ANGLING TIPS Jack Wollitz

Everybody who loves to fish is champing at the bit, practically counting the days until the ice melts and they can saddle up their boats for the first trip of the 2005 season.
In the hustle to get out on the water, impatient anglers may be forgiven if they forget an item or two. Those who leave a bag of pink twisters or a spare reel in the basement can still salvage their trips.
But don't forget your personal flotation devices. The law requires a life jacket for every occupant in most boats. And even if it weren't illegal to leave the dock without them, PFDs are the most essential items aboard any watercraft.
Boats tip, flip and sink. Anglers fall overboard. Waves swamp even shipshape vessels.
If an accident happens, you can die. There are no second chances.
While there are no 100 percent safe seasons on the water, the weeks after ice-out are particularly dangerous. Cold water saps the strength of the fittest fishermen and strongest swimmers.
Even a few minutes in 40-degree water can be enough to spell disaster. Add the weight of waterlogged winter clothing and it becomes next to impossible for those who end up in the water to stay afloat long enough to reach safety.
Keep life jackets handy out on the deck when they aren't being worn. It's extremely difficult to keep a clear head and open compartments to search for life preservers if your boat is sinking.
I recommend all boaters follow the example of bass tournaments, all of which require participants to wear their PFDs while the gasoline engine is running, even if only at idle speed. Tournament organizers take safety seriously and the penalty for breaking the life jacket rule is severe -- disqualification.
Sure, life jackets aren't particularly stylish. They can be uncomfortable. But you'll look a lot nicer in a PFD than in the suit your survivors deliver to the funeral director.
If you forget the PFDs, cancel the trip. Period. There's always tomorrow, which is more than you can say for drowning victims.
jwwollitz@aol.com