Drinking the water you fish?

bigotter · #1 10-23-2009, 03:16 PM

Has anyone drank the water they fish out of?
Just wondering, I've heard of people drinking water seeping out of the rocks or the ground though, has anyone ever done that? Like a natural spring or something. I have used iodine tablets before in water from trout streams. I just want to know if anyone has drank it straight up.

Kind of want to try some natural spring water the next time I go fishing or at least not die trying.

wilhelm · #2 10-23-2009, 03:30 PM

Nope. I'm not interested in getting beaver fever. (giardia)

wilhelm

MartyFlyFisher · #3 10-23-2009, 04:05 PM

No Thanks

Silvercreek · #4 10-23-2009, 04:11 PM

No, I use a Steripen

YouTube - Alex Roddie Reviews The SteriPEN...

YouTube - SteriPEN

Dtippett · #5 10-23-2009, 04:23 PM

On all day outings I carry one of these, Katadyn Micro Microfilter Bottle.

jc-l · #6 10-23-2009, 04:24 PM

I haven't and wouldn't, but I used to camp regularly near a natural spring. We had strict limitations on where and how people could do their business to avoid problems, and the water in the spring was cold and tasty ("tasty", of course, as far as water goes -- it's not like it was bubbling up whiskey sour or anything).

**FlyDoctor** · #7 10-23-2009, 04:38 PM

Giardia live and breed in springs and wild animals carry it from spring to spring. There are very few springs in the East that are not contaminated. I carry a filter bottle all the time and use it in even the most remote areas--Larry

bluefish · #8 10-23-2009, 05:05 PM

There are several long uphill hikes I like to do in New England that end in some good brookie ponds. Instead of carriyng in liquid I carry my Katahdin filter and some lemonade mix. Having watched the pain and suffering of a few friends with Giardia, I'll gladly take the time to filter my water. One of the good carryovers from backpacking equipment.

Charlie

pmklein · #9 10-23-2009, 05:19 PM

Once on the Green River in Utah, when I hiked way down below the take out for the upper section and forgot my water bottle. It tasted good until I sucked in a mayfly that was stuck in the film. I didnt get sick.

Once on a little creek in Southern Utah.
I didnt get sick.

Once on a hike on the Appalachian trail.
I got sick this time. I dont know what it was but luckily it didnt hit me until about three hours after I got home. Three days later I could get finally get more than 10 feet from the toilet.

My grandparents used to get their drinking water from a spring at their summer cabin in Canada. I used to drink that all the time too and never got sick.

Patrick

bigotter · #10 10-23-2009, 05:52 PM

so I guess drink it only if you are absolutely sure, but other than that bring some sort of filter or chemicals along, so no drinking straight up for me I live in Virginia and I don't see myself going up to Maine or Canada anytime soon