Swans

I know they were here before us and all that but arent they the most annoying bird on the lake. Not easy to scare, get in your face and hiss at you. If your fishing the margins and they find it they will clear it and if you fish in water shallow enough for them to be able to get it you have the same results. They are also good for smashing through your line.
Few years back fishing the match lake at Bishops Bowl 2 swans were on the lake. One managed to swim through both my lines wrapping one 360 degrees round the neck and swam of at speed across the lake ripping line off and making my alarms scream. Didnt know what to do so after it took enough line to be the other side of the lake. To get it back i had to chuck bread in close to the bank so i could wip the line from round its neck without stringing it up. After doing this they sat in my swim waiting for me to feed the 2 of them more.
Anyone else got any funny storys about our winged friends?

a few years ago whilst on a week trip to France I was walking back to my bivvy and I noticed it was zipped up. When I unzipped it a very angry swan flew at me, pecked me several times and then swam off all puffed up and looking very indignant. Whilst I was at the showers my friends had enticed it into my bivvy with bread and zipped it in. All my stuff was covered in swan poo and feathers and my food bag had been ransacked. I got my own back though as I filled their trainers with maggots and pulled their alarms in the night <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt="" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->

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Proberly the funnest swan story i have ever heard. The bu***rs but least you got your own back. Wouldnt want to put my foot in a shoe of maggots. <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt="" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->

Reckon i have found a way to scare them off. A SPOD! Was having difficulty with one yesterday evening but as soon as i fired some bait out in the spod the swan backed off. Everytime it came round after that i picked up the spod rod so it could see it and it backed off.
After all these years of trying to find something to get them to F off.

Dont try catapulting boilies out when they are in your swim. You would have thought it would spook them but it dont take them long to realise your firing food in and they swim over to your baited spot and if they can get to it will eat everything!!!

[i:2q7uz88j]Dont try catapulting boilies out when they are in your swim.[/i:2q7uz88j]

Learnt that one myself the hard way.

Think its the splash of the spod is the main thing that spooks them. The air strike patter of boiles doesnt and they seem to home in on them.