This is what can happen when someone leaves their fishing line hanging in a tree

[fin]

 

Found this guy this morning as I was heading out to fish. I ended up not getting much fishing done.

 

Apparently someone had been standing under the tree casting from the bank and got hung up above their heads. The line was only about 10 feet off the ground, and it took me less than a minute to get the line out of the tree using a stick that was laying just a few feet away. They obviously didn't even try to get the line down, they just left it there and this poor bird flew into it.

 

The owl landed on its feet after I got the line down, and puffed up in a defensive posture. It still had line all wrapped around the tip of its wing though. I didn't know if it could reach the tip of its wing with its beak or talons, and it was so worn out from hanging upside down in that tree all night it could barely move, so I didn't want to just leave it to fend for itself.

 

I called the park management and a nice young lady came out with some thick gloves and a towel and captured the owl, which was surprisingly easy since it was so worn out. The owl is now with a local animal rehabilitation center.

 

Hopefully it will pull though. There's no need for this beautiful creature to die like that. I know you fine folks know better than to leave line in trees like that, but I just wanted to put this out there for the slim chance that I might get through to someone who doesn't know what can happen.

[TOXIC]

We make it a point to collect all we can reach whether it be in trees or logs.  We also snag all the trash we see in the water.  On St Clair we picked up an average of 2 balloon bundles every day we were there.  Oddest thing we ever found was an ankle monitoring bracelet in the Rappahonock with instructions to send it back for a reward.  Netted us $25. 

[Sphynx]

I take a trash liner with me every night when I go fishing, I have probably filled up well in excess of 100lb of garbage this week, beer containers, fishing lines, all sorts of things, it irritates me, but I guess it's become obvious that it doesn't bother anybody else where I fish...It will if I catch them in the act though, it'll be a mighty big bother then.

[CrankFate]

d**n not an owl. I’ve seen ducks and seagulls tied up. And it’s impossible to cut it off because you need a net to catch them. Those are the idiots that cut the line at the tip of the rod. 

[ironbjorn]

I once saw a catfish hanging from fishing line from a tree. I'm not going to pretend to understand, but whoever was responsible is a sorry excuse for a human being.

[Fishingintheweeds]

My 3 and 4 year olds both make sure to pick up the trash that we find at any bank spots we fish. We've been doing this since they could walk. Hard to believe other people never think twice. 

[DitchPanda]

I've seen dead turtles strung from a tree like that. Would like to find the jack@#$ that did it and smash his face in.

[Biglittle8]

This kind of stuff really trips my trigger, I don't know how many times I've walked down the bank of a pond and find all kinds of discarded plastics and fishing line. I actually bring a bag with me to pick up garbage whenever I go pond hopping. 

[Bluebasser86]

Lots of folks don't know how to break their line when they get snagged, so they cut it at the rod tip instead and leave long lengths of line in the water/air instead. I've seen several kinds of birds dead, hanging from fishing line, some tangled, some had attacked the snagged bait and gotten hooked. I saved a struggling blue heron that was tangled in thick braided line by it's feet once. The bird would try to fly off and hit the end of the line like a dog hitting the end of a chain. It was exhausted thankfully, so I used my net like a shield and steered it's head and used my kitchen sheers I keep on board to cut away the line. 

[schplurg]

1 hour ago, Biglittle8 said:

This kind of stuff really trips my trigger, I don't know how many times I've walked down the bank of a pond and find all kinds of discarded plastics and fishing line. I actually bring a bag with me to pick up garbage whenever I go pond hopping. 

 

 

Oh I'd say I see that about...let's see....every freackin time I fish  I'm out of bags. I carry little thin ones, and a rubber glove or two.

 

Nice work, fin/OP!

[fin]

16 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Lots of folks don't know how to break their line when they get snagged, so they cut it at the rod tip instead and leave long lengths of line in the water/air instead.

I don’t watch fishing videos very much, but I’ve wondered if any of those popular people making videos ever spend any time teaching some of the basic things like this.

 

16 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The bird would try to fly off and hit the end of the line like a dog hitting the end of a chain.

Jeez. That would be hard to watch that heron struggling to get free. That’s got to be a good feeling to free that big bird.

[cheezyridr]

16 hours ago, Biglittle8 said:

This kind of stuff really trips my trigger, I don't know how many times I've walked down the bank of a pond and find all kinds of discarded plastics and fishing line. I actually bring a bag with me to pick up garbage whenever I go pond hopping. 

 

man, you and me both! i absolutely hate when people litter beautiful places.  those people are no-class scumbags.  may years ago, i used to fish private places almost exclusively. i began bringing a trash bag and cleaning up as i left, as a way to kind of "pay back" for me fishing there.  for many of those places, it's how i got permission in the first place. my kids, and their kids, would never leave trash like that. some people just don't have any class what so ever.  it disgusts me

[David 7]

Ugh, absolutely hate to see this. As fishermen we should be conservationists, and everything we do impacts how people view all of us as a whole. 

[gim]

I was raised to clean up after myself and leave places how I found them.  I rarely run into piles of trash or discarded fishing line where I fish but I can easily see how a bundle of old fishing line could cause issues with a bird, fish, turtle, etc.  I have found line wrapped around inside of my bow mount prop and my outboard motor prop before so now I inspect both of them regularly to make sure there isn't line (or other crap) built up there.

 

Ice fisherman are the notorious for this problem as they often spend prolonged periods of time out there in permanent fish houses.  You wouldn't believe what they leave behind either.  Trash, empty propane tanks, beer cans, dead fish, feces, etc.

[Russ E]

heavy braid is the worse. a lot of bank fishermen use it around here. I am assuming they are after catfish.  it is hard to break so they just cut it.

cant count how many times I have snagged it, or wrapped it up in the trolling motor.

[BassNJake]

21 hours ago, fin said:

 

Found this guy this morning as I was heading out to fish. I ended up not getting much fishing done.

 

Apparently someone had been standing under the tree casting from the bank and got hung up above their heads. The line was only about 10 feet off the ground, and it took me less than a minute to get the line out of the tree using a stick that was laying just a few feet away. They obviously didn't even try to get the line down, they just left it there and this poor bird flew into it.

 

The owl landed on its feet after I got the line down, and puffed up in a defensive posture. It still had line all wrapped around the tip of its wing though. I didn't know if it could reach the tip of its wing with its beak or talons, and it was so worn out from hanging upside down in that tree all night it could barely move, so I didn't want to just leave it to fend for itself.

 

I called the park management and a nice young lady came out with some thick gloves and a towel and captured the owl, which was surprisingly easy since it was so worn out. The owl is now with a local animal rehabilitation center.

 

Hopefully it will pull though. There's no need for this beautiful creature to die like that. I know you fine folks know better than to leave line in trees like that, but I just wanted to put this out there for the slim chance that I might get through to someone who doesn't know what can happen.

Awesome job !!

[Bankbeater]

A few years back we were out on the water, and saw something white hanging high up in a tree.  It turned out to be a white egret tangled in fishing line.  The bird must have tried to fly with the line around it, and gotten hung up in the tree limbs.

[GRiver]

Kudos to you for taking the time to help. Some people, like the one the left the line, would have just walk by and went fishing. 
thanks

[gunsinger]

I can’t count the number of times I’ve snagged line while fishing. If I can, I pull it in and drop it in my trash. Otherwise I clip it down as best I can. 
 

Kudos to the OP and all others who try to leave nature better than they found it. 

[TOXIC]

I’ve seen plenty of private ponds and river access shut down because of trash.  Used to be a good spot on the Shenandoah where you had to drive 1/2 mile off-road to get to.  It was private land but the landowner was good about letting people fish there.  Then a certain “element” discovered it and there were beer cans, food wrappers, clothing, dirty diapers, fire spots with the remains of the days catch cooked up.  Just trashed the place.  Landowner finally just chained off the only access point.  These same folks then started cutting the chain so he posted the land and started calling the sheriff.  It wasn’t unusual to pick up 4 or 5 large trash bags full of garbage every time I went there but it just became too much for the landowner.  

[N Florida Mike]

20 hours ago, gimruis said:

I was raised to clean up after myself and leave places how I found them. 

Same here. I cant comprehend people that just discard their trash along and in waterways.

I think this is the main reason. Parents not teaching their kids right.

[gim]

54 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

Same here. I cant comprehend people that just discard their trash along and in waterways.

Its pure laziness.  Really not difficult to discard items where they belong.  Says a lot about a person's morals and character, and not in good way either.

[ajschn06]

18 hours ago, GRiver said:

Kudos to you for taking the time to help. Some people, like the one the left the line, would have just walk by and went fishing. 
thanks

 

I would have certainly walked by and went on fishing.  It's unfortunate, but I'm not getting anywhere near a bird like that.....

[throttleplate]

bank fishing i am always getting my feet caught in discarded line, its like trip wire booby traped to get me to fall down which i come close to a few times.

[Deleted account]

I thought those things were wise? Probably saw a lollipop up there...