Fishing Forum

Fished the FLW Tourney on Powell this weekend and ran into a heck of a wind storm. 8-10 waves just about swamped us in the channel. I can't believe the boat didn't go down. Ended up having to spend several hours waiting for the winds to die down. Wet clothes, a little hypothermic and pretty shaken, but we made it. So I wanted to post some info that might save your life to all my buddies on BFT.
Just in case you find yourself in this situation like I did, here are a few suggestions.

Pre-trip
1.Go out right now and place a waterproof bag in your boat with the following items: Lighter, Fire starter sticks, Iodine tablets and toilet paper (for fire and other). If you have additional room, you can add to your survival kit as you see fit.
2. Let someone know which way you plan to travel on the lake before you go.
3. Let someone know when you plan to return.

On the Lake, if you get caught in weather or have trouble.
1. Assume you are going to spend the night and begin to prepare for that ASAP.
2. Find some shelter where you are out of the wind. If you are at Powell, be careful not to get shelter directly under cliff overhangs because the wind can and does push the sandstone off the cliff and possibly onto your head.
3. If you can, try and find a canyon with some wood on the shoreline for your fire.
4. If you have fish in the live well, don't be a good guy and throw them back. Keep them, that may be dinner and breakfast.
5. As soon as you get a fire going, off with the wet clothes (including shoes and socks). If the wind is up, you will be surprised how fast everything will dry. You don't want to be sleeping in wet clothes in 40 degree weather. You won't last.
6. If you are with fellow fishing buddies, constantly ask about their health and be truthful with each other. If you or they are cold, do something about it before it is too late.
7. Make sure to keep drinking water to keep your brain functioning.
8. Don't start walking to try and find help, stay put.
9. If the wind dies down and you try to make it back in the dark, remember there are really big steal marker buoys in the channel keep a close look out.
10. Finally, try to keep a calm head and don't make any rash decisions.

Sorry to sound preachy, but I would hate for someone not to take advantage of what I learned from my experience.
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Great reminder with many things to consider. THANKS
Glad you apparently made many correct decisions and everything worked out for the best.
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Sounds like you were a little shakin. I remember a time canoeing threw slush during ice off at jordanelle years back. A storm came up and the water turned into a beast. Me an my friend beached the canoe on the penninsula by the marina. A yellow canoe paddled out to the middle. They capsized. We could hear them screaming as they drifted by. The people on the place we beached thankfully had a cell phone. Rescue was so well organized. It was awsome. Sad thing one died. The other that was able to hold on to the capsized canoue survived. Nice tips all together. You can never prepare enough.
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Bob, thanks from all of us. That was one of the competitors who spent the night in Hansen because he was slipping into hypo. Those folks were really great to let him stay with them. Really glad to hear Clint was OK. Thanks again.
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You left out checking the weather forecast pretrip. This is an absolute must for big bodies of water where you can't very quickly get back to shore. If on the ocean or Great Lakes always check the marine forecast as well http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/home.htm
NOAA radio is available for all 50 states including Lake Powell coverage and is particularly helpful on multiple day trips camping or whenever without internet
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/stations.php?State=UT for Utah frequencies.
I check everyday of the trip because things can change but it's very rare that there isn't some advanced warning.
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Good catch Dog.
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Great advice, would like to add one thing. Know your boats limits and your own skill level at operating your vessel Years ago, me, a friend and my son took a trip to the Berry. We got a late start but were able to rent a 12ft. boat with a 5 hp motor at the marina. Excited to be on the water and fishing, I forgot all about the afternoon wind, and that day it was bad 4-5 foot whitecaps. My son was having a ball riding in the front of the boat like it was a roller coaster! I was fighting like hell with that 5hp motor to keep us afloat and praying we would make it back to shore! My buddy wanted to steer for a while so gave him the control and advised DONT let us get sideways to these waves! TWO minutes later I was yelling for him to start bailing and give me the dam controls! Not his fault, it was mine for forgetting the dam wind, for being on a large body of water with a 5 hp motor and getting father away from shore then I could get back to in safety if the wind did come up. We did make it back ok, wet, cold and a little shaken but alive. Since then I always check the weather and wind forecasts before I put the boat in the water and if the weather changes I head for calmer waters. Several times in the past few years on UL, I have told the kids "time to go" and its always the same response "just a few more minutes, please?" NOPE. get your ass in the boat! On one of our trips back in we were just entering the harbor as a boat was heading out, maybe a 16 ft aluminum flat bottem with 5 people in it with a small motor on the back and barely a few inches of water line. I made some comment at the time about their intelligence, sexual preferences, family history and racial background. My wife scolded me for talking like that out loud in front of the kids. My reply was "Lets watch the news tonight." sure enuff , boat capsized 2 drowned 2 missing, search continues, more at 10. For the Kids it was lesson learned. For me just another reminder to always keep an eye on the sky and know my limits.
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