That's me, the furry one....
I don’t either. But I should. Quick story:
Last summer I had my son and my father out on the boat, fishing the salt. A 40+ foot sailboat came literally straight at us. I kept thinking the guy would turn – I was looking right at him, then yelling, waving my arms.
When his bow was about 10 yards from us, I told my father and son to get ready to ditch. My boy was the only one wearing a life jacket.
At the last second his wife or girlfriend popped up from the cabin, looked at us, then screamed at the guy, and he turned the wheel. I could’ve touched the hull.
That was the closest call that day, but not the only one. Fishing in the ocean off NJ is like fishing on the NJ Turnpike. Nuts.
Anyhow, that gave me PFD paranoia. Every time I go out in the boat I think about wearing a PFD. I don’t do it, but I think about it.
And here I am thinking about it again after reading about a father-son team almost drowning while practicing Saturday for a bass derby on Lake Norman. From the Charlotte Observer:
> The men were preparing for an upcoming fishing tournament and the boat was traveling about 40 mph when it struck something that bent the boat’s propeller. The water there was 30 to 40 feet deep and 54 degrees.
> “In that ice-cold water, it takes only 5 minutes to go into hypothermia shock,” said Officer Ron Robertson of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “Your body shuts down from the sudden shock. Once that happens, even (Olympic swimmer) Michael Phelps couldn’t swim in that shape.”
> Robertson said the men had jackets on board, but by N.C. law weren’t required to wear them (only children under 13 are required to wear life jackets). One jacket went overboard with the two men. He said Todd Burchett was able to get that jacket to his father.
> By the time two other fishermen [who rescued the pair] got to the Burchetts, Ronnie Burchett was under water and the boat was circling. “Even though he was hanging onto the life jacket, he was going down,” Robertson said. “He was very close to losing his life. He’d aspirated quite a bit of water.”
> “That’s why we advise everyone, children and adults, to wear life jackets. You just never know when something unforeseen is going to come up and get you into trouble. Wearing life jackets would have helped both those men. This incident ought to serve as a good eye-opener for adults.”
The father and son were 75 and 41, but a 21-year-old kayaker also almost drowned recently because he didn’t have a life jacket with him. That was in Florida, so had nothing to do with water temps. Just swimming and current.
I know I’m being stupid when I don’t fish in one, but….
Do you wear one at all times? Would you?
8 Comments
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Jacob Robinson
March 7, 2011 at 1:09 pm
I really just wear them in tournaments. Sometimes i might put mine on when the waters rough though.
Jason
March 7, 2011 at 3:02 pm
I used to not think about life jackets much when I strictly bass fished, but fishing in the salt has changed that.
The water we navigate in the Galveston Bay system isn’t deep. In most places it averages 3-5 feet and in lots cases we’re running in water that ranges from 8- to 24-inches deep.
All it took was me nearly getting tossed out of my skiff when I hit a culvert in an oilfield marsh for me to change my mind about PFDs.
I started wearing it occasionally, then more frequently. Now I feel weird if I run the boat without it. I don’t always buckle it up, but I usually slip it on if I’m going to make a run any longer than a few hundred yards.
I wear my kill switch, too. Just call me Safety Sam.
Jeremy Adair
March 7, 2011 at 5:39 pm
My wife and I almost got flattened by a deep-v going into a blind turn on a river chain where we used to camp. That kind of thing has a tendency to change one’s perspective. So, now I always wear a PFD running the big motor on water that has a lot of blind turns like that or if it’s busy or unfamiliar. Although, it’s usually when you feel safe that bad stuff happens.
If I’m running the trolling motor, I don’t wear the PFD that I have due to its bulk. I need to pick up one of those inflatables..
Jeremy Adair
March 7, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Love that picture, by the way.
Chad Keogh
March 7, 2011 at 7:06 pm
I have an inflatable PFD and try to wear it at all times when the big motor is running.
B.J. Krestian
March 8, 2011 at 2:44 pm
I wear my PFD EVERY time the big motor is on. When I tournament fish as a co-angler, I will often times wear an inflatable all day; helps get me in my seat just a little bit faster when it is time to go.
When I had a boat, I would wear my PFD all the time especially when I was alone and the water was cold.
Bass Pundit
March 8, 2011 at 8:10 pm
I don’t wear one in my boat unless I’m out on Mille Lacs. It’s only got a 25 horse and goes 25mph max. If I’m in a boat that can go over 30mph I will wear one when running.
bill moore
March 18, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Water temp below 65 always wear it and whenever I’m under power with the outboard.
I was in a hurry one day and jumped in a bathtub not knowing the water heater was not working… my back muscles locked up when I hit the cold water… made me think. I spent the extra bucks on auto inflatables too.