Boaters Beware of Boating IFR's... While Night Fishing or During Heavy Fogs.

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Originally Posted by Special K

I attended a high-quality safety meeting one time, (among many others), (in my working career), that was more industrial-based than it was everyday-life based, but the keynote takeaway that I thought very interesting, and certainly most applicable to everyday life, was when the instructor said, "There is no such thing as an accident... but it's (instead) typically a place where unpreparedness meets with co-incidental circumstances." I think there is a lot of sage wisdom in that statement. What do you think???

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Very well put. Being in a heavy industry will remind you of such things quickly

I keep my kayak lit like a Christmas tree anytime I'm out in the low/no light. I have running lights, an anchor light, and several flashing LED lights on the boat. I still had a guy almost run me over in fog between Poe's Ridge and the Dam on Jordan. He was up on pad running way too fast for conditions. I heard him coming and paddled closer to the bank. He passed by running the opposite direction (never slowed down, or saw me, best I can tell) and was running about the same line I had been. I don't even like to think about it.

I heard a boat hit a channel buoy on Jordan one night when we were out jugging for cats.

Jim

And that's all the more reasons I refuse to fish at nite anymore.. I used to a lot, Not any more ,and I won't. Most everyone I know who fishes at nite has had near misses,including me. Some were not near misses but collisions. It just flat ain't worth it, Fog either, If i'm on the lake and I run into a fog bank I'm slowing down and going to the bank.. When you see me putting lights on my boat, I'm heading to the ramp.

Certainly can be dangerous in a kayak at night

I was on high rock yesterday and I saw between 15 and 20 log, trees etc. All were aground and most of them had been there for sometime. When I fish at night, I make it a policy to go no faster than 10 miles a hour, and run with plenty of lights. Just my rules.

I always launch before it's dark and return back slowly to the ramp after dark. Keeping an air horn ready also helps to alert others. A bow search light is necessary in my opinion too.