Made a stupid rookie mistake today Could have been bad :(

[jts1]

Well the day started off great the lake was calm the sun was trying to shine and the fish were a jumping. Spent the better half of the day floating around with out a care. Even had me a few fish 4lbs or so was the biggest I guess. After I dropped anchor on the far south side of the lake I leaned back tossed out a dry and just took in my surroundings. That was mistake numero uno.....

After about 40 mins or so I turned around to see a wall of rain cresting the top of the mountain behind me. NOT GOOD. It was a solid white wall of rain and it was bearing down on me. I reeled in and started to paddle my fat ars off , trying to make the length of the lake before it hit me. No chance I got 1/4 of the way and just like someone hit a light switch. It went from calm to white caps and the rain was coming down sideways. You know the type of rain that stings the skin when it hits. There was no way I was going to make it across the lake on my pontoon. So I took a hard left and headed for shore. The wind was so strong it just caught me and the boat and took us where it wanted to go. I pulled as hard and as fast as I could till my arms were jello , but it did nothing. When it first hit the white caps were rolling over my pontoons and onto my lap.

Now I know you aint going to flip that pontoon with a fat kid like me in it. But let me tell you I was some kind of scared man. I ended up on the complete other end of the lake from my van. After hiding under a tree and checking my shorts I had to man handle the pontoon and all my gear through the bush back to my van.

This turned out to just be a story I can look back on and say never again. But it sure could have turned out bad. So if you take anything from this little tale... Be sure to keep aware of your surroundings This storm came up on me at 400 mile an hr I had no chance. BUT if I had been paying attention I could have made the call to head back before it made a lil sissy girl of me. Again always be aware of whats going on around you...... I will upload a Vid of one sissy guy "me" hiding under a tree later..

But it didnt beat me I am heading out to The upper K or The Livingstone in the morning if anyone feels brave.... Pm if interested

[flyguyd]

Glad everything turned out ok for you jts1

[the local angler]

i did a simular thing once too in my 12 footer alluminum boat and i got hit hard as i thought i also had time to get back to shore from the incoming storm. it hit so hard the boat was half full of water and filling fast as i anchored wrong being an amature boater. i dam near sank with the boat that day ( can't swim but did have life jacket on)and got lucky the storm went from 5 foot whitecaps to glass in a matter of seconds. so i managed to start the boat and get to shore and as i hit the shore the 5 foot whitecaps started again and this terrified me to the core. i have not been out in my own boat since and has been collecting dust because of this incident but have been in some others boats maybe twice since. its a a very scary feeling and definately a learning one. just glad you are safe.

[Duramaximos]

I also had a similar experience on Badger last year. Only I was very dumb and saw it comiing for a while...I just figured I had another cast, and one more cast turned into 20 more minutes on the water when I should have booked it out of there asap.

Well I learned a thing or two about my kayak. It's a lot more impressive on rough water than I first thought. I was able to experience my yak at close to it's limits (I think) but I won't be doing that again if I can help it.

Another feather in the cap...

[Retired]

Glad your here to tell us... lotto ticket time

[great white whaler]

Winds of late ,as been naste,just happen week past ,peppers lake white caps and water spouts,one never no's its so fast.

[Fordman150]

Glad you made it out okay.. a few ice cold beers should settle the nerves down.. I've been caught on a few big lakes in Saskabush with my dad when I was younger. Best to head for shore, tie up and wait it out..:shark:

[floppychicken]

Freaky Stuff...

Glad to hear it 'ended' better than it could have JTS. Even being dumped into 4' or bigger rollers WITH a life jacket for any extended period of time, can 'still' potentially drown you.

When that wind comes up, it can be pretty terrifying.. Been in the same situation, but with NO clouds OR Rain on McGregor. Just a Windy day that turned into a PSYCHO windy day in about 2 minutes. Thankfully I wasn't in a Pontoon boat. That's the thing about Alberta that is so 'unique'.... The weather can turn on you, but that WIND can stay like that for HOURS. My experience's in other Provinces was quite different. In B.C. for example, I noticed that the storms and bad weather would come in quite violently, but then subside much quicker.

Cheers,

[Bow flyman]

One year in june, on the opening day at travers reservoir, I was paddling around in my dinghy on calm water and bright sunshine. I was really bent on catching a walleye, and was trolling about 100 yards offshore. I saw dust rising on the horizon, and before I could get to shore the windstorm hit. It blew so hard, I could not row against the force of it. So, I just helplessly let the wind blow the 6 foot waves wherever they would take me. It took 45 minutes to blow me clear across that lake. Longest 45 minutes of my life. Thankfully, it was an ocean worthy dinghy. I was amazed how the little boat rose up and then down on each wave without tipping at the angle of descent. When I finally reached the shore, I was blown onto the beach, with the dinghy on top of me. I escaped, though, and even got a lift back to my vehicle from a younger guy who watched the whole episode. He said he did not know how I made it.
It remains the single scariest incident in 30+ years in the outdoors for me, wondering how the view would be looking up from the bottom of that lake. I will always remember how fast the storm hit, and how intense it was. I am much more careful now, and dont venture too far from shore in my pontoon boat when I fish the lakes, especially the prairie Reservoirs.

[floppychicken]

One year in june, on the opening day at travers reservoir, I was paddling around in my dinghy on calm water and bright sunshine. I was really bent on catching a walleye, and was trolling about 100 yards offshore. I saw dust rising on the horizon, and before I could get to shore the windstorm hit. It blew so hard, I could not row against the force of it. So, I just helplessly let the wind blow the 6 foot waves wherever they would take me. It took 45 minutes to blow me clear across that lake. Longest 45 minutes of my life. Thankfully, it was an ocean worthy dinghy. I was amazed how the little boat rose up and then down on each wave without tipping at the angle of descent. When I finally reached the shore, I was blown onto the beach, with the dinghy on top of me. I escaped, though, and even got a lift back to my vehicle from a younger guy who watched the whole episode. He said he did not know how I made it.
It remains the single scariest incident in 30+ years in the outdoors for me, wondering how the view would be looking up from the bottom of that lake. I will always remember how fast the storm hit, and how intense it was. I am much more careful now, and dont venture too far from shore in my pontoon boat when I fish the lakes, especially the prairie Reservoirs.


Rubber Boats... Absolutely, No question, the SAFEST boat you will EVER have on the water...

[ÜberFly]

Glad things worked out!! One question (I'm not trying to be a jerk, so please don't take it that way), were you wearing a PFD?!

P

[mszomola]

I got caught out once back in barrie ontario on couchaching. it was a heavy fog , i figured i really never recall seeing rain occur let alone a thunder storm from fog. But that morning i found out . You guys ever have your line start to rise out of the water ? when a storm is near by ?

mine lifted and my rod made a buzzing sound when pointed up. The you hear a crack . The lightening was literally over top of me hitting trees on islands half a football field away.

I thought i was doomed , and in a bass boat the console is usally not big enough for a grown man to hide under. Even if what was the sense if the lightening hit anything on the boat it would connect with me regardless . The rain came hard and there was no way i could shoot around the lake with no visability and the amount of shoals scattered all over the lake.


These tails just dont add up though to being there in that moment. Its alot more intense then words can describe.

[sco22]

Glad to hear things worked out in the end. Tired and beat but alive. I had a similar experience at Slave and it sures scares the stink right out of you.

Cheers.

[Jayball]

Glad your here to tell us... lotto ticket time

x2

[whitewolf]

when i lived in florida...they get crazy electrical storms out there...your hair stands up and fishing rods sing that erie tune...i have been caught a few times on the lake...but i think my worst scare was 35 miles of shore in the ocean in the gulf of mexico and of course waited till the last second to leave and now stuck in huge waves..in a 28 foot open fisherman style boat and no land in sight,in shark infested water....can you say fetal position

[Freedom55]

A real darn shame if the new wife should become the new widow so soon. Good on you for keeping your cool. I'm betting that Mrs. St. G. is happy! Not to mention the crew that is looking forward to your next invitational.
A similar incident many years ago has made me a better boats-man and I still recall vividly the end result of not paying attention to the weather. While I still have that easy-to-overload, underpowered 12' aluminium boat, I only put it in when there is no launch for my deep vee. That and a powerful engine that gets me to the nearest shore in one big hurry. I have waited it out once or twice since my worst water day.
Better boater my foot. I managed to get 4 wrong on the PCOC test. But I have the card now so I feel much inspired to load the Lund and head for Lenore Lake. Which is where we are going in the morning. Complete with GPS coordinates. And no electronic device to download them into. Or is that upload? But I do have a pretty good map, a pail of bait and a high pressure ridge for one day. If my theory about the weather holds, we should be limited out, off the water, and home before the wind and rain comes.