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| The fishing season in WI is two days old and we already have our first lost fishermen. Two men who were fishing on shore along the Black River tried to cross back to the other side when the boat began to take on water, and then capsized. Neither were wearing a pfd, but one managed to get a life jacket on before being tossed into the river. The other man is missing and presumed drowned. Rescue crews have mounted a recovery effort.
A pfd can save your life and even if you have a fatal medical emergency like a heart attack, at least your family won't have the agony of waiting for your body be recovered. If you won't do it for yourself, consider doing it for your family.
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Location: Athens, Ohio | And, do it for the folks who may have to come to recover you. They are taking a risk because you did.
I look at it like a seat belt: by the time you know you need it, it's prolly too late to put it on.
Condolences to the family and friends. m |
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| Good point about the rescue/recovery folks. Had a buddy years ago that was a volunteer fire fighter. He had nightmares for months after the boat he was in pulled up a body from the bottom. In his nightmares the guy was not dead and was screaming silently and they couldn't get him up out of the water. |
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Posts: 1188
| Virtually the same thing happened on Minnetonka today. Couple guys in a boat, without pfds, one gets bumped out, then the other. Boat spinning circles. One rescued, other lost. |
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Posts: 1671
| We don't have to wear those old ugly orange ones anymore. You can buy really nice vests that are warm & comfortable. Or the inflatables look nice. Funny thing, most of us think nothing of dumping $100 on a rod or a handful of baits, but a life jacket...................... |
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Posts: 1516
| In addition to a PFD I saw a post on another forum that recommended a
Device that replaces the kill switch clip. It’s called Autotether. It clips onto the kill switch and you have a remote for on your person , presumably the PFD, you are wearing, if the remote gets wet or you get to far away it sounds an alarm and pulls the clip off the kill switch. Thus, stoppping the boat from the circle of death or continuing down the lake. |
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Posts: 306
| Especially critical when alone.
A few additional thoughts:If you go out in high waves on big water with or without a PFD,you likely will never catch up to the drifting boat.(try with help around to verify)If you do,chances are very good you will be exhausted and,especially with most big new,high sided boats,will be unable to pull yourself in.Rear ladders are meant for more than convenience and if applicable,consider taking your elevator(stand on skeg etc and push your trim switch on the side of your motor.)
Think through all this and plan accordingly.Special thought when under cold,harsh conditions. |
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Posts: 596
Location: Duluth | Falling out of my boat in Lake Superior is a recurring nightmare I have, even though I never fish the big lake alone.
See too many news stories about seasoned fisherman going in the drink and not making it. $100 for an inflatable PFD is a drop in the bucket compared the the rest of the gear I own. When we lose someone it's always sad, and the story is always eerily similar to the last. |
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Posts: 1208
Location: E. Tenn | Same sad tale down south.. two overturned boats (separate incidents), one drowned, four rescued, no PFDs. Additionally, a swimmer also drowned. |
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Posts: 33
| Well said. The PFDs today like everything else have improved greatly. Admittedly, I kept pfds in the compartment for many years. Fall fishing alone one day figured I would put on an inflatable as I realized there is no way I would catch my boat if I went over and the TM was on constant. That transitioned to wearing down the lake, now its normal to wear all the time. Other than pull type baits the inflatable doesn't restrict me whatsoever. Once it becomes second nature you almost feel naked without it. |
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| Yes, once you start wearing a PFD it becomes a habit. Since I started wearing mine all the time (self inflating) there have been a couple times where I started the boat, backed it off the lift and by the time I had gone 10 feet I knew something was missing. Didn't feel right. The other thing I did was to replace the cheap little clip on the kill switch with a decent carabiner clip, and that I clip to the vest while underway (my Onyx vest has a d ring for that purpose). Did the same with the kicker motor. Added bonus there is if I hook a musky while trolling with the kicker, all I have to do is stand up to kill the motor ;>). |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | I'm bad about not using the kill switch. Best luck I've had with it is making a loop of the lanyard and keeping it around my wrist that is on the tiller. Sometimes I do that, not enough. m |
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Posts: 242
Location: Madison | Any suggestions for for a vest fora300lber |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-2604578/mens-airhead-trend-4xl6xl-...
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IVhsDACh0F4Q57EAQYBSABEgKZG_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
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Posts: 36
Location: Central Illinois | I've went to wearing a Mustang HIT auto inflatable PFD. More comfortable than the other inflatables I've worn (Cabelas / Bass Pro). I'm a larger individual but it fits me well.
https://mustangsurvival.com/products/hit-inflatable-pfd-md3183-02?va...
I like the HIT inflation technology. Heard stories of the auto inflatables using moisture to trigger going off in rain, wave splashes. Tried wearing inflatable under my rain coat and it wasn't comfortable. Pricey but having a comfortable PFD that you'll wear is worth it. |
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