Preventable eye injuries while fly fishing

Sir,

The article by Morris et al¹ prompts me to bring to readers' attention the risks inherent in the fly-fishing technique known as Spey casting, when the fly line with attached ‘fly', tied on a single, double, or treble hook, is cast first to the left, then the right, and then forwards, the line being all the time in front of the angler so that obstructions behind—such as trees—are not inadvertently hooked.

In June 2013, I was Spey casting on the Lower Oykel river, Highland, with a variable wind blowing sometimes up- and sometimes downstream. A sharp ‘crack' caused the ghillie, sitting some 50 m away on the bank, to ask ‘What was that?' It was the fly shattering my right spectacle lens, which fell into several pieces when removed from the frame. Had I not been wearing glasses, my eye would have been destroyed.

Some weeks later, two unsolicited catalogues advertising angling products arrived; both had in their fishing lines section photographs of men Spey casting without eye protection. I wrote to both angling companies enclosing the attached photo (Figure 1). One responded, indicating that they would bring the matter to the (subcontracted) advertiser's attention—the other did not reply.

Figure 1.

Glasses damaged while Spey casting in a strong wind.

Could our College have a role in promoting the use of safety glasses in this situation? For an example see: www.oveRxcast.com.

The author declares no conflict of interest.