Accident during fishing

[DADAKOTA]

A buddy and I had waded the Little Piney down to the RR bridge.  We were going to cross the bridge and walk back to the truck.  I started across while he was still fishing.  Stepped out on the first bridge support and spotted a nice smallie in the calm water behind the support.  Dropped my bait in there and missed the fish 3 times.  Rolled it in their one more time and hooked up on the 15+ inch fish.  Not sure if I forgot where I was or what, but the next thing I knew I was falling off the top of the support.  I pitched my rod toward the bank and spun trying to grab the top of the support.  All that got me was scraped skin from my elbows to my hands.  Landed in a brush pile on the bank side of the support in about 2 feet of water.  My buddy figured I must have broken something.  Managed to stand up, a little wobbly, with a few cuts, scrapes and bruises but nothing major.  Found my rod and the fish was still attached.  Managed to land it and figured it was time to start the walk to the truck.    

[Johnsfolly]

What is worse is when you know that you are going to fall and can't do anything to stop it. One trip down at Bennett's, I was fishing upstream from the whistle bridge and had a fly fisherman cross my line just as he was back casting. Just about ripped my rod out of my hand. However, it did knock one of my small tackle boxes containing many microjigs and flies into the water and down stream it went in a hurry. Not wanting to lose $50+ worth of tackle I started after it. I was running over the large boulders lining the bank on the downstream side of the bridge and lost my balance. I still took three or four more steps to regain my balance and realized that no matter what I did that I was falling into a pile of boulders. I just tucked my head down and braced for a painful landing. My shoulder and side took the brunt of the fall. I hit my head on one of the rocks and only the band of the hat hit and probably saved me from a serious concussion. It took me a coupke of seconds to mentally assess my condition before I tried to get up. Many of the folks that came to me were surprised that I was able to stand and actually walk away without too much problem. Someone had caught my tackle box downstream and returned it to me. I dont even recall if it was a man or woman. Called my wife and told her that I would rest a while to see how I felt before making the 2 hour drive home. I also let her know that I would call again if at anytime I didn't think that I could make it home.  I didn't have to make that call. Now I refer to that hat as my lucky hat. Most folks think that is because of the fish I catch when wearing it, but it is for when it protected me from sustaining any serious damage from that fall. In many of the pictures that I post I am wearing my lucky hat. Maybe it does help me catch fish as well.

So that was my accident. Looking back I could have yelled louder to the folks downstream to try to catch my tackle box, which may have prevented the accident. I guess that is why they are called accidents.

[fishinwrench]

One time I was Drunker than a hoot owl and fell out of my canoe, and lost my darn fly rod.   When I got back to the bank I realized that my cigs were soaked and my stupid lighter wouldn't work .   That's when I knew I was totally screwed. 

[joeD]

Once, icegirly got hurt.  Awwww. She wants to know how you big boys can prevent her from doing it again. Icegirly will be so grateful.  She fell down. Poor icegirly.

Please, be "her" hero.  Thanks ever so much.  

?

[Phil Lilley]

8 hours ago, joeD said:

Once, icegirly got hurt.  Awwww. She wants to know how you big boys can prevent her from doing it again. Icegirly will be so grateful.  She fell down. Poor icegirly.

Please, be "her" hero.  Thanks ever so much.  

?

Where'd you get those lips!?

[ness]

Fishing the Little Red in 1999, slipped and landed on a rock tailbone first. Easily the most pain I've ever experienced. The worst drive home too because I didn't have a way to stay off it. It hurt daily for years and years. Still hurts if I sit on it wrong.

[bfishn]

1 hour ago, Phil Lilley said:

Where'd you get those lips!?

Thanks for the clarification Phil, I thought it was a moustache riding a Polish sausage... :-)

[David Unnerstall]

First let me apologize for bringing this thread down.  But the individuals that I wish could answer this question are those who can't tell their story.  Every few weeks someone ends up dead doing what we do on a regular basis.  I want to know if it was just bad luck or a bad decision but many times we don't know.

[Old plug]

what tou want is someone to predict accidents for you. I do not know  how tharis posible. 

[MOPanfisher]

Usually bad accidents have some of both involved.  Often a bad choice that they have "gotten by" with for maybe years, suddenly catches up to them when things go bad.  I believe there was a drowning on Stockton over the weekend, someone jumping off a rock overhang.  May have done it a thousand times, but the reports indicated they landed flat on their stomach, I assume knocking the wind out of them, family/friends recovered the victim.

Fishinwrench, the son of a feller I fish with occasionally has little plastic box that holds a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, hangs around his neck.  I remember when I was a young snot, fishing with my dad at Caplinger Mill.  the rocks were slicker than raw snot on a hot skillet, I slipped and went down, struggling and flopping around before finally getting back to my feet.  My dad was laughing, of course I asked what was so dang funny about that.  he said when you fell you stuck your rod up in the air, and I could see where you were by watching the rod you were holding above the water.  Slick rocks in the creeks used to be my nemesis, I once fell for 100 yards down a small creek that the bottom was all shelf rock and slimy/slick,  didn't think I would ever get past that stretch, and dang sure wasn't getting out of the creek cause there weren't any fish on the bank.  One more even though it didn't involve fishing but I ended up at the edge of a creek.  Forsyth, Just outside of Shadow Rock Park, along a county road, that lead back up Swan Creek.  One sleet covered day, I stopped my truck and was looking at a small trail that lead down a fairly long steep slope.  Suddenly I was on my backsliding down the hill at an ever increasing speed, on the crust of frozen sleet, right toward the very cold looking creek.  Fortunately right at the bottom it leveled off before hitting the water, I rolled to within about 6 feet of the creek, stood up and looked around to see if anyone had seen me go for a ride.  Nope, looked up the hill, truck still there, door open and engine running.  I moved to the side, and stomped holes through the crusted sleet and moved hand over hand through the trees and brush back to the top before finally rolling over the top back into the road.  Sore for days, oh did I mention I was in full uniform.