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A cold dose of reality
If you are one of those people who believe bad things cannot happen to you, then don’t bother reading the rest of today’s column.
My topic is about being smart when fishing cold water. Today is a no-nonsense hard reminder that while water is never totally safe, its danger is magnified when it’s cold.
I have had the misfortune of being dunked during winter. I was lucky the only thing that got hurt was my pride.
Many years ago while wading the Chagrin River five miles upstream from Lake Erie, I slipped on the mossy slate bottom. Instantly the swift water washed my feet out from under me and I went down.
My waders were cinched tight at my waist, so they didn’t fill with ice water, but the effect was that my legs were like corks. I bobbed in the current for 100 feet until my butt hit bottom in a shallow riffle and I could regain my footing.
Nothing broke but my clothing was drenched and starting to freeze in the 26-degree weather. It doesn’t take long for a hooded sweatshirt to turn into a slushy at that temperature.
It’s almost impossible to appreciate how fast you can go from a happy fisherman to a popsicle – and being lucky that was the only bad outcome.
My winter river swim happened 30 years ago, but I’ll never forget it. The memories flooded back fresh earlier this week as I took the BassCat for pre-spring service work. I’ll soon be back on our local lakes for the 2017 fishing season, and I pledged that I’m going to make it a safe one.
Safety starts with preparedness.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources State Parks & Watercraft reminds that any water less than 59 degrees can trigger our bodies’ cold-water immersion responses.
It’s a pretty safe bet many local anglers will start their year on water colder than 59 degrees. It’s often mid-April and sometimes mid-May before main-lake water temperatures push into the 60s.
People in icy water begin gasping uncontrollably. This, in turn, can result in gulping water and choking. What’s more, the cold water quickly lowers victims’ body temperatures to the point where heart failure is a great risk.
In water colder than 50 degrees (which will be the case through the next few weeks), the opportunity for safe rescue is only a few minutes.
Paying attention to safety precautions will minimize the risk of accidental immersion. Anglers and others who venture out in boats this time of year must be absolutely certain their vessels are shipshape.
Make sure the engine is well tuned, fuel is fresh and in adequate supply, the battery is fully charged, drain plugs are secured and the hull itself is sound. Triple check that you have personal floating devices for all passengers and that you have a reliable anchor and at least 75 feet of rope. Flares and sound-making devices are important precautions to alert others if you are in danger.
Proper clothing is important, too. Dress with more than enough protection from the cold, preferably in layers that retain air warmed by your body.
Ohio watercraft officials also caution that should you ever need to pull a person from cold water, do not try to remove wet clothing or shoes while they are still immersed. Clothes and shoes will continue to provide insulation and help keep the victim afloat.
The best safety tip, of course, is to use common sense. If the air temperature is below 40 and the wind has whipped up whitecaps, consider rescheduling your fishing trip.
Chances are the fish won’t be biting in those conditions and you will put yourself and others in harm’s way with little chance of reward.