Let's All Be Carefull

[a1712]

Monday morning they pulled a 40 year old man out of a local lake. He had been fishing Sunday and had text several pictures of fish that evening. He was in a canoe and something happened. This lake is only 36 acres and 8 ft. deep. It just goes to show anything can happen in the blink of an eye. We all need to be diligent with water safety. I'll think of this every time I'm there. Be safe all, Brian.

[Darren.]

Tragic, sorry to hear. Safety should be the #1 priority when on the water. I always wear a PFD when I'm out. Never know what might happen out there.

[Sam]

New Kent County deputies pulled a 68-year old man out of the Pamunkey River today.

 

He had engine trouble while fishing and he tried to swim to shore when the under current grabbed him and took him down.

 

I am curious to find out if he was wearing his PFD when he attempted to swim to shore.

 

Just a reminder to wear your PFD even if it makes you look like a nerd.  At least you will be a live nerd as opposed to a kool corpse.

[Catch and Grease]

I always have a PFD on the boat for each person but I dont wear mine all the time... Maybe I should start...

[Dwight Hottle]

Two more died on Pickwick.

 

http://www.wbbjtv.com/news/local/Two-men-killed-in-boating-accident-273407431.html

[00 mod]

Two more died on Pickwick.

 

http://www.wbbjtv.com/news/local/Two-men-killed-in-boating-accident-273407431.html

 

 

I have a friend that knew these two well.  The accident happened at almost midnight.  No reason to be under full power in the dark of night without proper lighting as well!

 

Jeff

[papajoe222]

I started wearing a PFD all the time when I'm by myself since I fell overboard from the front deck. I was the only one on the water and there was only one shore fisherman. It didn't hit me how lucky I was until I was putting the boat on the trailer. I'd always worn one when operating the outboard and even had a kill switch installed on my old boat. It never occurred to me that I could be thrown off the deck.

It's sad that many boaters will ignore this sad lesson. I was in that group for a long time. Don't wait until something happens to you or a loved one.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

My PFD saved my life last year. I swim great, but it didn't help much at the time. Don't underestimate the power of nature or the effectiveness of a life jacket. 

 

40 is way too young for something so final. Fortunately we can all learn something from this. My condolences to any of you who've lost somebody to the waters that we love to fish.

edit:

When I had my accident I started this thread. The replies that I received were incredible, and it really showed the strength of the community here. There was one post in particular by A-Jay that struck a nerve and stuck with me, I'll post it below.

 

Glad you & your friend made it home safe.

Though your story did not end in loss of live - it very well could have and often does.

 Dead men can't tell their story so it's very important that you tell yours.

The acronym for Personal Flotation Device- PFD, has all but replaced the items real name -

 

Life Jacket - and yours certainly was that on this day.

 

After almost 30 years of Search & Rescue, I've had a front row seat for many of these stories, both good and bad.  The one thing I'll pass on is this - I've Never taken a Life Jacket off a Dead Man.

 

Stay Safe.

 

A-Jay

[geo g]

PFD is a must when fishing alone.

[Bluebasser86]

I have a friend that knew these two well.  The accident happened at almost midnight.  No reason to be under full power in the dark of night without proper lighting as well!

 

Jeff

Even well lit there isn't any reason to be going full speed at night in a bass boat. A log or stump is still nearly invisible until it's too late even with a powerful spotlight at night. I know lakes like Table Rock have speed limits after dark to get people to slow down in the dark. It's easy to get complacent on a body of water we're very familiar with, but it only takes one time for a big log to be floating across the lake to turn a night of fishing into a bad accident. 

[Djf3864]

Never like hearing about these type of accidents.

[roadwarrior]

After almost 30 years of Search & Rescue, I've had a front row seat for many of these stories, both good and bad. The one thing I'll pass on is this - I've Never taken a Life Jacket off a Dead Man.

Stay Safe.

A-Jay

[bigbill]

Be careful when handling hooks, sharp knives etc. We tend to get over confident.