Post by mwardncsu on Nov 12, 2012 20:01:48 GMT -5
I wrote this last winter for the SMSC newsletter and posted it on the old board - figured it makes sense to re-post here again as it is important information to keep in mind as we move into the colder months.....
Winter-time Fishing & Boating Safety
Michael Ward – December 2011
As the holiday season nears and winter begins to set in, cooler temperatures do not mean the fishing has gone cold – in fact, winter time can provide exciting fishing for those anglers willing to brave the elements. However, winter time brings some inherent risks which one must be aware of, and take appropriate caution to prevent an otherwise enjoyable outing from turning into a horrible statistic.
Hypothermia is one of the largest dangers that accompany winter time fishing as exposure to the elements can bring this upon an individual without their knowing. Certainly falling into the cold winter waters can accelerate one falling subject to hypothermia, but it is possible to be overcome by hypothermia just from prolonged exposure to the cold. It is important to know the symptoms of hypothermia so that you can recognize them not only in yourself, but perhaps more importantly in your fishing partners and take immediate action, as an individual succumbing to hypothermia will typically not recognize the symptoms in themselves.
The Mayo Clinic’s web-site lists the following symptoms of hypothermia:
Even more concerning is the potential for falling overboard into the frigid
winter waters. The cold water accelerated the transfer of heat from your body at up to 26 times faster than when exposed to air – thus if you find yourself in the water, getting out and getting dry in rapid fashion is crucial to your survival.
The United States Search & Rescue Task Force lists the expected survival times in cold water as:
The above is intended to help remind us of the risks which do exist, but there are a things you can do to manage these risks. Below are a number of tips that can help make your winter time outing a safer one...
File a “Float Plan” – tell someone when you are going out, the general areas you expect to fish, and when you expect to return. If you forget to do so and are launching from a public ramp, consider leaving a note on the dash of your vehicle with your expected time of return and an emergency contact number.
Fish with a friend – it is always a good idea when on the water, especially in the winter or in other adverse conditions, to have another person with you. Should an unfortunately turn of events unfold, your fishing buddy may just become your life-line.
Wear your life jacket & use your kill switch – It is something that many of us are guilty of not doing, but when fishing in the winter, especially if alone, a life jacket may be the one thing that saves your life. A variety of styles of life jackets exist now which remove all the excuses for not wearing one – WEAR IT! The heavy, bulky clothes that we wear to keep up warm will rapidly absorb water and become an anchor around you if you do not have the flotation provided by your life vest.
The kill switch is also there as a safety device – USE IT! If you do a lot of trolling and need mobility around the boat while under way, consider purchasing an AutoTether which has a wireless sensor that you attach to your life jacket or clothes, and if the sensor becomes submerged it will remotely trip your kill switch, stopping your boat and giving you a chance to reenter your boat.
Dress for what the conditions might become – Temperatures that start in the upper 40s or 50s and sunny skies can drop quickly as the sun begins to set.
Plan Ahead – Give consideration now to what you would do should you find yourself in the unfortunate position of falling into the water. Falling out of a boat is easy.... Getting back in while out the water can be very difficult, especially when burdened by the weight of water-soaked winter clothes and boots. Even with a fishing buddy aboard, it may be very difficult to return to the boat and one must be careful not to capsize or pull your fishing partner overboard in the process. It is a good idea to try reentering your boat during the warm summer months to find a way that works for you, before encountering the situation in the cold of winter.
A few options to assist returning to the boat include:
Once back in the boat, you are not out of the woods. Soaked to the core and now surrounded by air temperatures which may be less than the water from which you just escaped the worst danger may still be ahead. It is critical that you get dry and warm as quickly as possible. Bringing a spare change of clothes on the boat is a good idea. At a minimum, having an emergency blanket – the silvery foil type – on the boat is a good idea – they are very compact thus taking little space, and could help maintain enough body heat to avoid hypothermia until you are able to get back to land.
Minimize the Potential for “Slip-Ups”: The relaxation that we enjoy when on the water can be disrupted in the blink of an eye with a trip or a slip on the deck of the boat.
With a little caution and some advanced planning the risks of winter time fishing can be minimized and you can join Old Man Winter in the pursuit of that citation Striper.
References & Links:
Arctic Armor: www.idigear.com/arcticarmor.php
AutoTether: www.autotether.com/at/
Expected Survival Time in Cold Water: www.ussartf.org/cold_water_survival.htm
Hypothermia Symptoms: www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothermia/DS00333/DSECTION=symptoms
Winter-time Fishing & Boating Safety
Michael Ward – December 2011
As the holiday season nears and winter begins to set in, cooler temperatures do not mean the fishing has gone cold – in fact, winter time can provide exciting fishing for those anglers willing to brave the elements. However, winter time brings some inherent risks which one must be aware of, and take appropriate caution to prevent an otherwise enjoyable outing from turning into a horrible statistic.
Hypothermia is one of the largest dangers that accompany winter time fishing as exposure to the elements can bring this upon an individual without their knowing. Certainly falling into the cold winter waters can accelerate one falling subject to hypothermia, but it is possible to be overcome by hypothermia just from prolonged exposure to the cold. It is important to know the symptoms of hypothermia so that you can recognize them not only in yourself, but perhaps more importantly in your fishing partners and take immediate action, as an individual succumbing to hypothermia will typically not recognize the symptoms in themselves.
The Mayo Clinic’s web-site lists the following symptoms of hypothermia:
- Shivering
- Clumsiness or lack of coordination
- Slurred speech or mumbling
- Stumbling
- Confusion or difficulty thinking
- Poor decision making, such as trying to remove warm clothes
- Drowsiness or very low energy
- Apathy or lack of concern about one's condition
- Progressive loss of consciousness
- Weak pulse
- Slow, shallow breathing
Even more concerning is the potential for falling overboard into the frigid
winter waters. The cold water accelerated the transfer of heat from your body at up to 26 times faster than when exposed to air – thus if you find yourself in the water, getting out and getting dry in rapid fashion is crucial to your survival.
The United States Search & Rescue Task Force lists the expected survival times in cold water as:
| Water Temperture is: | Time to Exhaustion or Unconsciousness: | Expected Time of Survival: |
| 32.5 | Under 15 minutes | Under 15-45 minutes |
| 32.5-40 | 15-30 minutes | 30-90 minutes |
| 40-50 | 30-60 minutes | 1-3 hours |
| 50-60 | 1-2 hours | 1-6 hours |
The above is intended to help remind us of the risks which do exist, but there are a things you can do to manage these risks. Below are a number of tips that can help make your winter time outing a safer one...
File a “Float Plan” – tell someone when you are going out, the general areas you expect to fish, and when you expect to return. If you forget to do so and are launching from a public ramp, consider leaving a note on the dash of your vehicle with your expected time of return and an emergency contact number.
Fish with a friend – it is always a good idea when on the water, especially in the winter or in other adverse conditions, to have another person with you. Should an unfortunately turn of events unfold, your fishing buddy may just become your life-line.
Wear your life jacket & use your kill switch – It is something that many of us are guilty of not doing, but when fishing in the winter, especially if alone, a life jacket may be the one thing that saves your life. A variety of styles of life jackets exist now which remove all the excuses for not wearing one – WEAR IT! The heavy, bulky clothes that we wear to keep up warm will rapidly absorb water and become an anchor around you if you do not have the flotation provided by your life vest.
The kill switch is also there as a safety device – USE IT! If you do a lot of trolling and need mobility around the boat while under way, consider purchasing an AutoTether which has a wireless sensor that you attach to your life jacket or clothes, and if the sensor becomes submerged it will remotely trip your kill switch, stopping your boat and giving you a chance to reenter your boat.
Dress for what the conditions might become – Temperatures that start in the upper 40s or 50s and sunny skies can drop quickly as the sun begins to set.
- Dress in layers so that you are prepared for whatever Mother Nature may throw at you.
- A significant percentage of the body’s heat is lost through the head and hands, so have a warm stocking cap and dry gloves available.
- Finding gloves that stay dry often seems like “Mission Impossible” -
keep multiple sets of inexpensive “jersey gloves” (like the brown light/cheap yard gloves) in a plastic bag and when the pair you are wearing becomes wet, swap it out for a dry set. And a ready supply of hand warmers is not a bad idea either. - A set of warm, waterproof boots are also a must have for a comfortable outing. However, ensure they provide ample maneuverability and have a sole that maintains a level of “grip” even in freezing temperatures
- For very cold weather, check out Arctic Armor. This is a set of insulated bibs and coat that are targeted to ice-fishermen “up north” and are constructed with a material which will float the wearer. They are not intended, nor should be relied upon, as a replacement for wearing your life jacket, but they can serve as a secondary “safety net” should you find yourself over board.
Plan Ahead – Give consideration now to what you would do should you find yourself in the unfortunate position of falling into the water. Falling out of a boat is easy.... Getting back in while out the water can be very difficult, especially when burdened by the weight of water-soaked winter clothes and boots. Even with a fishing buddy aboard, it may be very difficult to return to the boat and one must be careful not to capsize or pull your fishing partner overboard in the process. It is a good idea to try reentering your boat during the warm summer months to find a way that works for you, before encountering the situation in the cold of winter.
A few options to assist returning to the boat include:
- A swim platform with a sufficiently long ladder can be a life saver. Many of the ladders on typical swim
platforms only have a few steps, and they can be difficult to traverse in the most ideal conditions. Consider replacing that short 2-step ladder with a 3, or 4 step ladder which will allow you to more easily climb up and back into the boat. - Tie a rope to the rear cleat and leave a loop hanging over the transom that would be long enough to reach
from the water (but not so long as to foul your prop), tying several loops for footholds and hand-holds, so that you could use this to help pull yourself back into the boat. And while a morbid thought, should you be unable to reenter the boat and the worst-case scenario unfold, securing yourself to your boat would at least allow recovery later. - Climb up onto your outboard, using the cavitation plate as a foothold, and then use the trim switch to raise the motor, and yourself out of the water to where you can reenter the boat.
Once back in the boat, you are not out of the woods. Soaked to the core and now surrounded by air temperatures which may be less than the water from which you just escaped the worst danger may still be ahead. It is critical that you get dry and warm as quickly as possible. Bringing a spare change of clothes on the boat is a good idea. At a minimum, having an emergency blanket – the silvery foil type – on the boat is a good idea – they are very compact thus taking little space, and could help maintain enough body heat to avoid hypothermia until you are able to get back to land.
Minimize the Potential for “Slip-Ups”: The relaxation that we enjoy when on the water can be disrupted in the blink of an eye with a trip or a slip on the deck of the boat.
- Keeping things as organized and in their place can minimize the potential for tripping over a rod bow line lying in the floor of the boat.
- Even with their “non-skid” surfaces, a boat deck can be like an ice skating ring when you combine a bit
of water or even early morning condensation and the sub-freezing temperatures that accompany winter- time fishing. A set of sure-footed boots is key, as is extremely careful movements. No fish is worth that quick jump to the front deck to grab a rod, or leaning too far over to lip it into the boat. - Throwing a cast-net brings an added set of dangers. The water (and shad slime) from the net, coupled
with freezing temperatures will turn a boat deck into a solid sheet of ice in rapid fashion. Perhaps this time of year one should “mix it up” and shift to jigging and casting artificials – your hands will likely thank you. But if you are one of the “hard-core” live bait fishermen, consider dipping a towel in the lake water and placing it on your deck to stand on when casting. When the towel freezes, dip it back in the lake to thaw and then replace it on the deck
With a little caution and some advanced planning the risks of winter time fishing can be minimized and you can join Old Man Winter in the pursuit of that citation Striper.
References & Links:
Arctic Armor: www.idigear.com/arcticarmor.php
AutoTether: www.autotether.com/at/
Expected Survival Time in Cold Water: www.ussartf.org/cold_water_survival.htm
Hypothermia Symptoms: www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothermia/DS00333/DSECTION=symptoms
