Safety

[dubbinfly]

I know this has been posted before no doubt, but I want to remind all to waer some sort of life vest when fishing waters where you may need one.
We lost 3 people here in Southern Indiana on the Ohio River in about a 2 week period not long ago. All 3 were drowned in rescue attempts. One was a 19 year old young man who managed to save a 12 year old boy by pushing him to safety as he was pulled under by a under current. This happened at Mc Alpine Dam. It is very treacherous waters that look harmless in some places but it is full of ledges and pot holes with some very dangerous under currents.
Two other men were drowned below Cannelton Dam a short a few days later, they tried to rescue someone in a boat that was starting to sink right below the dam. Their boat lost power and both boats were sucked into the dam and destroyed and the under current pulled the men under. Only one survied after coming back to the surface 50 yards or so down river, he was the only one who had on a life jacket.
They never found the bodies of the young boy and 2 men until a few days after in both cases. They all were found not far from where they had drowned. With all the improvements in the life vest we have today, it shouldn't be a bother to wear some sort of vest. There are some very good ones out today and in all price ranges, so please wear one. And respect the saftey bouy's and warnings below these type dams
I count you all as unseen friends and would miss any of you that was lost. please be safe and take good care of yourself.
The very best to all of you, Jesse

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

Ditto every thing Jesse said.

I was in the coast guard and know for a fact that there would be lots more of us walking around this earth if we always wore our life-jackets.

If you go out on the big waters either the Salt or the Lake the easiest thing to spot is an orange smoke flare. The hardest thing to spot is a human being swimming without a life jacket.

The new inflatable suspender type vests are not bulky, nor do they bind and chafe like the older ones did.

I do not want to lose any of my FAOL friends either.

Oh yeah I almost forgot, I have a mustang flyfishing vest with built in floatation.

Kills two birds with one stone.

[J Castwell]

A fly fishing vest with built in flotation?

[Mato Kuwapi]

I hate to tell you this but a life jacket won't help keep you out of trouble from dam hydraulics. (or white water if you hit a hole) I think the most terrifying film I ever watched was called "The Killing Machine" (or maybe it was the Drowning Machine). It was a fireman rescue training film. We used this film for canoe classes to warn them about dams, low heads in particular. The film was actual footage of a boat getting caught in the boil line (hydraulic) of the dam, then the attempt to rescue them. It happened in 1975 in NY state. You watch, as I recall...eleven people loose there lives trying to rescue someone. They had life jackets and what safety gear that was available at the time...but it didn't make a difference.

Here is a video on YouTube that touched on it but gives you an idea about the problem with this type of water hydraulic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPaCX...eature=related

It's just good sense to not ever fish around these things. Hydro electric dams are another big problem. If you don't know the water or how the dam works...DON'T fish there, or pay for a guide who does know the water. Sweepers (tree limbs, roots etc) are the other major concern with fast water. You can have a life jacket on and still be pulled down and drowned in them. We had a tragedy a few years ago on a local river with a Scout group on a canoe outing, where a scout and a leader (rescuer) both drowned. They both had the proper gear on but got caught in a sweeper.

I won't even venture into water where I could ever chance anything like that happening. A fish is not worth it. Life jackets do save lives, but they are do not make up for stupidity. There is alway going to be that one idiot who wants that "last cast" in after the horn on the hydro dam sounds. D'uh!

[dubbinfly]

There was another drowning today, a person fell from a boat, just 2 miles up river from where the 19 year old drowned, it was on the news this evening.
J.C. those vest are a wonderful thing for sure and so is inflatible horse shoe types.
Mato, you are very correct. I have seen some scarry things on this. The one guy who came up was extremely fortunate for sure. Point is he was the only one wearing a vest. He was the first boat to get in trouble and he was past the safety bouy's ( a big no no ) to get closer to the dam face. The dam flow was not as bad as it can be at times, and the only reason he came up so soon, or at all.
Where the young boy drowned at the Mc Alpine dam saving the 12 year old, the water goes from very shallow to 6 to 20 foot drops in one step. The 12 year old stepped off one of these, the under currents there are at times very strong and the 19 year old managed to pushed the younger to saftey and in the process pushed himself under from what I heard about the accident. The top current and what is underneath is totally different in these waters and can go in opposite directions.
Mc Alpine dam has claimed many lives, the other one has claimed more than a few lives but is not a real old dam. Both are great fishing for Striper, White Bass and Wipers with a flyrod or any other tackle for every kind of fish in the river. None are worth dying for though, and all 3 of these people died trying to save someone else, so don't risk your life or the one who may try to save you.
You have a good point about going to strange waters like this and one should always error on the sise of safety and obey all warnings and bouys. Never trust what your eye says about what maybe underneath. Always be aware of what your boat is doing, it can drift right into the dam instead of down river. Do not have your life jacket beside you in a boat have it on. Do not trust what you see others doing to be safe either, I seen some doing things that were just plain stupid and tempting fate. There are safe ways to fish these type dams on many days but there are days it is better to just look at it and go home, or to some creek or lake, know the difference.
Just be safe and always come home after fishing, or were ever you venture. the very best to all. Jesse

[Mato Kuwapi]

One way to encourage safe wading, is to put an expensive camera around your neck. You'll think a little harder before chancing a fall.

Also, don't get me wrong about life jackets. They ARE good to have. Just don't let that be an excuse to become stupid and venture where you wouldn't if you didn't have it on.