Thread: Put Your Pride Aside And Wear The Lifevest When Fishing Alone

This is yet another reminder of the danger of winter fishing and cold water. Someone was looking after your client besides yourself and others in the boat,together he survived.

Spot on Fishers

Great post Ranger! Another suggestion for fishing alone...always attach the kill switch to your vest when running your big motor.

Good post and responses by all. My boat has a ladder and because sometimes I have a tendacy to run over my markers and get them tangled in it, I had thought about removing it. But at my age (24) I decided to leave it on. It could very well save a life.

24 is that in dog years?! JK LOL

Originally Posted by Fishers

You HAVE to know how to get back into your boat if you fish by yourself or with another person who is not able to assist you. Wearing a life vest will buy you time to get back into the boat or to the shore but it wont get you back into your boat. Depending on your boat style, it can be very difficult to climb back into it over the gunwale in the summertime with shorts and a t-shirt, even for a young man. In the winter it is nearly impossible with heavy clothes soaked with water restricting movement and weighing a person down. And, every moment you are in the water will drain you of strength. You could be wearing a life vest fall, in and still perish this time of year if you are unable to get out of the water quickly. For many people the best way back into the boat is by using the anti ventilation plate above your prop on your outboard motor as a first step to get over the stern. IkenI installed a ladder, which is a great idea. If you are not sure if you can climb back in your boat using the plate on your motor, you can test it in shallow water when it warms up this summer (chest deep is a good depth to test). I did just that when I purchased my latest boat a couple of years ago. I actually had to do it last summer on Sardis. I was under trolling motor power on full speed and the trolling motor hit a underwater log at the same time while I was reaching for something and unbalanced, over the edge I went. I just swam around to the back and climbed back in. It probably took less than 20 seconds because I knew exactly how to get back in on my boat. There is no way I would be able to go over the gunwale on my style of boat. If a person didnt know that they could could get in from the back, in the winter they could lose all their strength before they figured it out.

Fishers you are 100% spot on correct. I have a E Ladder on my boats transom and I couldn't reach the pin to release it to fall from inside the boat. I will from now own make every person that rides in my boat before getting on the water to know where the location is and how it works. We were able to get him back in the boat by using the cavitation plate on my motor for a step and trim to assist him back in the boat........Ranger

I always wear mine when fishing alone.

The nice thing about a terrova is the remote .I can get myself to shore if I can hang on to the boat.