Use your head

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

It's that time of year again.  Let's hear some helpful hints to keep everyone safe as the temps drop.

First and formost,

PFD's

Water temps are dropping quickly.  Your survival window shrinks exponentially with these drops.  Just going in immediately puts you in a "situation", no matter how close to shore you are.

Take your time when moving around on a boat.  Calculated moves, be aware of where you are stepping.

NEVER GO ALONE

Let someone on land know where you are going and when you'll be back.

Cell phone.

A good read

[jeremyt]

LBH,

Good heads up, I will also add that if you have a CG station in your area; file a float plan with them. We do this every trip out for the giants. Makes it a lot easier if god forbid you need them.

[Bass XL]

Cell phone.

A good read

Def. A must!!! being that it's winter...hardly anyone is going to be on the lake, so if you get stuck, your gonna be stuck out there for a long while unless you have a cell with u.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Yea, we do a thread like this every year.  Many of the same replies will be given as in years past but reading them again keeps them fresh in our minds and for newer folks, they get to gain the knowledge that we all have thrown around here for a few years now.

Knowledge is life in these cases.

**Save your "ice fishing specific" tips, that will be another thread when the water stiffens so it is fresh in the noggen

[LakeAnnaBasser]

Good looking out

[eastkybass]

Take an extra set of clothing incase you fall in.  In the time it may take you to get back in a wet set of clothing you could end up in rough shape.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Take an extra set of clothing incase you fall in.  In the time it may take you to get back in a wet set of clothing you could end up in rough shape.

Good point.  I'll add,..leave them in the car or truck, not in the boat.

[cart7t]

Take an extra set of clothing incase you fall in.  In the time it may take you to get back in a wet set of clothing you could end up in rough shape.

;D

I was out 2 weeks ago.  It was a very shallow ramp, I was pushing the boat off the trailer, stepped on the spare tire carrier and it shifted.... ooops.... I was clinging to the side of the boat, one leg dangling in the water.  Understand that I could've stood up on the ramp at this point and the water would've only been a little over knee height but I just didn't want to get wet.  I finally gave up, stood up in the water and finished launching.  Both lower legs wet.

Water temp = 55

Air temp in the morning = 40

No extra clothes in the truck.  I was frozen like a popscicle until the sun started really warming around 11am.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Folks, even if you think your suggestion is redundant or "obvious", please state it as I will be compiling this info for an article for the site.  Straight from your mouth's to our archive, because our members ARE the best Bass Resource.

[frogtog]

These are a must on a boat in the winter months. I take a 6" piece of rope and tie knots in it and tie it to my back seat poll. If you weigh 200 pounds you are going to need something to grab hold of to help pull you out, grabbing hold of a fiberglass boat just doesn't work, it's to slippery. I also keep a auto lighting

propane torch in my boat ( about $19.95 at any hard ware store ) Please keep your Life Vest on at all times. Extra clothing, flight plan

and plenty of coffee. If you want to know what it is like to fall out of a boat in

50 degree water, just go to the gym and grab 200lb of weight and try to but it over your head. Then imagine doing it wet and cold. Remember to keep your rods etc out of the way so you won't stumble over them. So be Safe out there this winter.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Frog- What is the torch for?

[frogtog]

You will need some thing to warm your hands with quick because your hands or going to be numb. This torch lights with one click of the finger. If necessary you can got to the bank and start a fire, very easy with this torch. I have falling in before and it was a job just trying to get the zipper down on my jump suite..

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Excellent.

We contemplated buying a small ceramic heater (12v)  The torch will fit the same bill and be more resourceful (Starting fire on shore, etc), cheaper and easier to store.  (plus I often drop my Cigarette lighter into the wet part of the boat,lol)

Sidenote- as with a fire extinguisher, store the propane cylinder as far away from the fuel source as possible,...and store it securely.

Excellent.  Thanks  

[fishfordollars]

Keep your eye on the weather, carry extra clothes, let someone know when you should return and where you are going, carry matches or lighter in a waterproff pouch just in case you have to spend the night, know how to gather dry material that will light in wet weather, extra oil for the boat,  an extra battery, and finally take along a little common sense. There will always be another day. Learn to cut your losses and live to fish another day.

[Randall]

I carry propane and one of the little screw on heaters that screw on the bottle of propane incase I fall in so I can warm up in the boat. I also have a waterproof box with matches and a lighter. I used to have a rope attached to the rear and front of the boat with a loop for my foot tied in it to help me get back in the boat but this year I am getting a rope ladder that attaches to the side of the boat.

[bocabasser]

down here in the winter, it is vital that you wear socks with your flipflops, so your toes don't get called.  

i can't even imagine what some of you guys must go through in the winter. a cold front just passed through last night, and it is freezing--- 62 degrees. i actually have a thermal under shirt on.

[Olebiker]

down here in the winter, it is vital that you wear socks with your flipflops, so your toes don't get called.

i can't even imagine what some of you guys must go through in the winter. a cold front just passed through last night, and it is freezing--- 62 degrees. i actually have a thermal under shirt on.

Now folks, you got to keep in mind that we Floridians freeze to death at room temperature.

[Tokyo Tony]

One thing I always do, regardless of the temperature, is keep my cell phone in a little ziplock bag.  I decided to do that after I ruined two cell phones on the water, but it's also a good idea for safety reasons.  Cell phones aren't too helpful when they're in your pocket and you're in the water, unless they're in the little baggy.

[Cajun1977]

besides all the good stuff mentioned already, i keep water and some food in the boat also i keep a extra life jacket at all times in case someone needs it. chapstick is also a must for me in the winter.

[Catt]

Keep your head warm; about 30% of one's body heat can be lost through the head. About 13-16% of the body's blood volume is in the head at any given time, but it is a very exposed structure, allowing it to lose heat pretty quickly. Incidentally, the neck is also a place of easy heat loss, so keep that scarf on as well!

Caffeine suppresses both thirst and hunger sensations and causes your kidneys to remove water from your bloodstream faster than they normally would (i.e., caffeine is a diuretic). Not only are you dehydrating yourself by taking a diuretic, but you also are fooling your body into believing it is not hungry or thirsty. Caffeine comes in many of our favorite winter (and summer) drinks like coffee, tea, and hot chocolate (or any chocolate, for that matter).

Alcohol also acts as a diuretic. In addition, it dilates the blood vessels of the skin, giving a false sense of warmth and affecting your thermal regulation and sweat control (to say nothing of its effect on your judgment!).

[Guest avid]

causes your kidneys to remove water from your bloodstream

Wow,

In Florida we call it taking a pisss  

[fishbear]

One thing I always do, regardless of the temperature, is keep my cell phone in a little ziplock bag.  I decided to do that after I ruined two cell phones on the water, but it's also a good idea for safety reasons.  Cell phones aren't too helpful when they're in your pocket and you're in the water, unless they're in the little baggy.

Since I work in the Cell phone accessory business, there is now a pouch out that is waterproof, and you can use your phone thru it... it runs about 25.00, retail.  There is one for flip phones and one for candy bar style phones.  I keep my digital camera in a double ziplock baggy, but my cell phone goes in one of these.

Here is just one website, but there are many.

http://www.razorreef.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&categoryId=19154&top=Y&OVRAW=waterproof%20cell%20phone%20pouches&OVKEY=waterproof%20cell%20phone%20case&OVMTC=advanced&OVADID=1098339512&OVKWID=24436411012