Fishing

Clean them properly and cover them. A puncture that gets ignored because it barely bled is the one that ends up at a doctor three days later.

Knife injuries are next, usually while filleting, usually to the hand holding the fish. Those need proper dressings and pressure, not a plaster.

BOAT, BEACH OR BANK

Where you fish changes the answer more than what you catch.

From a boat, water and distance are the constraints. The Ocean Warrior First Aid KIT is built to float and fits a small compartment on a boat or jet ski. For a vessel with compliance obligations, the SURVIVAL Marine Scale G First Aid KIT meets the Australian Maritime Safety Authority requirement for a portable first aid kit on board.

From the bank or a rock platform, the risk profile shifts: falls, slips on wet rock, and snakes in the grass on the walk in. The SURVIVAL First Aid KIT - Medium covers a day out, and the SURVIVAL Slimline First Aid KIT is the one that fits in a tackle bag without taking a tray.

SNAKES ON THE WALK IN

Freshwater fishing means long grass, river banks and warm rocks, which is where snakes are.

The SURVIVAL Snake Bite KIT carries a SMART Bandage with a printed pictogram that changes from a rectangle to a square when you reach the right tension, so you can see the bandage is right instead of guessing. It also holds a splint, a tick spoon, an emergency blanket and a whistle. SURVIVAL recommends proper first aid training alongside any KIT.

SUN IS THE ONE PEOPLE IGNORE

Hours on open water with reflection off the surface, usually in the middle of the day, usually for years.

Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Sun protection is not first aid, but it belongs in the same conversation, and a burn bad enough to blister is a first aid problem.

FISHING ALONE

Plenty of people fish alone, early, in places with no phone coverage.

If that is you, tell someone where you are going and when you will be back, and carry something that can stop a serious bleed. The SURVIVAL Trauma First Aid KIT is small enough to keep in a tackle bag and covers the injury you cannot manage with dressings.

Also see Boating / Marine, Camping and 4WDing.