Pug- Care to Share?

Quote:

---

I didn’t head your words. I ended up in the drink on Friday. I guarantee you we wore our vests the rest of the night and will continue to do so.

Sure, we laughed about it afterwards a little, but when you think of all the things that could have gone wrong. Come to think of it, I don’t want to thin about it anymore.

Wear your vest!

---

Care to share the story?

Another thing that will help prevent people from taking unwanted swims is having a urinal in the boat. Far to many people lose their balance standing on the edge of the boat as what reportedly happened to the fella out of Bay City.

By using a PFD and a urinal, watching the consumption of alcoholic and keeping the speed down, if a person has an accident, well it was just their time.

I don’t mind saying Pug, if I would be posting a RIP Pug post today, I would be so POed at you!

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

I don’t mind saying Pug, if I would be posting a RIP Pug post today, I would be so POed at you!

---

ditto

Ugh, make me relive it. Actually, I remained calm through the whole ordeal, which is fortunate, and was not shaken too much by it. However it was all the scenarios that we went through afterward that gave me pause.

We were looking to set up in a channel with good current and wood to fish for flatheads. We went around the giant log jam on our left without incident, but looking down stream we ironically thought it would be too dangerous to go any further. So on our way back around the log jam we were barely crawling. I was standing on the front deck watching for logs and guiding Dave.

We hit a stump pretty much square on the bow of the boat. It stopped us in our tracks and unfortunately for me, since I was on the left side of the boat, it shifted right. I had 2 choices at that point. Try and stay in the boat, which probably was impossible and would likely bang me up, or jump in.

I jumped in and the next thing I remember I was waiting to hit bottom. I never did, so my next challenge was to scramble to the surface. Once there, I reached around hoping to find a log, which I did. It was the one we hit and the boat was upstream on the other side of it.

At that point I was relieved knowing I was safe. Dave was still stunned and reached for the boat seat. I was going to tell him to not bother, but figured to avoid further confusion I would let him go ahead and toss it.

We were on the inside turn, so the current was minimal and, aside from the deadhead we hit, there was no debris.

I climbed up and crouched down onto the log which was pretty stable. Then I had him let the back of the boat swing over to me. I through the seat into the boat and pushed the boat upstream of the deadhead and jumped in.

We anchored, took a moment, said a prayer and put on our life jackets.

Good thing I brought a pair of pants and a sweatshirt.

Had this happened on the opposite side of the river in front of that log jam, even though it is hard to say, I would be gone. That current would have sucked me under that the second I hit the water. Not only that but I would have left my nephew behind on a pool he is not familiar with to figure out what to do.

Hurts my pride a little to relive this, but if it makes some here think twice about not wearing a vest, then I am more than happy to be the putz who serves as an example.

First the ATV this fall and now this. I am beginning to think it is my nephew.

Anyone know where I can buy a pair of blue flying fisherman polarized glasses?

You were probably tryin to get to a honey hole. .it ain’t worth it.. glad you’re here to tell the story and all is well. Live to fish another day.

Pug, glad your alright. I hope this makes others think about PFD’s. Bought a new auto one this spring wear it all the time.

Scary stuff. I know that feeling of waiting to hit bottom then scrambling to the top, I went in almost the same way a few years ago. Only I hit an old pipe that was under the water and not marked while standing on the deck moving spots with the trolling motor on high. Boat deflected right, I went left over the side.

I’d be willing to bet that a majority of incidents like this where someone goes over board is because they are not prepared for that shift. I know I thought I was being careful at the time, but you just don’t expect that shift after bumping something. It literally felt like someone was pulling a rug out from under me and why I made the decision to go in to avoid hurting myself.

Glad you made it out safe “PUG”…

Good call “BK”..on the urinal ..something so simple can be the difference between a great day on the water or sleeping with the fishes..

Pug,

I’m glad everything worked out and you obviously came out of this wiser for the next time you hit the river at night.

please do not take this wrong, but I would like to make an “armchair opinion” on something. which i feel we can, since everyone is ok. its good look back on how things happened.

1. i run a good sized, and very wide jonboat, and i do not like standing up when going through very heavily timbered areas, such as backwater runs on P3 & P4. I’m not sure what kind of boat you are in exactly, but unless you have a grab bar or something secure to hold onto, it would probably be best to not stand up when running those areas.

2. with how the flow can be in these runs, and the amount of debris (large log jams), i myself would rather tumble in the boat than ever take a swim in one of the runs. breaking an arm is better than going away forever.

I have had three very close calls on the river, one of which i’m still surprised i’m here today. and these are just the types of things i look when myself or someone else has a bad experience. what happened that led up to that experience, and what could have been different that would have prevented it.

and I will give you and others props for wearing a vest. as much as i try to do it when under power, i’m very lazy about it.

the other question is, did the commotion attract any fish?

Quote:

---

I’d be willing to bet that a majority of incidents like this where someone goes over board is because they are not prepared for that shift. I know I thought I was being careful at the time, but you just don’t expect that shift after bumping something. It literally felt like someone was pulling a rug out from under me and why I made the decision to go in to avoid hurting myself.

---

Exactly.

In my case I was sort of relaxing my posture a bit, holding a baitcaster in my left hand. River was calm and nothing occurred to me that anything would happen. I didnt know what happened until I was looking up through murky water.

My dad (in the back of the boat) saw the whole thing and was standing there in shock when I surfaced again.

Theres been times when I ate certain foods and had a good idea Id have to go while in the boat. When I’m alone I just hit the bushes on shore with the TP I have in a plastic bag, when the wifes with me we use a 5 gallon bucket and an old toilet seat, it works! NO to wife,,,I’m not bringing a curtain to hold up so no one can see you, its dark thirty out on the water and nobody will see you anyway,,, be safe.

Thanks for sharing Big Guy!

Glad you’re safe.

I hear you Phigs. The thing is I don’t think there was any way possible to save myself from going in. If I had tried I probably would have had a broken arm trying to reach the surface. We went through there on the way in and I was more surprise I didn’t hit sand about 3 or 4′ in and end up with a broken ankle. I know, you never know what lies below, but I was pretty certain it was at least fairly clear. Not sure if that was part of my 1/2 second thought process though.

In any event, it worked out to the best possible conclusion.

I normally do kneel when spotting for deadheads, but like I said, it was clear going in. Never the less that was my poorest decision. My nephew had the steering wheel to keep him from falling, but he was also on the right side of the boat and would have fell into the boat. But what if I go in and he doesn’t catch himself and hits his head. Now you know why I don’t like thinking about it.

Glad you are safe. How many close calls is this on ido just this spring. Everyone needs to wear their PFD’s.

yuck, scary! glad you are safe. it’s amazing how fast things can happen. i’m not great about wearing my pfd, but after hearing these stories lately i feel stupid not wearing one.

one thing we’ve starting bringing along are the dollar store glow sticks. (the kind that kids play with, you bend them to make them glow) it makes me sick to think of any scenario where we might need them, but since we are usually out catfishing in the middle of the night it gives me some piece of mind to have a couple attached to the pfd. come to think of it, the dog will be wearing them from now on too!

Glad you are ok Pug!

I always have my Klonking device attached to me in some way or another as it can be used for a secondary flotation device in a pinch ..

2 used up and 7 lives to go Catman Pugg!

Welcome Back Pug