My heart is broken! We were fishing Cattail Lake near Webster, SD. It was our last day of fishing on this week long trip. My father-in-law and his brother Bob were in one boat and my son and cousin were with me in my boat. We were casting cranks and twister tail jigs in the trees and caught some nice fish. In fact Bob caught a 23 inch walleye. We were not catching a lot of fish so my father-in-law and Bob suggested we move to Waubay and finish our trip there. My cousin had just caught a 22 inch walleye and we all agreed to give Cattail a little more time. We decided to go up the lake and they stayed in this area and tried trolling some cranks. About a half hour later, I called Bob and told them “let’s go”. It was about a 20 minute boat ride for us. When we got to the ramp a Sheriff was pulling into the ramp area with lights on. I didn’t think anything of it. We pulled our boat out and I noticed the sheriff looking out over the water. He was pacing back and forth. I was starting to get a little worried because Tom and Bob were closer to the ramp and should have been there by now. I asked the Sheriff if there was a problem and he said yes, someone found a body floating in the water. My heart sunk. He said they were performing CPR on a boat and it would be there shortly. I couldn’t handle it, I sent my son to the truck and asked my cousin to go to the dock and give me nod if it was them. The boat arrived and he gave me the nod. I truly thought that I had lost both of them. I walked toward the boat and noticed my father-in-law standing in shock in the back of the boat. The others were doing CPR on Bob. Life flight came in and they tried for an hour to get him back. They were unsuccessful.
On the way in, they hit a submerged tree. It threw both of them out the boat. Neither were wearing a life jacket. They both struggled in the water for a little while. A boater heard the accident and was able to rescue my father-in-law. It was already to late for Bob. I will never be the same. I have guilt, a bunch of “what ifs”. Tom is devastated. He lost his brother (his best friend). Please say a prayer for our families. Go home and tell your kids, family and friends that you love them everyday. I look back on Saturday and remember Bob catching a 23 inch walleye on this spot I showed them. He said “Chad, thank you for showing me this spot!” I of course after a few minutes said “Bob” he looked over and I flipped him off. He loved it! Started laughing and told Tom “I love it when they cuss me!”
Stay safe out there this summer. Please wear a life jacket. If you don’t want to wear it all the time, at least wear it when you’re motoring across the lake. Also, wear the kill switch strap around your wrist. It could save your life! God bless!
June 1, 2009 at 2:29 pm
#1310709
