Boat or shore it don't matter... anyone have a close calls last year that they would rather not talk about:hee: Its good to keep those type of incidences fresh in our minds.

At night last fall as I approached the area I was fishing I noticed the swells just above average with the occasional biggin. Where I placed my gear and extra rod was shelf in a rock formation, to fish it I'ld walk down 10 yrds or so and your still 15-18 feet from the water depending on the tide. This is one of those area'a that on many nights you can't keep your eyes off the swells but you know your save. Later that night I hooked into a Large bass and she took me a little ways from where I began, not to my likeing because it was opposite from where I would normaly land her, which ended up being a blessing. As I finally seen her come up and get closer I was still undecided on how I would land it, just as this is happening I see this HUGE swell not only did it go clean over wher I was fishing but it came very close to sweeping all my gear away which way up there. Had I been landing that fish on the other side I would have been crushed. Gilly showed up and I remember telling him 'I think that fish saved my live dude.'

close call! did you let her go?

I was in my buddies boat a 21ft privateer and we saw a friend an his family on duxbury beach, there were small roller waves hitting the beach but they didn't look like much, well those small waves threw the boat around pretty good, it was short hello, followed by a screaming outboard getting out of there.

redlite - tell the story of hanging onto Jacks outboard in the north river at night.

as Homer Simpson would say - "I like stories"

[QUOTE]Originally posted by fishsmith
[B]I was in my buddies boat a 21ft privateer and we saw a friend an his family on duxbury beach, there were small roller waves hitting the beach but they didn't look like much, well those small waves threw the boat around pretty good, it was short hello, followed by a screaming outboard getting out of there.

redlite - tell the story of hanging onto Jacks outboard in the north river at night.

Is this the same Jack who drove his new boat onto P/town after falling asleep
:laughs:

i was fishing a club tournament last october, the wind was horrible. with my 11 ft rod i was just barely able to get my casts beyond the breaking surf junk. on my best cast i was able to have a 10 retrive before hooking a pile of weeds. i saw a few fish caught so i was motivated not to be shut out. i climbed onto a large rock hoping to get another 10 yards on my cast. after being drenched by 3 waves i decided to retreat. on my way off the rock i was hit by another wave and in the fall i broke a guide off of my rod. although i had a spare 7' rod in the car my body had all it could take. after a 90 minute ride to the water and 45 minutes fishing i decided that a 90 minute ride home was my best decision. i was in bed before 11:00, ( i had planned on fishing until 1:00 am then either heading home or taking a nap.

that was my last trip of the season. my rod is being fixed and should be ready by april., and my knee is fully healed.

My buddy hooked a mako in the Monster Shark Tournament in July. It immediately jumped about 100 yds out to let us know what it was. The line went slack and we thought it was off, but to be safe he was reeling like crazy. The next jump started at the port stern quarter and ended port a mid ship less than 2 feet from the boat. We did not have to look down to get a very close look at this fish as it's head was well above my hardtop. Another few feet toward the starboard and we would have been scrambling to the bow and hanging out there for a while. I don't think my buddies understood the reputation of a mako but I sure did. It was only 104 lb fish but he could easily inflicted a fatal wound if he clamped on in the right spot.

While trying to retrieve another SB members fish at a certain B-Way, had to turn around and hug rock facefirst as a wave crashed totally over my head.

bart and i had a close call last year in gansett. almost went for a midnight swim.it was just after one of those noreasters the surf was pretty big:eek:

Never had an accident that was very threatening, but I almost took a full dunk at the ditch once. I was in water up to between my waist and chest. My jig was snagged in the rocks only about 10 feet away from me. I was leaning back with all my weight when it popped free. I was falling backwards when I was able to reach back with my left hand and brace myself on the bottom. Of course standing in water that deep, I still got quite a dunking and a lot of water poured into my waders. My digi cam got completely ruined but atleast I didn't go for a swim! That was the coldest walk back to my car ever.

Last May...

I was fishing a spot that shall remain unnamed :D. (those who know me know where I was) anyway.. its a creek mouth and the current can be a little strong. I was wading out onto the bar with my friend Mark. As we made our way out to the main flow, we both stepped off the bar simultaneously... 2 ft down to over 3, doesn't sound like much but when you try and turn into the current and make that step, let me tell you, you can't. Every step I tried to take picked me up and set me back down further out. So we tried to go diagonal which worked but I had to lean forward to make my steps and my waders were filling with water, finally Mark made a good stride and got up on the bar, he reached out and dragged me up onto the bar... phew! I fish that spot religously and perhaps I thought I was a little too familiar with the spot, I took a valuable lesson from that day and that is, NEVER get too comfortable out there, anywhere when you're fishing the surf, you have to keep 1 word in mind at all times respect... to finish out the story.... I went back to shore, dumped out my waders and went back out to fish and we ended up catching some nice fish.

-DAve

during noreaster, was about 20 feet above water on a ledge, feet wedged into a pocket surrounded by bubble weed, yep wave came up and over me at that height, took that wave head to toe and couldnt move just had to stand there and take scrambling was NOT an option

Originally posted by Jplugz21
bart and i had a close call last year in gansett. almost went for a midnight swim.it was just after one of those noreasters the surf was pretty big:eek:

i was there for that night- B-point has claimed many lives :(

I was at Cranes Beach this July with a buddy of mine fishing the outgoing tide at 4:30 AM. Very extreme tide on the new moon (I think). You could walk out to within spittin' distance of the main channel bouy. We were out there working some feeding fish at teh edge of a bar that had a very steep break, the kind that if you take one step you go from ankle deep to over you head. Strond outgoing tidal flow. Another guy walks out to join us and we warn him of the drop off and to watch his feet, not the fish until he gets situated... Walks right off the break... Nothing between him and Portugal.... I try to reach him with the tip of my rod and almost go in as well. Waders filled with water and I fight my way back to solid footing. My buddy throws him his plug bucket as a float. The guy looses it. I toss him my plug. Line breaks. I'm thinking this is going to have a very bad ending....
My buddy reels in his line to toss him his plug. Hooks a bass. Reels in the bass as fast as he can. Throws the bass, plug attached to the guy. Grabs the line and it holds. Meantime, i've tied my plug bag to my line and I toss this out. the guy grabs this too. Now we just stand and wait till the tide ebbs enough to reel him in.... He lost everything. I lost a digital camera. My buddy lost a ton of plugs, but we saved the guy. This is the third time in three years I've pulled or helped pull someone out of the drink. I now wear a life jacket wherever I go to fish....

I had a close call whilst fishing on a yak on a calm bay in Long Island's South Shore a while back. After paddling a short distance, I reached back to the rod holders and tipped the yak enough for me to fall out.

I had a life preserver on and I was tethered to the yak.

Wasn't more than 100 feet off shore ... in 30 feet of water.

Was pretty freaked out. I managed to swim everything to shore...but was amazed at how TIRED I got. If I was further out, I might have been in serious trouble.

That's when I started swimming laps at the local pool again.

Very important to remain CALM too, although it's hard.

Close calls in the suds in a boat
Don't count!!!:laughs:

fww, this may be a stupid question, so please feel free to :smash: me if it is....but why couldn't you get back in/on the yak?

Ask PIEMMA...
We were fishing in the first sleet/snow storm in November at a place with strong outflowing currents... Even with Korkers on I went sliding and came one rock from going in.... wasnt THAT close, but close enough... we fished 1/2 an hour and went home...

Anyone elese been knocked into the gap at the end of C-town breach? My first year fishing it (97, when I moved to SoCO) I got knocked backwards by a wave and went right in it...

Too embarresed to mention here.:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Mr. Sandman
Too embarresed to mention here.:rolleyes:

ohh come on!!! :smash:

Example #1
Many years ago on the day I caught my first fly rod Striped Bass I was standing on Wasque Point (this is when the point & rip came together right in one spot). The swells were medium and I had seen them like this before. All of a sudden a rogue ocean swell hits me in the chest (while standing on dry sand), lifts me up just a bit and when I come down to shore the sand is gone and I bob like a bobber. Thank god that the next wave brought the sand back under my feet. It was wierd because one minute I was on dry sand, 1 wave and I was over my head, next wave I am on dry sand again, without moving. The scary part is that 1, I was on Wasque and if I had not bobbed I would have gotten in the trough and send the coast guard to the shoals looking for me and the second part was that my waders, my rubber waders filled with water...that day I left the rubber waders in the trash at the Fishermans Parking lot and have never wore rubber waders again.

Example #2
fiashing a spot called the Graveyard in Me one year I was making my way to the outer ledge to cast from...I stepped on what looked to be a rock but it was indeed a cr3evace between the outer and middle ledges, under I went with waves coming through...I struggled to get out of that crevace before getting pounded to the rocks...made me both afraid and excited at the same time...StriperMainiac from this site got a perfect pic of just my hat and rod tip on the water As I went under

Example #3
this was in only three feet of water but John R tells the story better

My absolute scariest moment happened in Newport, although it happened when I was a young teenager its still as fresh in my memory. Some cousins that luv to fish where down from canada.... we where bottem fishing off a point, around noon the swells had picked up. As I'm reeling it in I get hung up on rocks covered with kelp and moss. I thought if I'ld walk out on the rock I could get better leverage and save some tackle,,,$0.40 maybe. It happened so fast when a swell after going by me swept me out. Each time I would call out for help I'ld get a mouth full. I can still remember screaming under water each time I'ld try to yell for help and seeing the white from the foam and suds each swell would take me a little father, I swallowed alot of water. Truth was I couldn't swim unless I was touching bottem. I may have been only ten yrds out or so but even if your only 5 yrds out in those conditions your a$$ is grass and the ocean is a lawn mower. Finaly my older cousin jumped in with everything he had, when he got next to me I grabbed on to him with everything I had. To this day I don't know how he got me out of there the way I clung on to him. I couldn't stop saying thank you thank you thank you, I must have said it a hundred times all the way back to where our family was picnicing. I can still see him laying out everything in his wallet to dry. Its good to hear other stories, theres got to be a reason why we're given a second chance, sometimes more,while so many others never got one.

I am big on not getting into close calls anymore if possible.

My last close call was about 3 years ago in south County. Fisning a good area in the fall , like mid October. Smokey and I get down there about 9 PM. Get out on the furthest rocks and start fishing. Now I fished this place about 500 times before so.....


We fish about 20 minutes in normal seas ,and then this set of waves comes in breaking over my head. About six or more in a row. I'm laying on the rack holding on like a cat hoping I don't get washed off.

Finally they go back to normal. I look over and Smokey is down hanging on like me but fortunately still there.

We yell about getting the F outta there and scramble back. We stand up on the sand talkng about what the heck was that!!! We walk over next to the rocks and fish from the sand. Don't you know about twenty minutes later , here comes the big sets again. The height change was incredible , like from 3 footers to 9 footers all of a sudden. We were on the sand so it was easy just to back up that time. Well , anyway , that whole night , about every twenty minutes , in came rolling about half a dozen monster waves and then it would subside again.


Weird stuff like that is how people get killed!!

:hidin:

Originally posted by Goose
Finaly my older cousin jumped in with everything he had, when he got next to me I grabbed on to him with everything I had.

Wow Tony. Scary story.
I hope you send him Christmas and B-day cards every year for saving your arse.

Is this the same Jack who drove his new boat onto P/town after falling asleep

Same guy, he just did things out of order, he was heading in to take a nap, just fell asleep to early. :D

Even though boat stories don't count, It was the hairest situation I had been in.
2 falls ago on my buddy's boat anchored up at the junction of the South and North Rivers driftin eels at night on a droppin tide. Was DARK as all hell, and about 3 in the mornin we both fell asleep. Woke up to my buddy yankin my line as our lines had gotten tangled. Turns out not only were they around each other, but also around the prop of the motor. Braid + prop = not good. The motor is mounted on a swim platform, so we raise the motor and I am trying to hang out to get the line from around the prop. Big motor so was quite a stretch. As I am workin at gettin the line off, suddenly we realize we have pulled the anchor and are about to smash into one of the big cans right at the triangle of the rivers. No power and we're gettin sucked out to sea backwards. My buddy runs up to the front to try and reset anchor and keep us from bangin off the big can. Suddnely the anchor set and it was like crackin the whip water skiin. Next thing I knew I was in the drink, quickly gettin sucked away from the boat. Dressed in full foul weather gear and boots with NO PFD.:smash: :smash: . Don't know how, but somehow caught my fingers on the under lip of the swim platform while I was screamin man overboard and got back up on deck. Was standin there drippin and shakin when my buddy came back and asked why I was all wet. Told him I had just gone over board and had been screamin for help.
He asked if I got all the line off the motor:smash:
Was scared out of my wits. Thought I was gonna become another name on the memorial at the boat ramp to all the people that have died there. Learned my leasson about PFD's.
Only thing it cost me was my cell phone that was in my pocket. Lucky it wasn't my life.
As far as surf, I try not to put myself in any dangerous situations.:angel:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is this the same Jack who drove his new boat onto P/town after falling asleep
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Same guy, he just did things out of order, he was heading in to take a nap, just fell asleep to early.


YeaH, and I got blamed for that cause I fished the beach that night instead bein' on the boat to keep him awake:laughs:

When I was about 9 years old my dad had a sailboat that he kept in Plymouth. It was a 28ft Herreschoff slopped rigged cutter. These rigs have a lot of clutter on the foredeck. It was a windy day and we were sailing out of Wellfleet Harbor, I was standing afore the mast as we cleared the harbor a big gust came and heeled the boat over. I went tumbling ass over teakettle and landed with my body from the chest down over the side. The swells were running up my chest and covering my face with water. I knew that if I let go I would drown. My dad was busy with the boat and did not see me. I was holding on to the boarding ladder, which was attached to the boat with bungee cord. The cord was about 4 inches from my face. I watched as the individuals elastics snapped one by one. They had dried out over the course of the summer and had no give in them. I know I was in serious trouble. My adrenalin cranked in and I pulled myself over the rail while expecting the cord to snap and me and the ladder to plunge over the side and any moment. I stood up and made my way back to the cockpit, my mother asked me if I wanted a sandwich. I just started crying.

Originally posted by redlite
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is this the same Jack who drove his new boat onto P/town after falling asleep
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Same guy, he just did things out of order, he was heading in to take a nap, just fell asleep to early.


YeaH, and I got blamed for that cause I fished the beach that night instead bein' on the boat to keep him awake:laughs:

Just wondering,
Is Jack doing better at parenting his new baby than driving his boats!!!
I have not talked with him in quite a while, and have not seen him on line in a long time!

I thought YAKS had a lot of hair and four legs and didn't swim well. Where did you mount the rod holders again Fishweewee?

Originally posted by zacs
fww, this may be a stupid question, so please feel free to :smash: me if it is....but why couldn't you get back in/on the yak?

Good question, and I really don't have an answer.

I suppose if you have practiced doing it repeatedly under realistic conditions, it would be pretty easy. I didn't. It's hard to have the presence of mind to re-mount your yak if you're just a wee bit scared.

I do remember that I tried a few times and it was tough going as the yak (a Pungo if I recall correctly) was half filled with sea water. I did not install buoyancy bags in it.

I was pretty darn fatigued and a lot of it might have been due to the fact that I was in a state of semi-panic. Also, I had a life preserver on, which is always a good thing, but the bulk of the vest made it difficult for me to manipulate the yak.

I really haven't gone in the water yet, but Peter Lajoie can tell you about this night. We where fishing that river tournament that Rappin Mikey won in the spring time, we where heading down to a new spot. So we are making our way down the bank and I hit this spot where there is some water run off. And if you know felt boots and mud don't go together real well. Well, I slipped and fell a good 5 feet to the shore line and slamming my back off a huge rock, and I am no light weight for sure so I went down hard, never heard Peter laugh so hard though. Needless to say it took the doc a few weeks of adjusting my back to get me feeling good again, but like a trooper we finished the night.

Another funny story fishing the CT River again and there is this log sticking out of the water a little so I go over to it and sit on it, so I am sitting on it for a second and just looking around. All of a sudden snap, I go crashing into the water and because I was sitting down I soak myself up to my arm pits, and once again Peter is hunched over with laughter, I must say I did think that was pretty funny myself.

Originally posted by Jplugz21
bart and i had a close call last year in gansett. almost went for a midnight swim.it was just after one of those noreasters the surf was pretty big:eek:

yeah guy that sh*t was scary. we both got banged up. we lived and we learned tho....

Bart that night I saw you at leaving spot X when the water was HUGE?
That was a sketchy night... but we caught :D

:D