Suicidal Fisherman

[trout_bum]

I was wade fishing the north bank just below outlet 3 with one unit generating yesterday. I had been fishing there by myself for around fifteen minutes with nobody else around and had managed to catch several rainbows. I looked upstream and saw a young man about 100 yards away, probably in his early 20's, fishing right where outlet 3 dumps into the river. I continued to fish, occasionally looking upstream when I notice that the young man was no longer fishing where he was ten minutes earlier. Instead, he had waded out to about mid-river just downstream from where rebar would be during low water. The water was at his thigh and very swift. He continued on across towards the stump until the water was almost to the top of his waders. I stood there in disbelief as he started flinging his fly rod around with reckless abandon not knowing the magnitude of danger he had put him into. It doesn't take a genius to realize that this guy had reached the point of no return and only had one option.

I decided to make my way back up to the pavilion to prepare to use the emergency phone. On my way up I noticed him lose his balance a couple times and recover. Then the inevitable happened. He tried wading back upstream from where he came, but the force of the current wouldn't let him. At this point I could tell he was panicking as I stood there unable to do anything to help. He lost his footing one more time, ditched his fly rod and down he went. I immediately started running upstream to get to the phone. I looked downstream several times to see him franticly swimming towards the opposite bank. I finally made it to the outlet 3 stairs and looked downstream one more time, but I couldn't locate him. I thought he was a goner until I saw him crawling up on the bank down at the rocking chair hole. I finally got up to my truck and made my way over the dam to go pick him up, but they had the gate closed

[KCRIVERRAT]

Did you pick him up? Is he all right?

[trout_bum]

Did you pick him up? Is he all right?

I wasn't able to get to him because they had the road that goes down to rocking chair closed for the 4th of July. I'm not sure why they had it closed, but they did. I'm sure he was fine though. He was walking around on the bank. It could have been a lot worse than it was though.

[Buzz]

I wasn't able to get to him because they had the road that goes down to rocking chair closed for the 4th of July. I'm not sure why they had it closed, but they did. I'm sure he was fine though. He was walking around on the bank. It could have been a lot worse than it was though.

It's amazing that his waders didn't sink him like an anchor. If they weren't full of Taney water, I bet they filled up with yellow water.

[Randall]

I don't think full waders will sink a person, but I do agree that he probably had some warm water in there with the cold when it was all said and done.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Heck Buzz, let's just float right by them Taney novices. I'm sure they're lovin' that remark!

[MOFish]

My dad (age 72) lost one of his good friends this way fishing a river in Colorado. The friend slipped into a deep hole, water filled his waders, and he didn't have the strength to swim back to shore. The search team found his body a couple of miles downstream wedged under a bank.

[ozarkgunner]

My dad (age 72) lost one of his good friends this way fishing a river in Colorado. The friend slipped into a deep hole, water filled his waders, and he didn't have the strength to swim back to shore. The search team found his body a couple of miles downstream wedged under a bank.

This is the reason I ALWAYS wear a wader belt! It saves lives when the S**T hits the fan. An extra $15 can save your life.

[Vbenson]

This is the reason I ALWAYS wear a wader belt! It saves lives when the S**T hits the fan. An extra $15 can save your life.

I seem to recall seeing a picture of Lee wolf diving head first off a bridge, to prove that full waders will not sink a person. I think it was in Fly rod and reel magazine. If I remember correctly, the theroy was that once the waders were full, the specfic gravity equaled that of the surrounding water. Anyone else see this?

[BKB]

IMO, i agree that waders once full do not really "weigh you down" because the force of water is equal all the way around them. I think that they just make it really hard to swim and get out of a difficult situation. I have saved my old pair of waders for a future dip in a swimming pool to test my opinion out. We will see!