That Dam Water…

Sent in by a fellow fisherman.

Damn That Water’s Cold…and Deep Too!

8 guys, 4 boats, and a river full of fish. Not a bad start to a great weekend down at Everts Resort in Hager City, Wisconsin.

Fishing was fantastic and the weather cooperated. I have fished down there dozens of times over the past 5 years and while I wasn’t “River Rat” status, I am plenty good at bringing a few topside.

Our final day started much like the two previously and after having a quick lunch and cleaning up the cabin for check out we hopped back in the boats and headed up towards the dam.

The plastic bite had slowed a little and a friend in another boat came close and asked for minnows. I thought nothing of it as I headed to the back of my boat to hand him the minnow bucket. As I leaned to hand him the minnows it briefly occurred to me that I was in an awkward position and that possibly I had over extended myself.

It was a sickening feeling as a wave from a boat wake smacked and rocked his boat, and at that exact moment I knew I was about to take a swim in 36 degree water. In a last ditch effort to avoid this I jumped for his boat trying to land on his Yamaha 115hp. Needless to say I never had a vertical and it certainly had not gotten better with age and a few extra pounds. My face slid of the side of his motor and I was in the water. My breath immediately left me as the cold shock of the water hit me. I vaguely remember thinking, how did this happen, am I going to drown, will I be able to get out?

Fortunately for me my buddies in the other boat grabbed me and slid me into their boat. I did make two attempts to get out by myself, but did not have the strength.

You might be wondering if I was wearing a life jacket… the answer is no.

Doug is now he proud owner of a auto inflate PFD.

It might have been very cold, but we all like happy endings.
Jack

If that is not a reminder….nothing is.

I have 3 auto inflates that I dont break out until mid summer.

I wear a real life jacket this time of year.

Yes I know an AUTO inflate life jacket should be better than no lifejacket but I dont trust them when my life is on the line.

Quote:

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I have 3 auto inflates that I dont break out until mid summer.

I wear a real life jacket this time of year.

Yes I know an AUTO inflate life jacket should be better than no lifejacket but I dont trust them when my life is on the line.

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Isn’t your life on the line every time your on the water

Quote:

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I have 3 auto inflates that I dont break out until mid summer.

I wear a real life jacket this time of year.

Yes I know an AUTO inflate life jacket should be better than no lifejacket but I dont trust them when my life is on the line.

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DITTO

I thought he was taken up noodling

That moment between knowing your going in and actually hitting the water seems to last an eternity…thankfully for you and I, it didn’t.

I still remember taking a drink, albeit in the middle of summer in 70 weather. Unlike you, once I knew I was going in a jumped a bit to distance myself from the boat. I didn’t want to make a bad situation worse by say bumping my head in an attempt to avoid the unavoidable.

In the next split second I must have prayed 100 prayers to not hit wood and break something, or worse, get tangled under water in wood.

Going back up and breaking the surface realizing I was still close to the boat was one of the greatest feelings I’ll ever experience.

To this day any time I recant it in my head or on IDO, I beat myself up and I am embarrassed at how stupid I was.

I wasn’t even being careless at the time. I was slightly squatting and bracing myself on the side of the boat. I expected moving at 1-3 mph while trying to spot any deadheads in an area we already passed through going downstream. I expected that if I did miss something and we bumped it we would just stop dead in our tracks. Instead, we hit a stump and the boat shifted away from me.

As bad as it was for me, it might have been even worse for my nephew who was driving the boat. He looked terrified. Even once I got my bearings and got myself up on the very stump that dumped me and new I was safe, he was panicking. He didn’t know if he should throw the cushing or get the boat to me. I was going to tell him just come back, but I figured I’d let him throw it and maybe it would calm him down.

To this day I still get nervous under an open throttle on any body of water, be it a river or a lake.

I am thankful for a lot of things that went right. Anyone one of them going wrong could have been bad. We were on the inside turn, protected a bit by the shoreline coming out a bit, but the other side the current was zipping along. I am also thankful I went into the water in a spot that was deeper than I am tall and unobstructed. I am thankful that despite being scared, my nephew remained calm.

Thanks for sharing Mike.

Since I know where you were at, you are right…many things were working in your favor that night.

Thanks for the reminder, you just never know. One other benefit I’ve found as I wear my super-nerdy old fashioned PFD all the time is that the water patrol checks everyone else around me, and almost always gives me a friendly wave. They must know that if I’m going to wear that thing all the time I’m surely following all the other rules. I get to keep fishing as others are reaching for licenses or are having their boat inspected.