near the dam end. The "sailability" people were there running a day for disabled kids and managed to give us some assistance. Lady even made a dash to local chemist to get some antihistamine (my car was at other end of ressie obviously, by the fishing lodge). Top folk, salt of the earth. Pal was fine after the initial poison rush/shock wore off and antihistamine kicked in, but had a bad head for a while. If he'd been on his own he'd have been in major difficulty, especially if he hadn't had a life jacket on and had ended up in the water. Doesn't bear thinking about really. Two lessons really - always wear life jacket and also stick some antihistamine and wasp sting stuff in your first aid bag this time of year!

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It had probably stowed away under a seat or something, got disturbed and decided to administer a lesson to whatever it could sink its sting into. I once noted a wasp in the middle of Rutland and could only think it had done the same as there's no jam in the middle of Rutland, unless you count the Pirate's catch returns.

Quick thinking though to help your boat partner. People can die from things like that without prompt attention so I'd say a big well done Jeff!

Funny things wasps, well done Jeff, boat partner of the year perhaps?

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Help fund the WTT study of the Softmouth

As above quick thinking Jeff. Good job you didn't have to suck the poison out like they do in westerns, for the ole rattler bite.

Sean

Funny thing you should mention wasp's!! On Saturday me and the mates fished Bushyleaz. I had a boat coz of my leg, and caught 3 trout before lunch, and left them in the boat whilst we ate. The fish had a wet rag over them
When I got back to the boat there were several wasps eating or at least crawling all over the fish under the rag and some on top.
I wonder If the fish attract them, but have never had a problem before.
Funny coincident.
Mike

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I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,9 bean rows will I have there and a hive for the honey bee.

Jeff

Some excellent quick thinking there - well done.

Has he had this sort of reaction before? Anaphylactic reactions such as these can kill. I'd suggest he reports it to his GP who can prescribe some Adrenaline in the form of a "Epi-pen". Easy to self administer and easy to store in the tackle bag (off the top of my head I think they need to be refridgerated but GP will confirm).

Should this happen again when he's on his own then he will be able to treat himself.

Gareth

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If a man speaks in the woods and no woman is there to hear him............is he still wrong????

Well done Jeff. A*

Pollyx

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http://flyfisherlady.blogspot.com/

Nice one.

I once got stung by a dead wasp, or at least what I thought was dead. It was really strange because it was just on the floor lying on its side and moving with the wind. I think it could very well have been dead but some sort of reflex afterwards allowed it to manage to get its sting into me. I was only young at the time but I picked the thing up. doh!

Besides histamine does anyone know anything else that is good for wasp and bee stings? I know rubbing onion on the area is meant to be good for one type I think wasp? I've not been stung for a long time now but just in case... I seem to have them land on me a lot but they no longer sting.

Cheers folks, but all I did was drive the boat very fast to shore really

Gareth, thanks for that, yes perhaps he should see a GP, I'll suggest that. Not sure what counts as anaphylatic shock, he didn't actually black out or stop breathing, but he wasn't far off, certainly an extreme reaction anyway even if not full anaphylaxia, his heart was going ten to the dozen. I suppose it could be worse if it happened next time tho, this was worst than last time apparently, so perhaps he should carry something like you say.

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Glad it all ended ok!
I got stung 6 times by wasps a couple of weeks ago after I seemed to have trodden in a nest or something hidden in the grass down a steep riverbank. It was a bit like a comedy film as I dropped all my stuff and ran away being chased for what seemed like miles. A large number followed me for a long way and there were lots swarming around my stuff for a good 15-20 minutes before I could collect it.
I was on my own in the middle of nowhere and I did start to worry about having a bad reaction as my pulse was racing although that was probably the adrenalin!