How many people have fallen out of their boats

[BJ Laster]

This kind of goes with my other post about what we have dropped out of our boats.



How many of ya'll have fallen out of your boats?



I have in a small tournament on a small city lake in Southern Oklahoma. I had just bought a new Carolina Skiff (for mini boat tournaments) and hadn't had to time to put the wires to the trolling motor under the decks. I heard something behind the boat and turned to look and tripped on the wires and went into the lake. It was August so it wasn't too bad.



I haven't fallen out of any bass boats yet except I did fall out of my Nitro in the drive way doing a head dive into the concrete....I was lucky I didn't hurt myself too bad. I was a little sore but ok.

 

[Michael Snow]

Twice... once from a Nitro as it hit a stump... (I was foolishly standing on front deck playing "lookout").. Lost prescription sunglasses, hat, drowned a cell phone and a pager. Oh, and the water temp was 55... NOT fun.



I fell out of my Xpress once as well. I was throwing a cast net, had my baby with me and my foot stepped on "something". I was trying to keep from hurting Katie (if it was her) and lost my balance. Luckily, water was 4' deep and it was nice and warm. Other than a little mud, all was fine. Well, I may have soaked the cell phone, I forget. Turns out what I stepped on was my trolling motor foot control wiring.

 

[Terry Hutchison]

One of the biggest scares of my life was one Independence Day we went out on Barren River Lake to watch the state park fireworks. I pulled up to the gas dock to let the kids and wife out to go up and get the Blazer. I let the kids take their life jackets off before getting out of the boat and my son, maybe about 6 at the time, proceeded to fall overboard and head straight for the bottom. My daughter would have been about 10 then and was standing right next to him and reached in all the way up to her neck and caught him by an ankle. I got up there and fished him the rest of the way out. Water is about 30' deep there. I sure learned a lesson that day. Only takes a second for disaster to happen. The jackets always stay on until everybody's on dry ground. I still get the chills when I think about it and it's been about 14 years ago. There was no floundering around or anything-he hit the water and sunk. Thank God for my daughter's quick reflexes. Hutch

 

[Mark Gross]

Once I stepped into Mac's livewell when I left the hatch up.Ended up with a wet foot but it was a humbling experiance! (Luckily no fish were hurt or injured during this stunt!)

 

[Bill Willette]

I was keeping this mainly to myself, but one early summer afternoon, I accidentally kicked my prized worm rod out of the boat. It seemed like slow motion, I saw the rod falling in the water, I immediately jumped from the seat and grabbed it as it hit the water, I imagine it was actually floating for a brief instant. Well guess what, I had recently waxed the cap and hull, no grip!!! I went straight into the water, rod in hand. It was shallow so I was able to pull myself right back into the boat. The funny thing was, after replacing my clothes with the spare set in the boat, I had one great afternoon of fishing, I caught 6 bass on buzzbaits and trick worms in the next 2 hours. You know those incredible explosions on a buzz bait really get your heart pumping!



This has taught me a lesson, when I'm by myself, be more careful!! Drop a rod, let it go! I can always get another one. What if it had not been shallow and summer time... Did I have a vest on, No, it was stowed. So now I've added to my launch check list. Item 11: Re-attach brain before leaving the dock.

 

[Larry Harp]

Several close calls but so far I've managed to stay in the boat. I fish on a lake with lots of stumps and when the wind blows you into one of them you can get thrown off balance very easily. That's why I wanted the Sospenders. Had a close one just this past Sunday. Tripped on something and fell and broke my sons brand new Extreme rod. AAARRRRGGGG!!!

Harpo

 

[Doug Bailey]

My first boat was an old Caddo with a thin hull. On thanksgiving day I was fishing Fork with my son and father-in-law. We hit a stump pretty good and started taking water. We were having a great day fishing, so we turned on the bilge pump and kept the lines in the water. When the water was up to our ankles we decided maybe we should head for dry land. It was quite a trip as we had so much water in the hull we couldn't plane out. Everything was ok until I turned the boat to put it on the trailer. All the water ran to one side and over she went. I rode it to 90 degrees and then jumped for my life. Needless to say the water's pretty cold on Thanksgiving, even in Texas. Fortunately no one was hurt.....just a lot of tackle to fish out of the cove, and some very nice duck hunters with chest wader's were there to laugh and help me turn the boat back over. That's my "in the lake" story.

 

[Mebassn]

At e times, the first was when i hit the trolling motor after selecting high and not putting it back to low before I turned, the second was when a ski boat came by and i wasn't paying attention, splash i went over the side, the last time was in the St Johns river in Fla, about 20 yards from a 6ft gator, I hit a stump while trying to turn away from the gator, needless to say i wasn't in the water very long.



Eric H.

 

[Glenn Covington]

For those of us that haven't gone for a swim, thanks for sharing the stories! Your bad luck may help save somebody else's life. They sure opened my eyes!



Glenn

 

[Jim B]

I have but never from a bass boat. Before i ever had a bass boat i did all of my fishing from a 12' v hull row boat that i got from my grandfather. I sopued it up with some nice swiveling fishing seats that i screwed down to the wooden bench seats, a trolling motor and some rod straps. The boat being an old one(built in the 50's)the seats were a bit rotten, I didnt know it at the time i installed the seats. One day i was out fishing with a buddy when the screws decided to tear out of the rotten wood and i went over backwards and out of the boat. One rod went overboard and my wallet fell out of my pocket in 6' of murky water. I had to dive for them and sweep the bottom with my hand until i found them, my buddy laughing the whole time. In the end i found my wallet and rod and still laugh about it today.

 

[John Foster]

The very first time I took out my boat I went for a unplanned swim.



Standing on front deck right in front of the passenger console retying a lure, when my 300lb friend decides to jump from the rear deck to the floor right behide the passenger console without telling me.



For those who Know me, That puts over 600lbs on one side of my 17' nitro and over I went.



At least it was a warm day and I didn't mine the swim.



John F.

 

[Richard Whittemore]

I'm back from a week (Christmas) with the In-Laws (Home Sweet Home).

I have never fallen out of a boat but am anticipating it greatly, even to the point where I will predict it.

I have (upgraded?) to a MK PD 55. I have to get on the bow,

squat down, trip the release lever and lift the shaft and unit out of the water and lay it down.

I'm 57 and not getting younger.

I'll let you all know when it happens.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I've had several close calls but, not yet...I am a little more aware now of sitting down when trolling shallows or at higher speeds...scared me pretty good because the water temps was only in the low 50's.

TEE

 

[Texas Transplant]

Busted my butt several time really good while in a boat, even dunked my whole arm in one day, but have not taken a swim as yet.



However, all the discussions here (thanks again), plus thinking through a number of scenarios, has made me come to the decision to get a pair of sospenders to wear while fishing. Just need to be safer on the water.



Tex

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Twice.. Both because I was a clumsy idiot.

First time years ago when I was in a 14' Jon Boat and lost my balance trying to <er. um, ugh> relieve an urgent need.

Luckily it wasn't very deep and I could climb back in. It was however full of stumps and I remember, while in the air, worrying about that.

Second time, in my big glass boat, I turned around and somehow kicked a brand new, first time used, rod and reel overboard. I quickly jumped to get it and so followed it over. I had to climb up the outboard to get back in and it wasn't easy. I did get back the rod and reel though after spending about two hours coctantly casting the biggest Rattle-Trap I had trying to snag it. Hey, it worked and the day was very hot, so I didn't mind much.



Bill

 

[JAMES MOORE]

My old Ranger I fell out of a couple of times. Once while relieving myself out the back. My partner hooked a nice fish and forgot he'd just turned the trolling motor to high. He hit the peddle switch to follow the fish and needless to say I was at the back hollering stop, let me get back in. He landed a 5 lb bass and I landed a wet butt.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

That's another good point Bill...I've nearly lost it a couple of times from uh... relief. I made a container to help with that problem...I don't like leanin' over the side when the need arises.

TEE

 

[Barb Baggott]

Well, I haven't fallen out yet, but when I had Bosco, my lab in the boat, she was laying on the rod cabinet just watching the scenery go by, I had to take a hard right and she just rolled into the lake. Of course she decides that she wants to swim AWAY from the boat. Finally get her to come back to the boat and hauled her butt in. Wet dog smell for hours! They make sospenders for dogs?

Barb

 

[TrepMan]

Out of my 14ft Jon Boat. Funny, i've had that boat in 2-3ft swells in Galveston bay with out EVER falling out, but here in Atlanta on a nice warm summer morning I was fishing the Chatahoocie river. I had trolled my way into a cove and decided (like Tee and others) I need to relieve my self. So with the trolling motor still down I stepped up on the front platform edge to go. Well it being a river and all the boat kept moving and with the trolling motor down when the bottom came up suddenly the trolling motor caught bottom and stopped the boat suddenly - Over I went. I caught myself quick enough to land feet first in the cold water (50 degrees) and muck. And then climed back in. Didn't catch a fish that day, but now make sure the T motor is UP or i'm in REAL deep water before I go!

 

[John Foster2]

OK.. two stories.......I was fishing on squam lake this year with my daugher. We are done for the day and are pulling up to the dock in my 17' nitro. I didn't know she has standing right behind me while I was on the trolling motor. I stepped on her foot, then realized it was her, was worried about knocking her in the water and then next thing you know I'm in the water. Water was about 8 feet there, and I'm a horrible swimmer. One of the MANY people standing around the launch was happy to help me out.

The second story was a night tournament in my boat. I was on the trolling motor and it was about 10pm. I had just landed a nice fish and my partner netted it for me. I took the fish out of the net and my partner turned around to head back to the back deck. His knee buckled and he lost his balance (275lbs or so). He started stumbling to the back of the boat. He stumbled up to the back deck since he saw his rod laying on the seats and could not land there, went to reach for the SWIVEL chair and did the best impersonation of a Barry Sanders spin move around the chair and went head first straight off the back over the outboard! And on his way he still had the net in his one hand, the spotlight in the other, and took out the stern light. This was in about 18 feet of water, he was fine. As he first started his tumble, i was not worried at all, he had like 12 feet of boat left! This was two years ago and it still comes up fairly often at our club meetings.

 

[David Hunt]

As the stories from the Coast Guard say: Most men recovered after drowning are usually found with their pants down around their ankles . I've about gone in a few times myself that way.



david....

 

[Bill McElroy]

close,(several times).......but no wet cigar (yet)!!

 

[gone bye bye]

Me either....(knock on Mac wooden skull)



Mini

 

[Michael Snow]

Quoting Glenn..



"For those of us that haven't gone for a swim, thanks for sharing the stories! Your bad luck may help save somebody else's life. They sure opened my eyes!"



Anyone up for a road trip to MO to push him overboard?

 

[Bob G.]

Ok, I haven't fallen out of my boat yet, but I have fallen out of club member's boat during a club tourney while trying to get a Senko unsnagged on a submerged pole next to a train trestle. Boat turned and I stepped off of the front of the boat in 20+ feet of water. Managed to grab the bridge on the way and only got wet to my waist. All Star rod went in the water and was able to retrieve it since it was hanging by the worm hook. It still comes up at club meetings! There is another club member, who shall be nameless, that is a NTOWS member who has fallen out during a club tourney. I'll wait and see if he will post!



Bob G.

 

[Steve Rizza]

I never fell out YET.

My brother-in-law did fall out of my boat one day.He had caught more fish than me,and was constantly reminding me of it.When he was leaning out over the back of the boat,taking a pee,I accidently hit the trolling motor switch,and it happened to be set on high

If it wasn't 95 degrees that day,I wouldn't have done it.



YEAH----RIGHT

 

[Kenny Lively]

3 times, well once, but followed my rod in twice. time I fell in, bass tourny on Richland-Chambers, fishing 35'tops of flooded trees in April. Forgot where I was and just stepped backwards out of the boat.

The other 2 time just kinda reflexively followed my rod in, both times it popped out of my hands on a cold day due to a hook set. Same rig, castaway w/a calcutta strapped to it got the fish and rod both times, on of them weighed 1.5lbs and the othe 4lbs. KENNY

 

[Travis Smith]

Havent fell in but many a close times....





T.S.

 

[Mike Levesque]

Haven't fallen out yet, but have jumped out on purpose twice, both on days where it's so hot your sweat is sweating, water was around 80 deg. both times,I have one of those ladders you hang over the side, which, luckily I had with me both times, even with that it was no easy task to climb back in, but boy that quick cool off swim was worth it. I have however fallen IN the boat more times than I can remember, tripped over the darndest things, or even for no reason! LOL egMike