The way that article sounded is that foul play was involved!? Hope he is ok!

I think they just found him dead.

Yeah, they just updated the story.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Autho..._Texas_Dam.html

Man I hope this isn't foul play. I guess you always need to be aware of your surroundings, but I can honestly say that out of all the years I've been going there; nothing like that has ever even crossed my mind. Never even had an incident where I felt like something was going to happen.

11 of us made the trip down the river but only 10 made it back. Our fishing buddy Ray Nichols went missing on the return paddle to the dam. Sheriff, game warden, park rangers & Search and rescue looked for him until about 1:30am. Found his capsized duck boat around 11:30 PM but no sign of Ray. The search resumed at daylight Tuesday morning. No word as of 11:30 AM Tuesday.

Ray does not and did not wear a PDF, if he had this would have had a different outcome. He had health issues that might have contributed but other factors could be at fault. Right about the time frame Ray went missing the river came up due to power generation so the current increased in one direction and the wind gusts in the other up to 30+ mph and his duck boat sits high in the water. We may never know for sure what happened but I'm afraid the outcome is the same.

Up until that point the trip was a success, The Brazos below Whitney is a very special place deserving respect for the beauty and power of nature because it can all go south in a heart beat.

Pray for the grieving ones left here below.

:-(

Sorry for the loss of your friend. I'm sad to hear this.

Wow, not much can be said here except we will all be praying for he and his family and friends. Never been on the Brazos but will definitely keep this in mind.

Sad news indeed. Prayers sent to the family he left behind.

Note: WEAR YOU LIFE JACKET GUYS !!!!!!!!!

Don't just wear your jacket for yourself, do it for your loved ones.

My clients and I spoke with him several times on the river, Monday.

The rescue worker I spoke with on Tuesday night said that the body was located in approximately 4 ft of water about 100 yards from where his craft was. Sadly, no PFD was worn.

She also told me he had two PFD's stowed away in the abandoned craft when they found it tied off to one of the two the hazzard markers adjacent to the power plant.

For folks who don't know, those hazzard markers are there for a reason. When the power plant purges the water line, it creates a massive, upward rush of water, more than capable of capsizing any craft near it.

What a shame. My heart and prayers go out the the families and friends.

Thnx for info Yota. Is there any kind of alarm that warns those fishing immediately downstream of the coming surge/danger?

The hazzard markers are the warning!

However, I doubt that a random line purge was a contributing factor.

It's mighty tricky tying off hard to stationary/semi stationary objects on a flowing/rising river. The particular area he was in, is swift on the rise. If he didn't have enough bow line, the nose of the craft was likely pulled under. The design of his particular craft would have made it extremely vulnerable, in that scenario, IMO.

The hazzard markers are about a half mile from the dam on the river left, headed South.

The surge of water created by the random line purges is similar to what happens when a single generator is turned on at the dam. Not quite the scale, but still pushes a roiling mass of water that creates a two to three foot high bulge on the surface and is roughly 20 to 30 feet in diameter. It lasts only for a few seconds.