Stupid, Close Calls.. Let's hear them!!!!

[toothyfishman]

Red gave up his story.....

I'm sure we all have a few good ones, let's hear'em!!!
Could be fun, could save a life from reading them sometime.

MY CLOSE CALL
Running the river one day I decided a new path would save me some time as the water was like 10,000+ for an outflow and my 20HP doesn't push it too fast, I figured the backwater would save some time. Right as I get back to the main river right directly in front of the rock covered island in the fastest current spot in the river in tha area my motor kicks up as it wasn't adjusted perfectly. The motor lock in the up right position and is screaming out of the water, scares the crap out of you, knocks me off plane and am heading for the rock covered island fast and sideways!!!! I grab a lifejacket and throw one arm through it and hurry up and try to get the motor back down and started, lucky it started first pull and I took off just in time as the side of the boat just scraped the first rock on the point that the water was breaking over. Water was a chilly 33 degrees that day. Water was rolling and curling up a good 2 feet so flipped for sure I'd think? I really thought about jumping just as it hit and hope to land on the shore, but someone was looking out for me and I took a chance, could of cost me.
For those of you who know the river it's the flare island at the refinery in Warren.

I was alone to boot!

MY STUPID THING.

Stupid thing, winter fishing two days in a row, I unhook the boat before backing down the ramp.......carpet bunks are frozen, boat launches itself except before I made it to the water. Lands right on the launch 2 feet from the water. Knocked a hole in the boat and broke my jet "bucket" that is your fwd/rev. 2 hours of messing around and we ended up fishing anyways with fwd gear only and got a 34" for sticking it out!!!!
$95 stupid mistake for a new bucket, and $40 for a guy to weld up the hole we packed full of JB weld so we could still fish that day.

[toothyfishman]

Second year dad had the Ranger bass boat we break her out in the spring for the first time, pull away from the launch and it's just plowing water, acting really sluggish.
He's not happy and was complaining it was the fogging oil hasn't cleared yet which it should of by then. He finally gets ticked right off and punches it full throttle......The boat struggles then startes to come up to plane.
The boat has a little vent between the seat on the floor to drain any water from the deck area....water blasts up outta this vent and soaks both of us with the freezing cold April month water????

Yep, you guess it,forgot the plug but you really can't tell with the sub floor until it's really got some serious water in it.

No harm done other that a little pride.

Back on the trailer for 15 minutes of draining.

[Pescatore]

I have a good one...
My sister in law was dating this dummy kid Robbie that sunk his truck in Lake Arthur. Robbie was at the old 422 launch returning from the maiden voyage in a newly purchased 1955 15' aluminum boat. Upon arrival at the dock his buddy with him jumped out of the boat to hold it in place while Robbie backed the trailer into the water. Robbie jumped out of the truck, got into the boat and attempted to ride the boat onto the trailer, but the boat had gone on crooked. Robbie then asked his buddy to jump into the truck and back it up a couple feet so he could adjust the boat. His buddy backed up the truck and jumped out, but he forgot to take the truck(an automatic) out of reverse or put the emergency brake on!! The truck slowly but surely drove itself into Lake Arthur until only the tailgate and bumper were visible. This happened because the boat was connected to the trailer winch/strap. That 15' aluminum boat had enough bouancy to hold the rear end of that Ford Ranger truck out of the water.
He ended up having to pay a tow truck company to winch the truck and boat out of the water. After that he was cited for several environmental violations by a conservation officer, who watched the entire event from the comfort of his office located next to that launch.
The good news was he new for sure that the boat didn't have any leaks.

[Red Childress]

Since Frank (toothyfishman) was generous enough to make a special thread about idiotic behavior, I copied mine over to this one.


First, you must be so exicited to go fishing that you do not put the plug in the boat. Then you begin launching the boat with all your gear in it but since you are alone, you decide to tie a rope to the trailer and then slowly pull the boat to shore after it is off the trailer. Note: The rope must be mangled and at least 5 years old.......a half dozen knots in the rope is a must.

Second, you blast the boat off the trailer and pull forward so fast that the rope breaks and the boat in sent out in flood stage current while you are still in your truck.

Third, you must stand on the shoreline for at least 30 seconds thinking about what you just did. Strange words must come from your mouth before doing anything else.

Fourth, you finally begin running down the shoreline to the nearest bridge hoping that the boat magically turns itself around and comes toward you.

Fifth, you run back to truck and drive to the next bridge overpass hoping the current has pushed the boat toward the shore close enough to grab it. Of course, the boat is on a collision course with the concrete abutment.

Sixth, you decide that now is the time to leave your pack boots, 8 shirts, 3 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of sweatpants on your body and swim out to the boat in 45 degree water. Hell, if Michael Phelps can win 6 (or 8 cannot remember) gold medals you can swim 30 yards fully dressed......so off you go.

Seventh, you finally make it to the boat but when you climb in you notice there is 10 inches of water in the boat because you forgot the plug. When you look ahead, you see the concrete bridge pillar coming right at you. Upon impact, the weight of the boat and the current of the raging river push the boat up at a 90 degree angle and then the boat gets pinned against the pillar along with you and your soaked 400 pounds of clothing. You watch as all your Goretex, rods, reels, tackle, anchor, camera, life jackets, Copehagen and gas can all fall out of the boat but you can do nothing about it because you are hanging on to the boat trying to not get smashed against the pillar.

Finally, you disconnect the gas can just before hypothermia gets the better of you, dump all the gas out (do not tell the DEC), put it under your arm and swim back to shore. You drive as fast as you can so you can crawl into your shower and get some hot water on your body to pull your core temp back to a "toasty" 95 degrees.

That is how to capsize a 14-foot boat and survive.

[Bob S.]

Well my two stupid events on the water were... First when I had a Bass Tracker my fishing partner and I put in at York Haven on the Susquehanna River 5pm. on a January with water temps. low thirties wel fished for Walleye and Muskies below the hydro station tail race, I ask my partner why is there water on the floor of the boat and getting worse ? about then I answered my own question....THE PLUG ! Took off the coat, layers of shirts and reached in and put the plug in. People fishing from catwalk were amused and did clap. Two casts later I reeled in a 29" Muskie.

Second incident just recently happened while fishing the Susquehanna River just below the Dock Street Dam in my G3 jet boat with a Yamaha 115/80my fishing partner who by the way HATES Jet boats wanted to fish south of the dam and was "Co-Piloting" and screamed slow down at which time I noticed we were all but on top of the eel dam, lucky I remembered what a PBFC. Officer told me " When in trouble throttle out " by meaning low water conditions, I mashed the throttle and flew over the rocks with very minimal bottoming out and no motor hits. Needless to say we had some words about the difference between a Jet and a Prop and what could of happened, he disageed and I took him down river in good water at 48 mph. I did not know it would go that fast. He sat there quietly and shook his head, I smiled.

Bob S.

[Red Childress]

I launch my boat to do some nite fishing back in the mid-90's and run about 8 miles upriver from the launch. As I am fishing, I notice the water levels are receding and I begin to wonder if I will be able to clear a shallow shoal between myself and the lanuch. I fish all nite and wait for sunrise so I can see if I can make it through the shoal.......when I get there, things do not look good.

I am faced with calling my wife(girlfriend at the time) to pick up my truck/trailer at 5:30 am and get blasted with her wrath of Satan or just haul arse and try to make it through the shoal. Since I am a very intelligent person, I decide to let my wife sleep and make it through. About 1/3 of the way heading downstream I become airborne from smashing the bottom, run another 10 yards and I am airborne again. I put my outboard jet in the unlock position as to keep from tearing off the lower unit/intake shoe from hitting multiple rocks. I finally make it through the chute (which is the stretch of river that runs right along Rt. 6/62 behind Betts Park).

After changing my underwear and checking for holes in the boat, I continue back to the launch.

[Red Childress]

Well, I will continue to roast myself since no one else ever makes any mistakes or has any weird moments.......lol

Launching the boat in February of '96 after fishing the day before......I back into the water using my side mirrors until I am positive I am hitting the ramp properly. I use my rear view mirror to see where the boat is in relation to the water and I do not see the boat so I check my side mirrors and finally see it but it is floating downstream WITH THE TRAILER ATTACHED. I was sure the straps were off so I am very puzzled. After further investigation I found that the boat had frozen to the carpet on the bunk boards while sitting outside overnight. After finally pulling the boat back up the launch at a 60 degree angle, I had to back it in and let it "soak" in the blistering 33 degree water for 20 minutes until she came loose.

Needless to say, I invested in some teflon bunk slicks for the next year.