Yesterday was supposed to be a great day out fishing with my wife, two sons, friend and my dad on his new (to him) boat. I have a spot I really like to fish near Rennegade that always treats me well this time of year. We got launched and went to the spot not far from the boat ramp and began fishing. The wind was pretty stiff and even with two anchors we would slow drift off our spot and we would motor back near shore and fish again. We caught lots of fish when we first started fishing but then the boat would not start. The wind picked up and blew us further and further from shore, towards the narrows NE from the boat ramp. Soon we were in too deep of water for the length of anchor rope we had and the waves were about 3' high. Shortly after the situation appeared to be getting problematic we began to get the attention of passing boats by waving the orange flags we had as well as anything else. We finally got a good enough cell signal to call the Marina and they came and picked up my wife and kids( with a nominal charge added) and took them to the boat ramp where they were able to convince someone else to come tow us in so we did not end up another story on KSL. We had oars but they did little in that wind. I was a nervous wreck due to the fact my two young sons were on that boat along with my friends young daughter and I am grateful that our prayers were answered and we got a call out to the marina and they got the kids and wife to shore. Here is where I have lost faith in humanity. I KNOW boats saw us trying to get attention and that became clear when after we got to shore and were loaded up and getting things put away in the parking lot, I was walking out of the restroom when a boat had just come up the ramp that had a few teenage kids and a couple adults. One of the teens, not knowing I was with the group that was getting things put away asked her dad" Is that the boat we saw waving the flags?" It took a lot for me not to go give them an ear full, but I figured whats the point. I was safe as were my party and it would not have changed anything. A few months back while scouting for a hunt I came upon a crashed ATV with two kids in their late teens covered in blood. I was in a SxS and offered them a ride to their camp. While driving they told us that they had been passed by at least 10 other people and nobody stopped to offer assistance. These were good kids that wrecked because a dog from a camp next to the road had run out it front of them and they swerved to miss killing the small dog. That day I thought, What is wrong with people, and then this happened to me yesterday. I am only 33 and often think "what is wrong with the younger generation?" Yesterday I got my answer: the generation my age and a bit older has become so self-absorbed that they do not teach their kids anything other than to be selfish. I know I am preaching to the choir because the BFT community as a whole seems to be full of good people who I know offer assistance because I have read the posts. I just needed to vent my frustration with the situation yesterday and hopefully that never happens again.
We did happen to have 6 fish on at one time before the fiasco.
[signature]
Sorry to hear of your mishap. Had I seen you (I was also fishing Strawberry yesterday) I would have helped you without thinking twice. I have helped many boats stranded or worse (one was capsized) and I have been on the other end a few times. Glad that you all made it to shore safely.
[signature]
Kent,
I actually thought to myself that I wish a fellow BFT member such as yourself would see us because I knew we would get help. Lots of lessons learned and we are grateful to be able to learn from it without tragedy. I told my dad he needs a trolling motor just to have that backup motor in case. I'm headed back up Thursday with the Toon to redeem myself.
[signature]
i'm glad you got out ok also, i have helped many people on the water and have been helped by others myself. but you need to have a marine radio not a cell phone ! cell phones are not reliable on the water. also how sea worthy was the boat you put your family in ? i personally pulled 2 boats off the berry this year alone because they had those poorly made coleman outboards on them only to watch them foolishly go right back out again. the one of which was towed back in (twice in the same day). please don't rely on others kindness when your family's lives are at risk . conditions this time of year are very dangerous and no one should venture out unprepared. sorry for the lecture but what can i say.
[signature]
Maritime Law requires a ships crew to respond to distressed boaters. Common sense and courtesy should rule the day on our lakes. Helping someone, as most of us have, is part of the privilege and obligation that goes along with the sport we enjoy. I recommend having an audible signaling device such as a whistle or horn to go along with your flag. Used together there should be no mistaking that help is needed, now. When the weather and waves turn sporty things can turn from bad to worse to life threatening in a hurry. Stay safe all!
[signature]
The boat is an 18' open bow with an inboard/ outboard. When my dad got the boat we took it on smaller bodies of water to make sure we worked out any issues and never had any until yesterday. It ran for the first two hours just fine and we were purposely sticking close to shore just because of the windier conditions.
[signature]
I've towed more than one boat back to Renegade boat launch before. I have a 16' Basstracker Panfish with a 50hp Evinrude on it. However, it has a 'V' shaped hull in front but is flat toward the back and if you trying to go fast with big waves it will beat you to death. I really respect the winds that can and do occur on Strawberry. I only fish mornings while the water is calm. When the wind comes up I'm usually heading back to the boat launch and fish that area. Some days I do just as good in that area as I do in my favorite spots. My parents had a cabin at Clarks Camp and from growing up as a kid I know very well what the wind can do at Strawberry. Glad everything worked out for you.
[signature]
like i said i'm really glad everything worked out , spend a 100 bucks on a marine radio , you closest best help is always other boaters , but you can't reach them by phone . i'm looking forward to many more great times on the berry.[
]
[signature]
[quote mtncat1]
...spend a 100 bucks on a marine radio , you closest best help is always other boaters , but you can't reach them by phone .
[/quote]
I wonder what percentage of boaters have a marine radio. I have a hunch that it is a small percentage, but I agree it would be a good option to have. I have never owned one, and I have gotten back in before using my trolling motor and I have a 150' long anchor rope.
[signature]
I agree a marine radio would be a nice thing to have. I do not feel we went out unprepared and having had a family cabin at strawberry we recognize the dangers of wind. It was a day of lessons learned and it sounds like everyone has needed to be towed in at one time or another. I guess the purpose of my post was the lack of help rendered by fellow "sportsmen" was shocking. I'm a firm believer in Karma and I have and always will be on the helping of others end. A blow horn is going in the boat this week and I have already put another 100' of anchor rope in it last night. Now to figure out what the darn thing decided to quit working.
[signature]
Yes. more rope, and chain. Rope alone is not very good for anchoring in strong wing. Anchoring without moving anyway. The chain is heavier and when the boat is bobbing up and down facing into the waves it helps keep the pull direction of the anchor lateral instead of vertical. This is critical to getting hooked up. Even with a chain it is recommended that you have 3X the length of rope as the water is deep that you are trying to anchor in. This is for fluke and danforth type of anchors. For mushroom anchors, well they are not really anchors, they are weights. The handiest use for a mushroom anchor is to clip it to the end of the chain that is closest to the boat so that it keeps the pull on the real anchor lateral, not vertical.
[signature]
i would say around here less than half of boaters have them . you don't need a fixed mount unit . you can use a hand held they work pretty darn good and are not expensive.
[signature]
Glad you and your family made it in safe. Happened to me a few years ago about this same time, flagged down the only other boat on the water and he pulled me in when my motor went bad.
[signature]
I'm glad you got out of there safely. I went out early in the morning and went in the narrows. I thought we had some wind in there but once I got out on the main lake. Oh WOW!!! There swells out there as wide as the boat.
[signature]
We were fishing out of Renegade Sat also. Saw a boat being towed in by a pontoon boat. That you?
My wife and I pulled a guy out of the water at the Berry about 8 or so years ago. He had capsized his canoe got his feet tangled in 20lbs line and had been in the 40 degree water for 15 min. His son in a float tube was holding his head above water when we saw there was a problem as we passed by. This was at Renegade also.
[signature]
We fish the Berry as late into the year as we can. One year while fishing Renegade
the starter clicked on a dead battery. It was 4:30 pm my heart almost stopped. There 2' of snow on the ground, we had seen no boats, and only 2 snow machines all day. Luckily when I switched to the second battery we had power and it fired up. It would have been a tough hike out or a real cold night on the shore.
That winter I rounded up a kicker motor installed it and we don't go out without it. One nice sunny day we used it to motor 6 miles back to the ramp as the big motor had issues.
[signature]
Sure glad you were okay, I totally hate wind. We were on Bear Lake on Columbus Day and the wind came up and so we got off the pond, but I nearly ruined my boat trying to get it loaded on the trailer in the waves. I can imagine the fear you must have had in that situation. Wish folks would have been more helpful to you but it seems as a people we don't know who our neighbors are so well anymore. I think we all need to try to do better at recognizing the needs of those around us whether it's in dire need like your situation or just general need. I spend too much time on the roads driving to and from work and it sure seems like the attitude on the roads has gotten pretty nasty and me first lately. Wish I knew a cure to bring back the general courtesy. I miss it. Later J
[signature]