You know guys, hind sight being 20-20, the majority of these accidents could have been prevented with the operators using some common sense and judgment. Operating a boat at night requires an extra effort on every operator.

No one is talking about boat speed in this accident, but I can assure you that if each boat had been driving in a cautious manner, there is no way either boat could have gone airborn.

I was fishing out of Spillway (on Ouachita) with my sweet wife last evening. The moon was late rising. Trolling as usual, about 10:00pm I watched a boat approach me from the north like he was hell-bent for leather. Now it's a little hard for me to change directions immediately with four rods out, bandits 100' back. I thought he'd at least be sporting--at least in the name of safety--and slow down a bit. I flicked my lights and finally spotlighted him ever-so-briefly to get his attention and he didn't EVEN let up, crossing my bow in his 20-foot 200hp-plus rig, by not even 40 feet at (at least) 3/4 throttle.

There's just no need for that kind of behavior--ever. And he wasn't even tournament fishing! Well, it is not likely that I will get my wife to go with me nightstalking any time in the future. She stated that from this time on she will be a daytime fishermom-wife. It's probably a God-send that my little 25 horse Johnson could not give chase. There might have been another headline in the paper.

Tournament or no, we damn-sure need to slow down at night or we'll be reading about more nighttime boating accidents--like how two boats collide, one going airborn, or bass boats careening through anchored pontoon boats etc., etc., etc. and fathers and husbands being killed. (sigh)

So, who's goin' fishin' next week?

aj