Winter fishing requires extra caution
Clear Lake’s icy water can ruin your day real quick
Boating, whether fishing or pleasure riding, can be a fun way to spend the day. During the winter months it also can be deadly if you’re not careful. In fact, if you fall out of a bass boat it can be next to impossible to climb back in. Down through the years several fishermen have fallen out of bass boats on Clear Lake and they all said the only way they could climb into the boat was to use the outboard motor as a climbing rail.
The big danger in falling into the lake is that it can happen even when the boat is sitting still. Icy decks can make walking around a boat dangerous. I remember in the old days during the Record Bee/ Bruno’s annual bass tournament when fishermen fell off the docks on several occasions. Luckily none fell out of a boat, but it could easily have happened.
When the water temperature reaches the mid-40s hypothermia can set in within a few minutes. Even if you don’t drown, you could freeze to death. Hypothermia occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can be produced. As your body temperature drops it affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or even move.
Actually it’s the small boater that is in the most danger. These fishermen often don’t wear life vests and their boats aren’t equipped to handle the rough water.
No one should ever be in a boat without wearing a life vest. Statistics show that more than 70 percent of drowning victims weren’t wearing a life vest. This is amazing considering that winter storms are common, especially on Clear Lake.
A few years ago a well-known bass fisherman was fishing in the Delta on a cold day in January. He said he was in 20 feet of water and there was a strong current. He was on the front deck running his trolling motor when the boat struck a submerged tree and the jolt tossed him into the water. He was wearing heavy clothes, which immediately filled with water. He said the last thing he remembered was his feet hitting the bottom. The good news is his life vest automatically inflated and he shot to the surface where his fishing buddy grabbed him. His fishing partner maneuvered the boat close enough to shore for him to climb out onto the bank. The life vest saved his life.
Water conducts heat 25 times more efficiently than air, so heat-loss will be far faster in water. Even so, hypothermia still takes about 30 minutes to kill you. Before this, if death does occur, it probably results from complications due to something called cold shock.
Survivors of cold water accidents have reported their breath was driven from them on first contact with icy water. Total disorientation often occurs immediately after hitting the cold water. Cold hands cannot fasten the straps of a life jacket, grasp a thrown rescue line or hold unto an overturned boat.
Normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees. Shivering and the sensation of cold can begin when the body temperature lowers to approximately 96.5 degrees. Amnesia can set in at 94 degrees and unconsciousness can occur at 86 degrees. Death can occur when the body temperature drops to 79 degrees.