The Greatest Danger a Paddler Faces

[Swamp Girl]

After reading the thread about the greatest danger bass boaters face, here's a thread about paddling dangers. There are videos of canoes and kayaks going over waterfalls, both intentionally and unintentionally, being swallowed by whales, stalked by Great White Sharks, etc., but tipping without a PFD and falling into cold water with or without a PFD has to be the biggest killers. Then there are boats with motors:

 

 

 

[MN Fisher]

When I had my canoe, that second one happened to me more often than I can count...though it was wake boats on an inland lake.

[Justbass11]

I always give them all to room they need

[Swamp Girl]

10 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

When I had my canoe, that second one happened to me more often than I can count...though it was wake boats on an inland lake.

 

Did they return to help you?

 

5 minutes ago, Justbass11 said:

I always give them all to room they need

 

What if you have to cross open water and someone is coming at 70 mph?

[MN Fisher]

10 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said:

Did they return to help you?

I didn't flip or even get swamped...but no, they just kept on going.

[MRQturbo]

I keep a mini air horn near my seat at all times... If they don't see me.. I'll make sure they hear me.. But I'm pretty vigilant when boats are near me and my head is always on a swivel... 

[padlin]

The only things I worry about are falling out of the boat and the truck not starting when I’m done. Where I fish the only motors I see are the occasional trolling motor, so slim chance of getting cut in half. For falling out, other then the cold, I worry about trying to get to the side through solid weeds, also trying to stand in the muck, however deep that crud is. 
 

There’s no cell service where I fish, so a dead truck means a long walk.

[A-Jay]

This is not good ~

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=itnqUIqMPUA

#humanpopmax

A-Jay

[Koz]

8 hours ago, A-Jay said:

This is not good ~

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=itnqUIqMPUA

#humanpopmax

A-Jay

I think that guy’s name is Jonah.

 

His friend that filmed it is Ahab.

[Swamp Girl]

11 hours ago, padlin said:

I worry about trying to get to the side through solid weeds, also trying to stand in the muck, however deep that crud is

 

Me too!

[Catt]

[MN Fisher]

@Catt - you just keep those down there, we want nothing to do with them.

[GreenPig]

16 hours ago, padlin said:

The only things I worry about are falling out of the boat and the truck not starting when I’m done. Where I fish the only motors I see are the occasional trolling motor, so slim chance of getting cut in half. For falling out, other then the cold, I worry about trying to get to the side through solid weeds, also trying to stand in the muck, however deep that crud is. 
 

There’s no cell service where I fish, so a dead truck means a long walk.

Walk away from my gear. Oh no.

[Catt]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

@Catt - you just keep those down there, we want nothing to do with them.

 

Sauce Piquant 😉

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Funny you should start this thread, as this video has been going viral recently.

 

I forgot to send it to you the other day.   This is why I wouldn't kayak fish in the ocean 

 

 

 

ETA:  Here's the full video by him, it's a better watch as it gives context to where he's at and how fast it can go south

MASSIVE GREAT WHITE SHARK HUNTS MY KAYAK! ( Terrifying SOLO Encounter )

[MN Fisher]

29 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Sauce Piquant 😉

You prepare it and ship it up here....I'll eat it.

[gim]

Honestly I think it would be the wake boat waves.  I've got a bass boat and when one or more of those tsunamis approach, I brace myself and try to position the boat to absorb them.  The thought of taking them on in a canoe or a yak seems far more daunting.

[Swamp Girl]

3 minutes ago, gim said:

Honestly I think it would be the wake boat waves.  I've got a bass boat and when one or more of those tsunamis approach, I brace myself and try to position the boat to absorb them.  The thought of taking them on in a canoe or a yak seems far more daunting.

 

Thankfully, I've yet to encounter one. 

[gim]

1 minute ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Thankfully, I've yet to encounter one. 

 

I think you're probably pretty safe on those bogs and marshes.  They need a solid concrete ramp to launch and load too.

 

The damage they cause to lakes and shorelines is catastrophic.  And yet, none of them seem to care.

[Swamp Girl]

2 minutes ago, gim said:

 

I think you're probably pretty safe on those bogs and marshes.  They need a solid concrete ramp to launch and load too.

 

The damage they cause to lakes and shorelines is catastrophic.  And yet, none of them seem to care.

 

They should fiddle like the Roman emperor, Nero, as they destroy the shorelines.

[MN Fisher]

2 hours ago, gim said:

The damage they cause to lakes and shorelines is catastrophic.  And yet, none of them seem to care.

Why do you think so many shoreline owners are getting rip-rap put in?

[MediumMouthBass]

6 hours ago, gim said:

Honestly I think it would be the wake boat waves.  I've got a bass boat and when one or more of those tsunamis approach, I brace myself and try to position the boat to absorb them.  The thought of taking them on in a canoe or a yak seems far more daunting.

The wake boaters and jetskiers are the biggest nuisance on the water a fisherman can encounter, regardless of what you are fishing off of. The wake they cause is only half the issue, the other half is they are usually (not always though, theres a few good ones) very irresponsible and think they are the kings of the water. Going in every direction, sometimes even right at you.

 

When im on the jon boat the wake they cause is very unpleasant, i have to sit down anytime i see one coming and even when seated its still a very uneasy feeling, i feel like im in a pinball machine. The kayaks however arent that bad, atleast the ones i have. I can go head on into the wake or line up parrel with it and get hit by it, im not sure what makes them different. The only times they cause an issue is if anchored, this can be very catastrophic if a quick detach anchor system isnt used. You are almost guarenteed to flip without one.

Or if fishing near the bank, the wake will shove you towards the docks or rocks/wood along the bank, and when you try to paddle away from it you just keep getting hit over and over again by the wakes that follow that first one. And on the lakes i fish being around 100 acres im guessing you can imagine how much i enjoy sharing the water with them.

 

[gim]

40 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

And on the lakes i fish being around 100 acres im guessing you can imagine how much i enjoy sharing the water with them.

 

I could see how a small lake gets churned into washing machine pretty quick.  Extremely dangerous and irresponsible.

[TnRiver46]

18 hours ago, gim said:

Honestly I think it would be the wake boat waves.  I've got a bass boat and when one or more of those tsunamis approach, I brace myself and try to position the boat to absorb them.  The thought of taking them on in a canoe or a yak seems far more daunting.

My buddy Mike chases the wake boats in his kayak and surfs them on purpose 

 

live a little ! 

[Swamp Girl]

32 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

My buddy Mike chases the wake boats in his kayak and surfs them on purpose 

 

When I was young, I'd cut across the wakes of lower Mississippi River tows that were longer than aircraft carriers and headed upriver. Big wakes. Big fun. It was also fun paddling Class III rapids in open boats and rappelling into caves.

 

Nowadays, I enjoy quiet places. I think someone should build giant swimming pools filled with beer for jet skiers and wakeboats. Their wakes would do little damage to the concrete. The concrete lakes could be surrounded by giant speakers playing ACDC on a loop.

 

Luckily for me and the shorelines, if a jet skier or wakeboater launched where I fish (not an easy task with no ramps), the rocks just under the surface would soon restore the peace and quiet and the sunken watercraft would be good structure going forward.