First and Last Update L&D #3 Search and Recovery from Sat Sept 11th.

It came over the VHF radio as boats were calling to lock through.

The operator said the lock was closed for rescue operations.

Anyone hear anything? It’s mostly sturgeon and cat folks up there but I have seen a few bass anglers and of course the folks parked on the sand bar.

Just seems that with this low flow, it’s hard to believe someone drown unless they couldn’t swim and no PFD.

Nothing I can see on the USACOE notices page

https://ntninotices.usace.army.mil/lpwb/f?p=150:1::::::

I’m guessing that if it was a rescue last Saturday it wouldn’t be published as a closure(?)

Link doesn’t work Munch.

Copy and paste into your browser and remove the space after “https”, this website likes to screw with certain addresses.

https ://ntninotices.usace.army.mil/lpwb/f?p=150:1

I’m not sure on what the requirements of notifications are, but you’d think any major anomaly that shuts down a piece of infrastructure like that would need to be posted. But .gov has been know to have many double standards.

Some chatter on FB about someone jumping out of a boat and went through the rollers. I believe it was just this past saturday the 11th.

Use the link feature as it’s still not working.

I’m not sure I’ve ever been to that site before, but they would post a roughly two hour closure for a search and rescue of an accident after the fact?

Thanks Ryan, it would of been two days ago.

That would make more sense then someone below the dam.

Just confirmed with Pierce County. The body has not been recovered.

Below the dam a boat lost power. One of the occupants jumped out. The other stayed safely in the boat until it was pulled away from the dam.

Fatal mistake for the fella that jumped in. With the flow being so low, staying in the boat would of been his best choice. Second would of been wearing a PFD and jumping in. He would of floated around in a large circle until someone could of got to him. BUT I wasn’t there and it’s easy to say could of, would of, should of.

My condolences to the family and friends.

Being in deep water next to ANY structure freaks me out. I would never jump in next to a damn unless I had absolutely no choice and hopefully a life preserver.

Way too much of this on the river this year. Especially pool 2. And on a low flow year…

Any updates on this? I haven’t heard anything more?

Crickets.

Recovered 12/12

Were you up there Cribbin?

I had a report of a couple Sheriff boats up there last night.

I’m sure his family is happy and sad to have this end.

Apparently it was the WS DNR that was in charge of this drowning and they don’t put out press releases OR respond to emails asking about this terrible accident.

Here’s what happened, reciting a conversation I had last night with one of the officer that was there Sept 11th and Dec. 12th.

The two males in the boat didn’t really know each other. They used a website much like our Trip Swap Forum. They had motor troubles from the beginning and while fairly close to the dam on the WI side, had troubles again. The eddie was taking them closer to the dam. The fella that was along for the ride started to panic and said he was going to jump in and swim to shore (which at one time was less then 10 feet away). The boat owner told him don’t and to stay in the boat.

When the owner turned back to the passenger, he had jumped out and ended up trying to hold on to the piling which turned out to be futile. Once under he never returned.

December 12th when the lock gates were lowered to their winter position, his body was either dislodge or the hydraulics changed enough to allow him to surface.
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As I write this I think of how low and slow the water was in September. This fella was within 3 arms lengths of telling his family of his river adventure that day.

20/20 vision along with one officer that was there, felt that had he been wearing a PFD he would of circled in that eddie for the rest of the day or at least until someone could have pulled him out.

Further, had he listened to his partner they would of both been pulled away from the dam by the same eddie current. I’m going to guess he was fairly new to the river and panicked the closer they moved toward the dam.

I’m sorry for this trip swap that went terribly wrong, the new friend that has this as a memory of how he hoped for a good fishing trip with a new buddy and of course of the victims family.

Thanks for that update, BK.

Maybe if this happens again, they may consider moving those gates up/down a few times at the beginning of the search. Three months is a long wait for the family.

-J.