Falling Overboard - Life Jackets Are A Must

[MeatintheFreezer]

I have had two experiences in my life where I have been in a boat with someone who has fallen over board in cold weather. I wanted to toss this out there to get a feel for how many times things like this actually happens.

1) 6-8 years ago I was fishing a bass club tournament in December with a retired gentlemen from Shell Knob in his boat. It was below freezing when we launched, a heavy frost on the dock & boats. We ran a few miles down the lake to our first spot. When he went to deploy his trolling motor, he stepped over his rods on the front deck placing his left foot on the edge of the boat. His foot slipped on the frost and he went right in. By the time I got up there, he was completely under water and in quite a panic. I grabbed him and began trying to hoist him out. I ended up pulling him to the back of the boat and used the motor trim to help lift him in. I bundled him up in my gortex and we ran back to the ramp. I stayed with the boat while he drove home and took a hot shower and changed clothes. He actually came back and fished the rest of the tournament, which is more than I would have wanted to do.

2) Last spring I took my dad to Stockton for some crappie. It was early spring, water in the low 40s, air temp about the same. We had only fished for 30 minutes or so when his coffee ran through him and he had to pee. He ended up losing his balance and falling in. I saw it starting to happen, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. By the time I got there, he was flailing around and didn't have any idea what was going on. I guess it was shock, but nothing I was saying was getting through. I got him to the fold down ladder on the back of the boat, but he couldn't climb up. He couldn't hang on to the motor enough for me to use the trim and lift him out either. I finally got him to hold on to the ladder while used the trolling motor to head toward the bank. Looking back at him, I couldn't see him any more so I was afraid he wasn't going to make it to the bank. Luckily we had made it to water that was 6 or 7 foot deep. I jumped in with him and was able to get my feet on the bottom and push him up into the boat. This whole ordeal probably only lasted a couple minutes, but it really took its toll on him. Most of the way home I wasn't sure if I should take him home or to the emergency room, but he finally started snapping out of it. The was, however, the last time to stepped into a boat. he said he was done after that.

My question is how many folks have had similar experiences with close calls? Both of these events above nobody was wearing a life vest including myself, which has since become a mandatory piece of equipment for anyone in my boat. I honestly feel that both men would have died had someone not been there to help them.

[WHARFRAT]

I have a friend that did regional bass tournaments 10-15 yrs ago. I'm not sure if it was cold out, but it was raining. He wore one of those high-tec (at the time) rainsuits that you could velcro tight against the ankles and wrists. He fell overboard, with his life jacket on. His fishing buddy was laughing at him for falling in. But the trouble came when water rushed in from the top of the suit and filled up with water, with hardly anyway out because he had the pants and jacket pulled tight at the ankles and wrists. Even with the lifejacket on he started to sink. He said he grabbed on to the bottom of the trolling motor, until his buddy realized what was going on and helped him.

He says now he never tightens his pant legs or his sleeves.

[Get_Tha_Net]

I was fishing a club tournament in March on Table Rock. Air temps were in the 30's and it was snowing. The guy I was in the boat with and I were both in the front of the boat so we could parallel fish a bluff. Standing side by side he accidentally hit the trolling motor and it was sharply turned away from the bluff and on high. He bumps me into the water. Luckily I didn't panick. Swam to the back of the boat and climbed up. By the time I got to the back of the boat I was already freezing and the cold water had basically paralyzed me. He had to help me in the boat. He had and extra set of clothes in the boat so I changed and continued fishing. In that case even with a life jacket I don't know if I would have had the strength to put myself in the boat.

[Old plug]

I myself am very careful in water under 55 degrees. At my age. (74) with a questionable heart and other things I know I would would not last long. When the body temperature drops so will the heart. Only experience I have ever had with this was in the late 50s 500 miles north of the arctic circle we had two S2F anti submarine aircraft collide and both went down. I remember the crews had what they then called poopy suits that were suppose to protect them if they went in. It took a chopper about 15 minutes to go to them but all six were dead. I think one or two from injury and the rest from exposure. I realize that is extreme cold but I still think it is less than 10 minutes in the 30s. It is a wonder more people do not drown from this.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I certainly agree with the vest, but in my experience of some knowledge with cold water dunking it shouldn't end there, Hypothermia can be deadly so a plan for getting out of the water quickly and having something to stop the loss of body heat is also important.

Space blankets are cheap and can help, but waders and a wool shirt will also work. You don't need to wear the waders, just have them available.

[ollie]

You don't have to be in a boat for all of that to happen either. A few years back my brother and I were fishing the Norfolk tail water and we were down just past Ace in hole where he took one too many steps off that ledge and went underwater. I was in a canoe anchored out in the middle and I saw him go under. When he surfaced he was right by the boat so I took up anchor and we got to shore where we addressed the situation much better. We decided to call it quits and drove back up to the motel where he got out of his waders ASAP and started to take a hot bath or shower. I was taught at early age to understand hypothermia and know what to do.

[Old plug]

You can bet your bottom dollar on that Ollie.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Had a white-water run in a canoe down Marble Creek (trib of St. Francis) about 15 years ago in December, 40 degree weather and spitting snow. Creek was at flood stage. Not sure what we were thinking. Hit the first set of rapids and wiped out bad. Pulled my buddy up who was holding onto a log for dear life. His head kept going underwater and coming up for breath and quickly losing his strength. Its really amazing how quickly he lost all his strength in that cold water. Anyway, got him out on dry land, change of clothes from the dry bag and he recovered pretty quickly by a fire. Then we had to float a little further to catch up to one of our dry bags that had our wallet and car keys in it. Luckily it was floating/swirling in an eddy. By that time, we had enough adventure, so we decided to drag canoe upstream, overland through a field that had an angry bull that was ready to charge us at any moment. Totally exhausted and happy to be alive.

[jdmidwest]

Anything over waist deep water if temps are below 50 and I have a jacket or an inflatable on. Knock on wood, I have not had to use it yet. My friends son dumped his yak duck hunting a lake in the dark last year, water was about 20 ft deep and cold. Yaks float no matter what and he was able to stay with it and get to the bank. He was calm and did not yell out, all we heard was a weird thrashing around. We did not know about it till he rowed up.