Sad reminder to always wear your vest fishing

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/body-texas-pol...topstories.html

Lost his balance due to a passing boat wake. Not sure if he hit his head on the way in or what, but he didn't make it.

I know I've chosen comfort over safety in the past when not operating the gas motor, but I started following O'Bass's example shortly after my son came along just so my name is never headlined in one of these stories - hopefully someone else makes the change after reading this.

Sad news. By the looks of him and his police training it would appear he was a very physically fit person. It just goes to show how fast an accident can happen and no matter how fit you are the water can be a dangerous place.

I made a deal with my wife when I got my kayak that I would never get in it with out my PFD on.

I bought a new one thanks to come recommendations on here and have a Mustang MD3183. Most comfortable PFD I have ever owned.

Link for the place I bought it Best prices I have seen on them.

Mustang

at 48yo, i decided this year to get a super lightweight inflatable pfd that i wear from dock to dock. three trips into the season and dont notice it anymore. too many fatalities to take it lightly.

On the dark side... this is actually the way I’d want to go. Certainly not at a still viable age/condition. Plan B should be to make sure you have plenty of life insurance so that when you totally Screw your family by being an incompetent guardian, at least the ones who depend on you won’t suffer financially as well. And not 300k. That won’t cover #*&!. Not on CT anyway. PFD vs More insurance. Math is pretty simple.

My living will says F hospice... send me out fishing with a pole and half tank of gas pointed East.

Chunk me over SW Reef and fish me hard (well not hard you gutterheads).

I'm never in the kayak with out wearing my Mustang. I haven't been so good about it in the jon boat or riding in other peoples boats. Just got to have one in the boat right? (inflatables don't count unless you're wearing it) I have been working on that. I've read so many stories of deaths on the water that seem to be avoidable. Just no telling what can happen. Be safe out there.

I get the "uncool", bulky, hot, restrictive arguments against not wearing a pfd, but technology and mfcs have taken all of those excuses away.

At a minimum people can wear the waist belt model inflatable pfd. Removes all of the above excuses, and is really cool
Since it looks like a fanny pack.

I acknowledge waist belt PFDs require you to be concious so you can pull the inflated pfd over your head.....so if you get knocked out or dazed they don't do a lot of good accept keep you floating for an easier "recovery" of your body.

I bought the waist belt inflatables for Heather and me for paddleboarding, kayaking, etc. I have 3 or so inflatable vest pfds on my boat along with a wide assortment of traditional ski vest and neoprene pfds.

One season I was good about wearing my inflatable pfd at least when I went out solo.....I really should at least get back into that good habit. Being "enclosed" in the surround of my walkaround's helm area doesn't give me the safety risk I feel of falling or getting thrown overboard like in more open boats like side consoles, center consoles, rear tillers, etc.

Be safe out there...there are fish we owe ourselves to be around to catch.

So all you guys tell me when you are in your boat you wear PFD's, I don't mean Yak but Boat?

Have not worn one in a boat since I was 5 years old.

Yes

Unless forced like the helmets for Motorcycles, Not me. But then again I'm rarely on a boat less then 50' mostly head boats. Way to bulky etc, in the last 10 years I have been on 3 boats less then 50' so not gonna buy those expensive auto inflate ones. I can see it for those who go out often on those boats smaller then 20'.

PFDs are most common on freshwater go fast low profile bass boats ("surfboards")....and that definitely makes sense due to their high speed (60-100mph+), extremely low gunnels and poor performance and attitide in a chop, wave, wake, etc.

The bass boats do set a good example (mostly) for the rest of us about wearing PFDs.....plus all boaters WEARING PFDs, and driver being hooked into the kill switch seems to be mandatory in bass tournies....at least in formal tournies.

"......You can pry my fishing rod from my cold, dead, wet hand!...." .....well after a few days when my bloated corpse resurfaces.

Yup Cant tell you the last time I was in a boat in Freshwater 15 years? in the Salt I honestly cant tell you the last time I have seen fisherman wearing PFDS

The guy in the article was in Galveston Bay...granted, he could have been on a flats boat which wouldn't be different than a bass boat when hit with a passing boat's wake, it doesn't say.

I run a bass boat, and I make everyone on board wear one while I'm running across the lake. I'm always hooked to the killswitch. It would be bad enough if I killed myself, couldnt deal with killing someone else due to my own mistakes....

Tragic. I could not swim more than few yards even if my life depended on it. I have a 40th anniversary 16.5' Bass Tracker. I religiously put my inflatable suspender type (BassPro Brand) .pdf on before I start the boat. To any of you that don't; try two simple exercises:

First go to your favorite fishing spot and see how far and how long you can stay in the water. I would bet the rent you can cover a lot less distance and stay above water much less than you anticipate. Be sure to write down you distance and time estimate before you try it.

Second, jump into water above your head. Have someone throw you a .pdf and experience what it takes to put the thing on while in the water.

Unless you can compete with Olympic swimmers, this should convince anyone that wearing a .pdf is essential. Do the right thing, if not for yourself, for those you would leave behind.

MikeV

Agreed tiny boats should, I don't fish freshwater in boats almost all heads boats with like 4 trips on friends boats in the salt over the course of the last 6 years. Have never seen someone wear a PFD on a head boat. But being a new business owner working 120 hours a week who has time to fish anyway lol (Kidding but wish I did have time to fish)