A beautiful morning and fishing was great until it all changed! I was fishing on a local pond in the high sierras by myself( shame on me) had life vest on etc., when I hooked into a big fish. In the excitement I stood up to fight the fish and forgot I had put the 12v deep cycle on the left side of boat behind me. Well when I stood up I placed to much weight on that side of the inflatable and before I knew it I went overboard and the boat followed striking me in the head by one of the metal crossbars. I believe at that very moment I was knocked out and recall trying to get to the surface. Fortunate for me the bottom of the pond was at a depth where I could actually get some footing and regain my thoughts as to what just happened. In all my active fishing years 61 yrs of them I have avoided any boating mishaps, well until that moment! I practiced what I’ve learned about such a mishap and that was to focus on remaining calm, easier said than done!. When my adrenaline rush had subsided and I got a better footing I started to gather what equipment I could, thank goodness my tackle pack was zipped close and inside was my cell phone( in plastic zipped bag. My poles and other items were recovered with battery strapped in well enough to hang on as did my merc-thruster trolling motor. My first instinct was to call 911 due to the remoteness of my location but did not and called a friend of mine, who by the mercy of GOD was just driving past the turnoff where I was. 3 minutes later I heard voices calling my name and it was them. I hope I’m not boring anyone with this story but maybe it will shed light on the cardinal rules of boating. 1) Never go boating alone. 2.) Don’t panic in the event your overboard and in shock.3) Always maintain a game plan for these mishaps : ie, having a cell phone in a waterproof bag and secure and last but not least, know your boat and know how to right your boat in case of a capsize which is why I’m writing this story in hopes that the company who makes my boat will include somewhere in the safety section of the users manual what to do in the event this happens to anyone else. I don’t know if the remedy to safety should be disclosed without verification of such but here is what I did to right my capsized pontoon boat. First I was able to get to where my footing was firm on the bottom and the tulies behind me acted as a barrier for what I was about to try. I took the bowline off the boat and stretched it the length of the boat with enough slack on both ends to reach where I stood. I have 4 metal bench seats on my boat. I weaved the rope up and down the benches to give the rope some tautness and wrapped the ends around my hands and proceeded to lean back and pull. To my amazement the boat easily stood up on its side and I pulled a little more and it was upright again. An epic boating adventure as far as I’m concerned and if anything I’ve shared can save someone else the dried than so be it. Oh , by the way, the fish was still on the line but wasn’t ol’ grandad, thus the reason to fish another day. Safe boating to all . ✌️
Claim your business profile now and gain access to all features and respond to customer reviews.
The World's Premier Source for Inflatable SUPs, Inflatable Boats, Inflatable Kayaks and Canoes - Starting at $229. Great Inflatable boats for scuba diving, fishing, camping, canoeing and exploring.
