Safety reminder - Life vest

[ND Bass]

I was reminded of the importance of proper safety gear this weekend. My father-in-law, son and I were fishing on Sunday when we saw a boat trolling slowly toward shore with no occupants. As we quickly tried to shift direction and catch the wayward boat, we heard a call for help. The boat was going slow and a guy jumped off his dock and was able to grab and stop the boat in waist deep water while we sped to where the boat was coming from. We heard another call for help and luckily found the boater. He was swimming, tired and cold and......without a life vest! We were able to get him on a pontoon that also showed up and he was safely taxied to shore. Turns out this guy had been fishing alone and his rod slipped from his hand. As he reached for it, he went in and was adrift in the middle of the lake while his boat slowly trolled away.



Please be careful folks! Wear your life vest and use the tether, especially when fishing alone.



I am glad this quick rescue operation was just that and not a recovery. It could have easily been a really bad day.



Fish hard but be safe.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

And also DON'T FORGET THE KILL SWITCH.



Good outcome of a bad situation.

 

[Alvin Roberts]

Thanks for the reminder. I can swim and normally don't wear a life vest on the lake but I do when I am on the river. And I have been inclined to not use the tether for the kill switch...but we need to be reminded that it is there for a very good reason.

 

[Bob G.]

Alvin, you are seriously boating on the edge! We wear our life jackets and I hook the tether to mine whenever the big motor is on. If conditions are rough, I keep my life jacket on when fishing, especially in Spring when the water is still cold.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Let me tell you a little story that changed my way of thinking. As a guide, the rule always is that everyone is in a PFD when the big motor is running. I would fudge that a little if I was pre-fishing or out by myself fun fishing. Then one night (just like MLK) "I had a dream" :lol: and it went like this....I was running down Lake Anna very early in the morning on a beautiful summer day. Lake was deserted and I was trimmed out haulin the mail!! Out of nowhere I hit a wave and the boat hooked violently throwing me into the water. I popped up and actually chuckled to myself thinking what a wild ride that was!! Then a wave of dread came over me as I watched my boat, on-plane, running down the lake and wondering what exactly it was going to hit. Shook me up pretty good!! My Ranger has a hotfoot so that would never happen but the NITRO did not. Nonetheless, it made a mental impact on me so great that I can't even start the motor anymore without the rip cord attached to my person in some manner, even if it is just wrapped around my wrist. I took that dream as my 1 and only warning and I have never tempted fate since then.

 

[Gary Hunter]

My buddy, let's call him Tom, took his 12 year old son fishing on his new Z7. The day was going fine but then "Tom" decided to show his son what his boat could "really do". Tom punched it hard and went flying down the lake but hit a couple of those rogue waves you never really see in time. Tom was ejected from the boat and so was his son. They both had quality vests on. They both survived. His son was rescued and so was Tom. The kill switch stopped the boat, but Tom broke both of his legs as they contacted the steering wheel when he was ejected.



This is a true story.



Be Smart ....