Carry Extra Clothes

[Mike Cork]

Well I normally do, especially during the cooler months! However I took them out this summer (100-115 degrees around here with water temps above 95). See in the summer our waters are like bath water and when you get out of the water it's only hotter. Well if you take an unexpected swim in the lake while out boating it sure is nice to put on dry clothes no matter the circumstances. Okay back on track to my story.

Last weekend we are on the Red River fishing a benefit tournament. The day starts out in normal fashion, with a couple bad casts, hang ups and finally a lost fish or two  No biggy we are here to donate to the cause anyway. Laurie and I fish in a rhythm most days but something was out of whack this day for sure. Banging rods during casts, stumbling over everything "It was just one of those days".

Well about 11:30 I catch a keeper. Normal procedure is after one of us catches a keeper the other takes the front of the boat until they catch a keeper. Easy rotation and the person who caught the fish deals with weighing and culling if necessary while the other catches up 

I'm done and back on the front behind her and fishing away, she has the trolling motor. Well the wind catches the back of the boat and starts pushing it towards a visible stump. Now the red river is 100% covered in timber when your off the main river. Bouncing off of and running over stumps is no big deal but you try not to hit the majority of them as you will be bouncing off them all day anyway. With the wind pushing her in one direction and the current from the river in another she got bound up and it was unavoidable to hit the stump.

Well she is leaning into the trolling motor kinda like a kid does with a game boy controller, does this help? NO!!! The back of the boat hits the stump [that we knew it would?] but the force was more than she expected and she stumbled pretty bad. In trying to not step on the rods on the deck and regain balance she dropped the rod she was holding and it bounced overboard. Not thinking she reaches for it, she's still off balance and ends up right on that breaking point of going overboard. Well she missed the rod...... Again not thinking she extends her reach and yep there she goes [in slow motion to me] she slips right off into the water. Well slip probably wasn't a good word for it, more like a cannon ball.

At this point I am freaked out, remember when I said there is 100% stumps when off the main river! Well any given time that you look into the water you will see stumps from 3ft wide to just a couple  inches wide. If someone were to fall into the Red River it would not surprise me to hear that they impaled their self on the way in. All my fear was for not. She came up laughing with a rod in one had, a flip flop in the other, asking me to take her sunglasses before they fell off and to catch her other flip flop before it ended up to far down river.

After several minutes of the boat playing ping pong through the stump field and me helping Laurie back in the boat I had to explain to her what happened to her extra clothes. That's when the laughing stopped  Thankfully the weather man lied and said it was going to rain so I at least had rain gear for her to change into, but because it was a bright sunny day that got very hot very quickly. This however helped dry her clothes so she could get comfortable again.

Had the water been colder or the forcast correct Laurie would have been miseralbe. By the way we were about 15 miles from the ramp. So it was a 12 min run at 70 mph back to the truck. This is not a position you would want to be in should the air temp only be in the 70's (or much worse) Dry clothes in the summer may make you more comfortable but in the winter they could become a survival issue. Nothing fancy just some pants and a shirt and a wind breaker can mean a world of difference. It may not save your fishing trip but it could save a life.

So stay aware of your surroundings and plan for the worst. When on the water expecially a river system, things can get out of control quick. We were very lucky but it could have been much worse...

[Donald Garner]

Mike,

Thanks for the post.  I always carry extra clothes during the winter months too.   I'll just have to make room for the light weight summer clothes.

I was glad to hear that Laurie wasn't hurt when she fell out the boat.

[nmanley]

Very glad Laurie was ok from the fall but you sure missed a good camera opportunity!  You know that look when she first came back up.

[Bassinkorea]

Great post Mike 

Glad to hear you are OK Laurie and that you both could have a good laugh about it   

[bassindude]

Any chance you will do a re-creation for video purposes.  It would be very educational

[MotherNature]

I think it only right that you should know the real story...

http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=80764.0

[-Steve-]

OK, I'm thinking Laurie should be on TM restriction for making you worry for a few seconds til she came back up...  ...Maybe in the back seat with a seat-belt on for 2-3 fishing trips...  ...Glad everything turned out for the best...Steve

[gillrod2728]

Great post!! Its very true you should always have a extra outfit on board.

[spetro]

This is a good read without a doubt.  One thing I stress when teaching the ABS courses for the Coast Guard is this......

It is vital to ware a flotation device during COLD weather especially!  If this event occurred with three added twists, this read may not have had such a happy ending.  The three twists would be COLD water, head injury off the stump, moving water.

If there was an unconscious person that went below the surface, with hypothermia setting in, that would be the end of the story.  His or hers fishing partner would never know where the person was do to moving water.  If the person had a auto inflatable PFD, the partner could rescue and save the life, since the injured victim would be on the surface with rescue at hand.

It is not my intent to be a "buzz kill" but these things happen...EVEN TO TRAINED PERSONNEL.  See read below
v
v
v


UNCLAS //N01000//
ALCOAST 502/10
COMDTNOTE 1000
SUBJ: LOSS OF COAST GUARDSMAN
1. I AM DEEPLY SADDENED TO REPORT THE LOSS OF A SHIPMATE RESULTING
FROM AN OPERATIONAL MISHAP.
2. ON THE NIGHT OF 13 OCTOBER, DURING A TRAINING EVOLUTION ON THE
JAMES RIVER IN VIRGINIA, ME3 SHAUN LIN OF MSST NEW YORK FELL INTO THE
WATER.  AFTER EXTENSIVE AND EXHAUSTIVE SEARCHES BY MULTIPLE COAST
GUARD UNITS AND OTHER AGENCIES, HIS REMAINS WERE RECOVERED ON 14
OCTOBER.
3. PETTY OFFICER LIN STOOD THE WATCH ON THE FRONT LINES, FROM HIS
TIME ABOARD CGC MAUI SERVING IN THE NORTH ARABIAN GULF TO HIS
ASSIGNMENT AT MSST NEW YORK.  HE PROTECTED OUR NATION FROM CRIMINAL
AND TERRORIST THREATS.  PETTY OFFICER LINS INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS ARE
PROBABLY UNKNOWN TO MOST PEOPLE, BUT HIS SELFLESS SERVICE CONTINUES
TO BE HIGHLY VALUED BY ALL AMERICANS.  HIS QUIET PROFESSIONALISM,
LIKE THAT OF SO MANY OTHERS IN OUR SERVICE, ENSURED WE WERE ALWAYS
READY.
4. I COMMEND OUR DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS THAT SEARCHED IN HOPE OF
FINDING OUR SHIPMATE ALIVE.  THEIR TIRELESS EFFORTS ARE THE TRUE
EMBODIMENT OF THE PRINCIPLES OF "HONOR OUR PROFESSION" AND "RESPECT
OUR SHIPMATES."
5. AS WE SHIFT FOCUS TOWARDS PROVIDING CARE AND COMPASSION FOR THE
FAMILY OF PETTY OFFICER LIN AND HIS CLOSEST SHIPMATES, I ASK EACH OF
YOU TO KEEP SHAUN, HIS FAMILY, AND THE CREW OF MSST NEW YORK IN YOUR
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.
6. OUR INVESTIGATIVE PROCESSES WILL HELP TO PINPOINT AREAS OF
POSSIBLE CONCERN. PENDING THE OUTCOMES OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE
INVESTIGATION AND MISHAP ANALYSIS BOARD IN THIS CASE, I ASK YOU TO
AVOID SPECULATION REGARDING THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS TRAGIC
MISHAP. WE WILL SHARE THE RESULTS OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS WHEN THEY
BECOME AVAILABLE.
7. OUR DUTIES WILL ALWAYS ENTAIL DANGEROUS WORK IN CHALLENGING
ENVIRONMENTS.  HOWEVER, WE MUST REMAIN ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO THE
SAFETY OF OUR SHIPMATES - A RESPONSIBILITY THAT BELONGS TO EACH OF US
AS MEMBERS OF THE COAST GUARD FAMILY.
8. ADM BOB PAPP, COMMANDANT, SENDS.
9. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.