The weather is getting warm and one of the best ways to keep cool is to head for the nearest body of still or moving water. And for fishermen being in a boat or wading a river bank is a given.
Sunset over Yakutat Bay, Alaska.
And one thing that can often be overlooked is safety. No matter what type of watercraft you may be utilizing, be it a paddle board a fishing boat or an oil tanker, safety should always be on one’s mind.
Listed are 12 situations where water can be very hazardous. And keep in mind that you may only have seconds to respond.
Boat Fishing
1 Floating a River After a Large Flood - Floating a river that has recently flooded can create water hazards that are unforeseen. And many times the water is still high and fast when you make the trip out. Always be aware of fallen trees across a river and never get close too them. The branches are like barbed hooks and can catch you and not let you go. Most times you will need to get out and drag your boat around the obstacle which can be a challenge in itself.
You should also keep an eye out for changes on the bottom of the river. During extremely high floods the river bottom moves and what may have been the right way to float through a rapid the week before may now be the completely wrong way to go. And if you are not paying attention it could lead to disaster.
2 Catching an Edge - Catching an edge can happen at any time and at any water level. And it doesn’t just happen to drift boats. You can be in water that is moderately fast and catch the left or right side of your boat on a rock or a downed tree and in seconds your boat is going under. Even a slow-moving current can swamp or flip a boat in the blink of an eye. Power boats that lose power can easily drift sideways and catch and edge just as well as a drift boat and you may only have seconds to make a decision before the boat tips sideways and takes on water.
To buy yourself some time and possibly get lucky, everyone should jump to the side of the boat that is lifting upward. This will often buy you some time and possibly equal out the pressure on the boat but is usually a temporary fix. If you are “lucky” the boat will slowly turn and float around the obstacle. I’ve been in this situation and after jumping to the high side the boat we slowly turned and were able to continue downstream.
Knowing how to properly anchor your boat in deep heavy current is a must for all anchor fishermen.
3 Anchor Fishing - Anchoring is VERY dangerous especially in deep heavy currents. The common mistake is to throw the anchor and all the rope from your bow and into the river at the same time. The current will take the loose floating rope under the boat and wrap around the prop or get sucked into your impeller. Your engine will immediately quit and then the anchor will hit bottom grab hold and turn your boat backwards and your boat will sink transom first. And all this can happen faster than it took me to write this paragraph. As the captain of the boat you should always have a sharp knife handy. If you have enough time and can easily reach the line caught in your out-drive cut it as fast as you can. Don’t even think about it just do it. Your life is worth more than a new anchor, rope and chain.
Be sure to explain to whomever is lowering the anchor from the bow to lower it with the rope tight. Don’t assume they know what they are doing.
You can watch this in-depth Anchor Fishing video STS made on how to anchor safely:
4 Rough Water and Not Being Balanced - It’s not always calm in large bodies of water or out in the ocean. Many times when people are fighting a fish they use the gunnel (the top side of the boat railing) to balance their body. As I get older my midsection has a tendency to be heavier than my legs one slip could mean a trip over the side of the boat. Or maybe you’re walking around the boat cabin to the bow and not paying attention to where the next grab handle is and into the drink you go.
5 Not Having a Tether - When using a small one manned craft always use a tether. If you fall off your small craft it can be impossible to swim back to. It only takes a small steady wind to blow your craft away from you faster than you can swim or a swift rapid. With a tether you can pull yourself back to it.
6 The Blind Spot - Many long tiller operated boats have a blind spot as they speed up to get out of the hole and on plane. Always be aware of what is in front of you before you hit the throttle. Not being aware puts many people lives in danger from impact and the possibility of drowning.
7 Know Your Ability - And a final piece of advice for boating. Don’t go out and buy yourself a boat and expect to be an expert the next day. Even expert boatmen ask other boatmen for advice on running a river or if they can follow someone that is familiar with crossing a bar. Be smart. Same goes for drift boats. It’s probably not a good idea to do class 4 rapids the day after you just bought your new boat.
8 Wear the Kill Switch - You’ve seen the videos. A boat out of control at full throttle with no captain doing tight fast circles or headed straight to launch itself up the closest shoreline. A few big problems here. One, you may be all alone and not have any rescue options. Two, if your tiller handle was tightened down and the boat is still at full throttle and spinning in circles you may be its victim. And I don’t think I need to explain why 90 mph bass boat captains should wear a kill switch.
Crabbing with multiple friends is much safer than by yourself.
9 Crabbing by Yourself - It’s always best to not crab by yourself and is much easier done as a team. But be aware that if you are on your own and you leave the main motor or kicker chugging along as you are hooking your float and pulling up your ring or cage you could easily slip and fall overboard and your boat is not going to come back for you.
10 Have a Way to get Back Into Your Boat - This reminds me of a movie that was based on true events where a large sailboat came to a stop in some clear-blue tropical warm water miles from shore. The wind was still and everyone was hot and excited to go for a swim to cool off. They ALL jumped overboard and into the water. Only they didn’t realize until later that the ladder was not lowered down and there was no way to get back onto the vessel. This also goes for smaller fishing boats as well. I’ve heard of instances where a fisherman in cold weather went over the side and it took 2 or 3 guys to pull him back into the boat over the side.
Many large fishing boats have extended transoms for the outboard engines and a flat deck just above the waterline which can make it easier to retrieve someone that may have gone overboard. This harbor seal is eyeballing it as a nice place to come onboard and visit.
Bank Fishing
Bank fishing has hidden dangers and sometimes unknowingly you can get yourself into trouble fast.
11 Taking That Last Step - You’re wading a great run and as you take steps downstream you suddenly realize that the bank behind you is much farther than expected and the only way out is to work your way back upstream to get back to shore. This situation happens to all bank fishermen and usually is not a problem. But if you take one poor step and you end up off of your feet the current will immediately take you into deeper water that you cannot stand up in.
12 Wading Too Deep - You’re hiking along with your buddies on a trail popping in and out of holes having a great day and catching fish. You come to a spot where the only way to continue fishing downstream is to become a mountain climber or to wade the river. So you all make the decision to make the crossing. Only the tail-out is so smooth it deceives your judgment and all of a sudden you’re in the middle of the river and you feel water go down the back of your waders. Now your in a pickle. Being tall is a plus in this situation. Also, if the rapids below your crossing are treacherous and have overhanging trees and root snags don’t cross! One option may be to go back upstream and cross at a safer spot.
This small stream at the moment is easy to wade across. But you can see the fallen tree and snags where the fast current hits the bank. If this tailout was deep and you were to lose your footing you could easily get carried downstream and into those snags.
In Conclusion
This is just a short list of some of the things that can go bad in or around water in a hurry. In the late 1970s my Mom told us that a child had drowned in a cereal bowl. I’m not sure if that was fact or fiction, but it stuck with me. Maybe it was an offside comment on us slamming down a gallon of milk and an entire box of cereal every day and it getting expensive?
At any rate most, if not all, of these situations can be remedied by WEARING A LIFE JACKET. I remember back in the day all that was available were big bunchy jackets that were uncomfortable to wear. A lot has changed since then there are tons of options that are comfortable and you will not even realize you have it on.
For more information about life jackets you can visit our friends at the Water Sports Foundation.
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