deal
Missing Fishermen Port Burwell
- Thread starter Corey06
- Start date
Makes you think about what and how you do things. I have fished the Great Lakes since I was 4 years old and I am now 67. I have run charters for 30 years and also fished with friends and fished solo many, many times. We have lost many to Lake Erie and I for one have seen her many many times go from glass to get the hell off the lake fast. I am very careful when I fish alone but I could be more careful. I only wear my pfd when the water is very rough( I know I should wear it at all times when solo) I also keep a close eye on the weather and after a life time of fishing I can usually judge when things are going to turn for the worse. That being said things can get unpredictable. Take Saturday morning as I was having the best day in a long time and catching fish like crazy while I was out solo. When I brought the 9 lb Walleye into the boat I did not expect it to go crazy on me and thrash the Riplin Redfin into my leg. I was going crazy reaching for my pliers to get the fish off the RRF. Things could have been worse if I had panicked and fell overboard with no life jacket on. My words are just be damn careful out there because old lady Erie does not give second chances.
outdoors4me
Member
Agreed, I was out as well. Anything but calm, Sail flow was way off. It said less than 1' but definatly more than 3' waves consistantly and like you said some 6' waves
Your VHF radio is no good to you when you are in the lake. Mine is attached to my PFD so if I am ejected from my bass boat or things should go bad a simple touch of a button and I know rescue is on the way, they know my boat and me exact co-ordinates. I am really surprised more guys don't have this. It saves lives.
One thig about boat safety that hasn't been mentioned and may have been the case in this tragedy and that is DON'T TRY AND PEE OVER THE SIDE OF THE BOAT. I'm sure may lives have been lost as a result of this.
Trevor M
Well-Known Member
No that has been discussed.
I thought everyone knows that is what a Folgers coffee plastic can is for.
Crummybun
Well-Known Member
I never wore a life jacket. If I had one on, it was because I thought there was a real chance the boat could go under.
I've heard way to many stories that end in tragedy that would have been avoided by wearing a life jacket. Not implying that this was the case with Jack. I just can't understand with the inflatable pfd's being as comfortable and affordable why people don't wear them. There are way to many scenarios that can play out on the water to be prepared for them all. It just makes sense to be your first line of defense.
I'm reformed, and I hope my kids follow my example I'm setting for them now.
I've heard way to many stories that end in tragedy that would have been avoided by wearing a life jacket. Not implying that this was the case with Jack. I just can't understand with the inflatable pfd's being as comfortable and affordable why people don't wear them. There are way to many scenarios that can play out on the water to be prepared for them all. It just makes sense to be your first line of defense.
I'm reformed, and I hope my kids follow my example I'm setting for them now.
Should be mandatory to wear a pfd if you’re on a boat. Doesn’t make sense to have them sitting in a storage compartment and that’s ok. It’s like saying you don’t need to wear a seatbelt in a vehicle because their in the vehicle. Guess what when you actually need one its too late.
Solo is a drugI hope he at least had a life jacket on when he ended up in the water. Survival time without it even in 70-80 F water is only between 2-12 hours due to exhaustion or unconsciousness. After all this time there's rarely a good ending so at this point we need a miracle or Erie has claimed another solo fisherman. SAD.
I definitely agree with you @Bandwagon . A VHF radio is no use if you're ejected, and my PLB is always attached to me. What I meant when I said the VHF radio is arguably more versatile is, it's able to be used in non-emergency situations as well, such as a break down. A PLB would only be useful in dire straits when SAR is needed, in the case of ejection or serious injury. In an ejection case though, the kill switch should be activated and in calm conditions, shouldn't require a call to SAR
It really is. Just being able to fish at your own pace, where you want, and come and go as you please is an awesome feeling. There's no way to completely eliminate the danger, but we do need to be smarter about it, like ALWAYS wearing our PFDs and having a reliable way of getting help should something happen. Always wearing the kill cord, etc, etc.
I'm all for doing as you please, but I've also realized this past week, that should something happen, this community worries and hurts just as much as the friends and families do. It's not something you find everywhere and something I'm very glad i stumbled upon. It definitely changes the weight of the risks for me
Teddy69
Well-Known Member
My condolences to his family and friends it’s so sad
I normally fish alone 2 or 3 times a season I always wear my pull cord PFD it’s comfortable and not hot well worth the extra cost I wear it all the time now put it on as I’m headed out the river in Burwell and leave it on till I’m back in the river on the way in in my opinion the law for the Great Lakes should be that every person on board is wearing a PFD I think most people would be extremely surprised how long it would take to turn around and pick someone up while trolling I’m sure most fisherman would be rather surprised how long it takes when your trying to tread water while your buddy’s are trying to turn around especially if they try and bring in a few Rods to avoid tangled gear I’m no in exactly the same shape I was 25 years ago lol I know I’d be dam tired
I normally fish alone 2 or 3 times a season I always wear my pull cord PFD it’s comfortable and not hot well worth the extra cost I wear it all the time now put it on as I’m headed out the river in Burwell and leave it on till I’m back in the river on the way in in my opinion the law for the Great Lakes should be that every person on board is wearing a PFD I think most people would be extremely surprised how long it would take to turn around and pick someone up while trolling I’m sure most fisherman would be rather surprised how long it takes when your trying to tread water while your buddy’s are trying to turn around especially if they try and bring in a few Rods to avoid tangled gear I’m no in exactly the same shape I was 25 years ago lol I know I’d be dam tired
My rule on my boat is if someone goes overboard
The scissors are kept here…. cut each line and turn around as fast as possible. I don’t care about the few hundred $$ in dipsy divers spoons and possibly new Line if someone life is on the line
But I hear what your saying if it’s rough and the person who went in didn’t catch their breath before hand and go under it’s sketchy. May never see the come up again.
Teddy69
Well-Known Member
I don’t care about the cost I’d just spin around without even cutting the lines I’m just saying it would take longer then you think it would to turn around
Another safety tip for Great Lakes fishing especially Erie I always have side cutters out and ready in case my riggers hooked a commercial net that can be disastrous especially if it’s a bit ruff out
I feel like the lines could get in the way trying to get the person out of the water
Teddy69
Well-Known Member
I hope I never have to find out
I can provide a personal anecdote, except it wasn't a person it was a trout that broke me off and floated there with my spoon in it's mouth. We did a 180 and went back and netted it. Tangled up all my lines but wasn't that big of a deal to sort them out. I'd not even think about the lines, they're just kind of there.
I fish out of Port Maitland and most times I'm alone. I probably spend 100 - 150 hrs on the lake each year. I only have the main motor so the kill switch should be enough. I've tried to think of everything I can do to make each trip safe. I ALWAYS wear my inflatable PFD and I just bought a new 10ft kill switch lanyard so I can walk pretty much anywhere on my boat without ever detaching. I bought a VHF radio with the emergency DSC function. I get an updated weather report just before I leave and keep a close eye on the weather when I'm out there. At one point I even had an anemometer to measure wind speed so I could tell if the wind was picking up even slightly. At the first sign of weather I toss everything in the boat and head to port. After reading about the ACR safety device that's going to be my next purchase. I also ALWAYS kneel down in the boat to have a leak even on calm days. I don't know anything else I can do to stay safe, any suggestions?
Terrible tragedy.
I know in the past I've had close calls on the water that could have gone sideways fast and ended the same way. The last couple of years I have started wearing an automatic inflatable life jacket and have an Inreach Mini sat communicator in my pocket without fail when going out solo, or when kids are in the boat. The basic subscription I believe is $22 per month and can be suspended in the off season if you choose. I originally bought both to have on remote moose hunts, but just as important out on the lake and on the ice. Both are cheap insurance
P.S. every boat should have a VHF, regardless of whether you have a license or not. IMHO
I know in the past I've had close calls on the water that could have gone sideways fast and ended the same way. The last couple of years I have started wearing an automatic inflatable life jacket and have an Inreach Mini sat communicator in my pocket without fail when going out solo, or when kids are in the boat. The basic subscription I believe is $22 per month and can be suspended in the off season if you choose. I originally bought both to have on remote moose hunts, but just as important out on the lake and on the ice. Both are cheap insurance
P.S. every boat should have a VHF, regardless of whether you have a license or not. IMHO