Do you wear your life jacket?

[chubbdarter]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

Chubb,

Would that apply to all waders neoprene and "breathable" ones? or do the neoprene ones fit tight enough? I know I have gotten soaked in my neoprenes stepping in a hole....and I have heard of guys drowning in streams and rivers with beathables on...

Any info would be great!

LC

its any time i have waders on...kind makes no difference to me. Its a good habit. In fact when you have Neo's on its usually cold so your wearing thermos underneath....and clothes sucks in water like a shamwowwww. The belt gives me perkier manboobs too, so i always wrap one on.

[flyfisherman]

I usually just wear water wings, much easier to move around in compared to a lifejacket.

[BrownBear416]

High Prairie RCMP responded to call Sunday that a boat that had flipped over near Spruce Point Campground on Lesser Slave Lake and discovered a 42-year-old unconscious man.


The man was found not wearing a personal floatation device on the lakeshore.

Emergency crews attempted to perform CPR but were not successful.

A second man, who was wearing a pfd, survived the incident and suffered mild hypothermia. The passenger was treated at Slave Lake Hospital and later released.

42-year-old Owen John Ostopchuk of Slave Lake has been identified as the fisherman.

Both males were competing in a fishing tournament on Lesser Slave Lake at the time of the tragedy.

It can mean the difference between life and death thats for sure..

RIP Owen

[chubbdarter]

Originally Posted by BrownBear416

High Prairie RCMP responded to call Sunday that a boat that had flipped over near Spruce Point Campground on Lesser Slave Lake and discovered a 42-year-old unconscious man.


The man was found not wearing a personal floatation device on the lakeshore.

Emergency crews attempted to perform CPR but were not successful.

A second man, who was wearing a pfd, survived the incident and suffered mild hypothermia. The passenger was treated at Slave Lake Hospital and later released.

42-year-old Owen John Ostopchuk of Slave Lake has been identified as the fisherman.

Both males were competing in a fishing tournament on Lesser Slave Lake at the time of the tragedy.

It can mean the difference between life and death thats for sure..

RIP Owen

sad story

[Dust1n]

Originally Posted by chubbdarter

Boat is full of most sizes of lightwieght rip and inflates, choose not to wear one I leave you at the dock.

I also icefish in a full floatation mustang suit

I need one of those to go on the skecty ice fishing conditions!

I always were a lifejacket on a boat but from shore i do not.

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

Heck sometimes I think I should wear a PFD wading in certain lakes....you step in a hole with full wading gear, fishing vest, rain coat and your waders start to fill its a quick panic back to dry land....not to mention your hands are full of fishing rod and fly line....

LC

Any kind of hip waders scare the bejeebus out of me and I simply will not wear them.........period. If those neoprene ones aren't skin tight then, YES, they will fill up with water but I don't know if they will give you any buoyancy. If I have to go into the lake I wear a wet suit if the water is that cold and if it's not then I get wet.

[densa44]

My son and I spent a week on the Nahanni eating ants, you can lose 25 ugly lbs. and eat all you want. We had a bic lighter, and a jack knife each, plus 3 "breakfast bars" that was it. The day was sunny and warm when the canoe headed off on its own. The rain came for the next 5 days and we came within an ace of freezing to death. I pack a large garbage bag in the pocket ever since.

You aren't just worrying about to-days weather but the weather between now and when you are rescued.

[Darren N]

Good discussions all the way around. It is interesting looking at this from both point of views. My hope is if just one person thinks twice now before entering a boat, and slips one on, then that may be one less story we hear about in the papers. My life experiences in a boat when a storm came up (even wearing a life jacket) at Wabamum, was at the end I kissed the ground when we reached shore. Hip waders - once I slipped and let a gallon of water in within a half a second, and it scared the heck out of me the power that water actually has.

[WalleyeDeitz]

I agree with the post about not seeing people wearing them out there. I am willing to bet if you hit most of the lakes in Alberta, almost everyone will have PDF's in the boat but they wont be on. I am bad for this as well. Unless the weather is extreem....meaning I am so scared I think there is a chance of going in, which is very rare, I never seem to put mine on. I have a 3 year old daughter that also loves to fish....I would never let her on a dock or in the boat without wearing one. I realize I should wear one but if we are being honest I cant say I do unless I think I am about to die. Hitting a fishing store for bait today and after all reading all of these I think I may just check into picking up one of those rip cord ones. Any chance anyone can comment if you are unconsious and end up going in, the the rip cord ones inflate on thier own?

Great post and great topic.

[mooseknuckle]

They make good seat coushons! for me it depends on the boat and the conditions. Was out on lake Cowichan (van island) a couple weeks ago in a homemade canoe we named "ol tippy" glad I had it on cuz we went in!! Water was pretty cold and we ended up draggin the overturned canoe 1000 yards back to shore. I was in the olympian swim club for 15 years and feel I could have swam it, but I've smoked alot of cigarettes since the swimming days so I think I was fortunate. My brother is the best man at a wedding down in mexico right now and monday apparently the father of the bride was strolling on the beach and a wave took him out they found his body 2 days later. Sad story. The news said he was swimming but trust me they were just walking along the shore and bam a wave took his legs out and thats all she wrote. But who's going to wear one while strolling the beach? I'm guessing not to many.

[alacringa]

I grew up wearing a PFD of some description or other, any time that I was in a watercraft. I continue to do so. With that being said, I mostly fish from shore or in waders; and, while I do wear a wading belt (kept me from getting too wet when I got swept off my feet in the Elbow, earlier this week), I don't wear any sort of flotation device. Same for ice fishing...I just don't take chances (besides, by the time I actually make it out, the ice is usually about 18" thick anyways).

[bdb42]

I usually have the kids with me when I go fishing so I try to set a good example by ALWAYS wearing my life jacket. Can be a little annoying when the temperature gets up there but you get used to them after awhile.

[AndrewM]

Do any of you where one when wading in the river?

[Dust1n]

Originally Posted by AndrewM

Do any of you where one when wading in the river?

nope but i use a wading belt

[AndrewM]

Originally Posted by Fish Hunter7

nope but i use a wading belt

I had to look up what one was:
The wader belt is an essential piece of equipment that can save your life. The common myth is that without the belt you waders will fill with water and pull you under. The truth is that the water is neutral buoyancy inside and outside of the waders and you will swim normally. The danger comes when you attempt to pull yourself out of the water. The weight of the water inside of the waders makes it extremely difficult and you may not have the strength to pull yourself up to safety. Wearing the belt minimizes the amount of water that enters the waders and it allows you to swim to safety and get on the shore. We recommend wearing two wader belts and strapping one around your chest to really slow the flow of water if you wade aggressively. Scroll down to see our favorite wading belts.

Has anyone fell in the river and have experience with the wading belt?
I am wondering if I should have one or if I should be wearing a lifejacket as I am new to fly fishing.

[mudbug]

I always wear my pfd when I'm in the boat, I'm good swimmer but if it hits the fan then being a good swimmer won't help one bit

[prodogg02]

i wear mine bout 75% of the time should be 100% i keep seeing these masive 100k master craft boats with like 20 drunk kids in them i wonder how many pfd they have on board i couldnt belive it when i went to martin and the seating cap for thoses is like 18 people ,18 drunk peps die in a boat going 60mph with no pfd i waitn to hear that on the news. i was at fawcett lake on may long there was 5 guys with no life jackets in 3 foot waves in a 12 foot tin boat so drunk the driver fell on his face 5 times getn out of the boat idk what people are thinkn when they get in a boat drunk in a storm noless we heard the guys wives telln them if they not back in 3 hours they calln the cops we askd them why they let them go in the first place almost had a rumble

[jackz]

Originally Posted by Darren N

I notice the odd time in our fish pictures a good handfull of us choose not to wear our life jacket. To me personally it is second nature like wearing your seatbelt as all you need is one bad life experience to change your mind. For the rest of you what are your thoughts? Own personal choice leave it alone? Push education or laws harder to wear them?

I read these posts , all good .
I feel that swimming should be part of school , no excuses , ( within reason of course )
The boating license should include a practical portion , at a pool or lake . In a controlled situation with clothes on , get people to swim to shore or the side from a boat . once they start to panic out of breath out of control , pluck them out and they pass the test ! Most people cannot swim nearly as far as they think they can ! Most people have no idea how to swim in clothes and shoes . Most Canadians , according to statistics are obese and out of shape from an early age on . How can they be expected to swim anywhere ?
Life jackets suck but when I'm playing in the water or kitesurfing or boating I try my best to think of the alternative so as to ensure I wear mine .
Once a person has experienced the near experience of drowning it's highly un likely they will neglect a pfd thereafter .
Motorcyclists have to wear a helmet , seat belts are law so how is it that this isn't law , to have to wear it ?!

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Stewie

I dont think it matters how strong of a swimmer you are when you fall and hit your head and knock yourself out... you sink

That being said I always have one in the boat but I dont always wear it

+1

[tonka]

Its about the only thing I wear some days.

[WillyOneStyle]

I think we've all done some stupid things in our lives, some of us more than others.
I was in my early twenties and had recently taken up fly fishing. I went on a week long excursion on the forestry trunk road with a friend early in May. One of the stops was the James River, west of Bear Berry. I considered my self an expert on the watershed as I'd been there once the previous fall It was about 1:00 p.m. so I'd probably had half a dozen pilsners and was ready to wade the James. I came to a spot I'd easily crossed the previous year, completely ignored the torrent before me and down I went. I was able to clamber to shore about twenty feet down stream on the opposite side. I emptied my waders and then had to put them back on to try to get back to camp. It was an eye opener.
I do things a lot differently now and a PFD is one of the best ways to stay out of Davie Jones' locker. I also try not to be completely intoxicated when out with mother nature anymore.

[tacklerunner]

Originally Posted by WillyOneStyle

I think we've all done some stupid things in our lives, some of us more than others.
I was in my early twenties and had recently taken up fly fishing. I went on a week long excursion on the forestry trunk road with a friend early in May. One of the stops was the James River, west of Bear Berry. I considered my self an expert on the watershed as I'd been there once the previous fall It was about 1:00 p.m. so I'd probably had half a dozen pilsners and was ready to wade the James. I came to a spot I'd easily crossed the previous year, completely ignored the torrent before me and down I went. I was able to clamber to shore about twenty feet down stream on the opposite side. I emptied my waders and then had to put them back on to try to get back to camp. It was an eye opener.
I do things a lot differently now and a PFD is one of the best ways to stay out of Davie Jones' locker. I also try not to be completely intoxicated when out with mother nature anymore.

A very sobering experience isn't it?

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Darren N

I notice the odd time in our fish pictures a good handfull of us choose not to wear our life jacket. To me personally it is second nature like wearing your seatbelt as all you need is one bad life experience to change your mind. For the rest of you what are your thoughts? Own personal choice leave it alone? Push education or laws harder to wear them?

In my boat? ALWAYS!!
Alsoo when wading in the Athabasca or other swift rivers Ii make sure i am always wearing a PFD - been involved in too many S&R's and body recoveries to be stupid enough not to!
Cat

[tacklerunner]

August 2008

Was camping on Slocan Lake BC. The crew I was with were partying pretty hard. Couldn't get anyone to go fishing with me. Took out a 12 foot tinny; not like a Lund or anything with a hull. Flat calm waters, 30 degrees out; just a beautiful day out on the boat trolling in front of a glacier creek literally from the Kokanee Glacier. Had 3 nice bows in the boat to feed the crew. Was being very careful watching for weather, stood up to pee and accidently hit the 9.9 kicker arm with my leg. Bow did a 180 with me at 240 lbs in the back and down she went, motor first, bow last. I did not even check if the life jackets were in the boat nevermind putting one on. What could happen on water like glass? Once I clued into what just happened, floating beside me was a 1970's orange neck brace type PFD. I grabbed it. 15 minutes later a boat spotted me. Also a 12 foot aluminum so no way to climb in without dumping them too. Off to the marina they went to dispatch search and rescue. To shorten the story, 1.5 hrs later, I was rescued in the middle of the lake, in the dark, in about 1000 feet of water, 1/2 mile from where dumped it. The glacier creek had pushed me out. There is nobody in this world that could have made it to shore. Glacier water is cold. Suffered stage 3 hypothermia and the children learned a valuable lesson as did I.

Accidents happen. Water is not your friend no matter how peaceful it looks. If that old PDF was not there, I may not have been able to share this story.

BE SAFE!!!

[lone wolf]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Redfrog

If I'm in the boat in the yard then I don't wear a PFD. I just wear a helmet incase I do a header over the gunwales. It isn't really very high.....most cartoppers aren't, but if it's on the trailer it's a good 30 inches to the ground, thus the helmet.

LMAO !! I find it funny because I can see it happening to me.

However, I always have a PFD on if we are in the water. It teaches the youngsters to do the right thing and we all get to go home.

I ALWAYS wear one when I am on the water (even when tied up at the dock), and the kids are not allowed into the boat until theirs are properly fastened and secured.

Let's face it, s**t happens and way too many people have come to an untimely end through not taking simple precautions. One slip and you can go from having a relaxing day on the water to becoming a statistic.

[Darren N]

You know, after reading some of your stories it has made me think. Of all the forces of nature I have the most respect for water. Tacklerunners story a few posts ago wading out in the middle of the lake waiting for someone.... Man.... I'm glad he could share it.

[SCRUB]

I never used to wear a lifejacket while fishing...only while waterskiing or other watersports. but now that i have a couple boys of my own you start to think of what would happen if i didn't come home. So i got myself a mustang inflatable and always wear it, by far the most comfortable pfd that i have had on. One of the best purchases that i have made.

[ironbadger]

Definitely wear one.

[32-40win]

Was on my way over to Eucluelet, stopped to check Taylor river. 3 guys down there, two on the tailout, one on the pool on the right. The guy on the pool kept working his way out, finally went one step too far. He went down stream to the other side of the tailout, about 100yds before he could stop, bit of a cliff he had to get by first. How he managed to get over there and hold on to his rod in the process was a small wonder in itself. He went under for likely 30 yds, which took him to the tailout top and he managed to stop there.
I'd say that would be a good reason to wear an inflatable PFD when wading.