Body of missing kayaker found in Caney Fork River

[Harold Scoggins]

https://smithcountyinsider.com/home-page-featured/body-of-missing-kayaker-found-in-caney-fork-river/?fbclid=IwAR3pKcLBNgsNjrxXo7PdTRlh110c5X6zWCe5wEScd64xVfsKm68XrUwbnW4

PFD was found inside the kayak. 

 

Please, wear your PFD.

[A-Jay]

Sad.

A-Jay 

[MN Fisher]

12 minutes ago, Harold Scoggins said:

https://smithcountyinsider.com/home-page-featured/body-of-missing-kayaker-found-in-caney-fork-river/?fbclid=IwAR3pKcLBNgsNjrxXo7PdTRlh110c5X6zWCe5wEScd64xVfsKm68XrUwbnW4

PFD was found inside the kayak. 

 

Please, wear your PFD.

Too many people forget this one basic rule...mainly taking their cue from those on YouTube making vids.

[slonezp]

He probably succumbed to hypothermia before he passed. I wasn't there and don't know what happened. An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.

[Bird]

Very sad. 

[hoosierbass07]

Yes sad.  I always wear my life jacket while on my kayak.  Also, kayaking and alcohol do not mix.  

[Bluebasser86]

When we were out Wednesday as a family, 2 teenage girls were fighting the howling wind, in the middle of the lake, in inflatable kayaks, with no life jackets. Water temp was 48*, small white caps. Made me wonder if their parents didn't know or just had a big life insurance policy on them?

[dickenscpa]

When I got into kayak fishing back in September, my wife and two kids wanted kayaks too. My boat hasn't gotten wet since and we go out a lot together. I live just West of the Caney and we were going to kayak it Saturday, but decided to drive an extra 150 miles and hike Panther Creek on foot.

 

The main reason was I had just fished Friday and the water temp was 56. It did get up to 80 on Saturday here but wasn't expecting a huge jump in fast moving water temp. PLUS we have gotten a TON of rain lately. The ramps I've launched at last Mon, Wed and Fri were so high that the courtesy dock and parking lot were underwater. This was just a local backwater with no current, not a river with strong current like Caney. So we decided on hiking on foot on marked trails. Wasn't gonna risk it with my wife and two kids.

 

Not wearing a PFD is just insane in any water. I'm an exceptional swimmer. I was a lifeguard back in the day and even got my ocean cert. People don't understand that when you go swimming you get in the water on YOUR terms. When you're in a boat/kayak, 99.99% you get in the water it's NOT on YOUR terms and that's where the problem comes in. Ultra cold water can put you into shock and you could pass out or you could fall and knock your self out - way too many variables to take a chance. I used to only wear my PFD on my bass boat when the big motor was on and I put an end to that long ago and wore a self inflate even while up front on the trolling motor.

 

I'm not big on speed on water. May be one of the reasons I've taken so strong to kayak fishing over my bass boat. I was a co angler in a tournament years ago and he was in that 60 mph range and I'm not gonna sit here and lie - I was TERRIFIED. I told him to let me off at the bank and I'd call my wife to come get me. He laughed and offered to slow down. He kept fishing and we were gonna be late getting back. He punched it and hit something underwater. We were both thrown from the boat and both wearing PFDs. I hit my head and it didn't knock me out but I was very unaware of my surroundings for a bit. I had an inflatable and wound up face up. He was wearing trad and knocked out face down.

 

To this day I don't know how I had the bearings to get to him and get him on top of that boat until help came. Afterwards I could NOT get myself on the boat. Usually I would have hung on to the motor and trimmed it up but the motor was gone. I hung on to the boat and let the PFD hold me. It seemed like everything around me was silent and in slow motion until help showed up and then everything was loud, frantic and fast paced.

 

I didn't know that guy that morning and we have been friends for years now. He's a pro fisherman and I've done his taxes for years now.

[Guitarfish]

I put my pfd on before I get near the launch.  If I have anyone with me they wear one too, or get out of my boat.

 

I'm old now but jumped into a cold swimming pool when I was 20 something, the shock almost stopped me from reaching the shallow end.  I remember that every time I'm on the water.

I'm careful because that scares the bejeebers out of me.  One reason anyway.  (See below).

 

I hired a well known bass pro to guide me one time.  We launched, putted out to the main channel and he took off!  I thought it was insane.  Going 60+ with no seat belt, lol.  Closed my eyes, they were watering bad.

 

I recovered a body a year ago.  I feel sorry for those first responders that do that all the time. Maybe they put it out of their minds, but it messed with me.  The sheriff's dept. gave me the card of their in house psychologist, which I thought was odd at the time.  A few days after I was wacked emotionally thinking about his wife and kids.  Bad dreams, the whole enchilada.  I would see his face again, vividly. He wasn't pretty after 4 days in the water.  And I hadn't heard of a drowning, so the shock when I realized what I was looking at was pretty intense.  

 

Please find a comfortable one and wear it.

[dickenscpa]

3 hours ago, Guitarfish said:

I put my pfd on before I get near the launch.  If I have anyone with me they wear one too, or get out of my boat.

 

I'm old now but jumped into a cold swimming pool when I was 20 something, the shock almost stopped me from reaching the shallow end.  I remember that every time I'm on the water.

I'm careful because that scares the bejeebers out of me.  One reason anyway.  (See below).

 

I hired a well known bass pro to guide me one time.  We launched, putted out to the main channel and he took off!  I thought it was insane.  Going 60+ with no seat belt, lol.  Closed my eyes, they were watering bad.

 

I recovered a body a year ago.  I feel sorry for those first responders that do that all the time. Maybe they put it out of their minds, but it messed with me.  The sheriff's dept. gave me the card of their in house psychologist, which I thought was odd at the time.  A few days after I was wacked emotionally thinking about his wife and kids.  Bad dreams, the whole enchilada.  I would see his face again, vividly. He wasn't pretty after 4 days in the water.  And I hadn't heard of a drowning, so the shock when I realized what I was looking at was pretty intense.  

 

Please find a comfortable one and wear it.

You were just out fishing and discovered a dead body?! Holy smokes that would freak me out!! I don't even do well at a funeral in a controlled setting.

 

If my boater would've been killed back then it would've affected me greatly. Even though I didn't know him really that day and now we're close friends it would've scarred me I'm sure.

 

People just don't realize how the shock occurs in water below 70*. If you go swimming and take it slow it's one thing but to fall in or go in all at once it's a different story. It causes a lot of people to suck in a large breath.

 

Everybody just stay safe!

[Guitarfish]

Discovered and recovered.   That urge to suck in air is a reflex and you are lucky if you don't do that.

 

I also got repeated requests from the District attorney to appear to testify, so I got reminded of it over and over.  Charges were brought to the careless boater that over loaded his aluminum boat and had no life vests on board.  The boater was moving a group back across the lake after a picnic.  Didn't make it.  Swamped and flipped.  Group didn't notice anyone was gone until they made shore.  He never came up, until I found him, four days later. 

[dickenscpa]

On 3/30/2020 at 4:27 PM, Guitarfish said:

Discovered and recovered.   That urge to suck in air is a reflex and you are lucky if you don't do that.

 

I also got repeated requests from the District attorney to appear to testify, so I got reminded of it over and over.  Charges were brought to the careless boater that over loaded his aluminum boat and had no life vests on board.  The boater was moving a group back across the lake after a picnic.  Didn't make it.  Swamped and flipped.  Group didn't notice anyone was gone until they made shore.  He never came up, until I found him, four days later. 

I feel for you man. Hope the bad passes sooner rather than later for you. 

[Glenn]

I kinda go overboard on the safety thing (pun intended).  Attached to our lifevests, I have:

• Emergency whistle
• Water-activated strobe light
• Buoyant GPS Personal Locator Beacon (yup, the kind maritime crews wear)

Pricey, yes, indeed it all is.  But then again, you'd gladly spend that much and 100x more just to see your loved one again, rather than see them at their funeral.

 

 

 

[kayaking_kev]

I've had very few chances to get out in the kayak lately with a ton of rain & wind, but when I had the chance, I passed on it, because the water is still below 50. I have never flipped my kayak & was out in it January last year, but all these stories like this one has made me just bank fish until the water warms up. I do wear my NRS Chinook life vest when kayaking, but it's just not worth it, I'm skinny guy who would turn into a Popsicle rather quick. I would like to have a nice dry suit though, but they're expensive.

[Guitarfish]

Hey guys, I didn't want to make this important topic about me at all.  I'm just an old guy that stumbled into a mess.

After posting my recollection, I went back and looked it up in a local online newspaper.  To my surprise it was almost 4 and half years.  Oct. 2015!  That's how fresh it seemed in my mind when I talked about it.  I apologize.

 

In reading I found that three others have drowned there since.  None were wearing vests.

 

Just wear the darn thing.

[Sam]

6 hours ago, Glenn said:

I kinda go overboard on the safety thing (pun intended).  Attached to our lifevests, I have:

• Emergency whistle
• Water-activated strobe light
• Buoyant GPS Personal Locator Beacon (yup, the kind maritime crews wear)

Pricey, yes, indeed it all is.  But then again, you'd gladly spend that much and 100x more just to see your loved one again, rather than see them at their funeral.

 

 

 

Glenn, I had a safety inspection of my Ranger last month and the gentleman performing the inspection told me to get an orange flag on a stick to wave in case of trouble while on the water. He said boaters can see a waving orange flag if you wave it. Trying to find one now.

 

He also had me upgrade my fire extinguisher to a larger model that holds more repellent.

 

Thanks for the other two suggestions. I will look for the strobe light and locator beacon.

 

You all be safe and stay indoors.

 

 

[Harold Scoggins]

8 hours ago, Glenn said:

I kinda go overboard on the safety thing (pun intended).  Attached to our lifevests, I have:

• Emergency whistle
• Water-activated strobe light
• Buoyant GPS Personal Locator Beacon (yup, the kind maritime crews wear)

Pricey, yes, indeed it all is.  But then again, you'd gladly spend that much and 100x more just to see your loved one again, rather than see them at their funeral.

 

 

 

You can never go "overboard" when it comes to safety.

[CountryboyinDC]

We've got a couple of kayakers missing around here today.  They found one kayak and paddle.  I hope somehow they're on land finding a way to survive.  It's too cold around here for them to be in the water for long.

https://wtop.com/anne-arundel-county/2020/04/md-coast-guard-searching-for-2-missing-kayakers/

[Guitarfish]

Related to the Kennedy clan. That family has regular bad luck.

[kayl.]

IF you complain that your PFD isn't comfortable enough to wear all day you just haven't found the right one! Try a NRS Chinook, it's an amazing kayak PFD for fishing!

[MN Fisher]

9 minutes ago, kayl. said:

IF you complain that your PFD isn't comfortable enough to wear all day you just haven't found the right one! Try a NRS Chinook, it's an amazing kayak PFD for fishing!

THIS!

 

I'm on my third PFD in three years. Last year's was 'okay', but not totally comfortable...but I still wore it all the time I was on the water.

 

Hopefully, I'll get out on the water and get to see if the newest one is 'the one'.

[Sam]

Horrible. Just horrible.

 

People have no idea of the power of water and wind.

 

Makes me sick to read of events like this that should never happen.

[NHBull]

It’s not public yet, but we lost one in a canoe yesterday. Still searching for the body?

[kayaking_kev]

It's amazing how fast water conditions can change on the water without warning, even if you pay attention to the weather forecast. I took the kayak out yesterday for the first time and when I first got out on the water it was hot and beautiful out with little wind, and as soon as I got on the other side of the lake, the weather changed in an instance. The wind picked up, small white caps developed and it got pretty cold. I immediately started back across and was going directly into the waves, but I'm lucky I got to paddle straight into the waves and not parallel to them. It was the 2nd time something like this happened to me and luckily this wasn't as bad as the first, but the water was much colder this time.