05-18-2007, 04:11 AM
Dry Rod wrote:
[font "Poor Richard"][#008000]believe that I was referring to what I could see on my rod & line. I know that I wouldn't be able to detect them on my tube, boots, waders etc. In fact as I was cleaning my boots today several insects came scurring out. Looked like stoneflies to me.[/#008000][/font][size 1] [/size]
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My point was that no matter where the contamination is you are not going to visually be able to detect it with any reliability because of the minute size of a number of the invasives we are contending with. So if you don't clean it then you are leaving the next body of water at risk of being contaminated. As I referred to before that risk is a whole lot less for rods, reels, and lines than it is for waders and boots. I for one sometimes rest my reel and rod butt in the water on a rock or weeds while I am releasing fish. So the risk would be higher than the guy that is worried about his reel and rod Thus keeps it out of the water. I am more worried about getting the fish back to his home quickly so that we all can have fun again sometime.
If we use cleaners that don't kill the invasive then the risk would be higher that some how a live invasive could still be on the equipment even after cleaning. For an organism that can reproduce from one single individual then that risk would be much higher than for one that requires a mate. Didymo, Whirling Disease, and New Zealand Mudsnails all fit the former.
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