Please provide more info on this. I have never heard of it. Thanks.

I think the point of the first post is to provide better awareness of using a PFD while we fish. If you keep preaching, someone will hear the message. If that saves one life, then it is worth it. There are times when a PFD may not save your life, but the chances of you living after an accident are greatly increased if you have on a PFD. It is a serious situation that we all should pay more attention to and respect the water more than what we do.

It is just sad that it happens as often as it does, when many of these accidents could be avoided with some simple preparations before they get into the boat.

This makes me think twice about how I wear my life vest. I never where it while fishing, but I do while I have the big motor running. I think an investment in one of those light-weight inflatable jobs for fishing in adverse conditions would be a good idea.

Dude you have some issues!!!!

I don't think standing on the bow of a boat is a high risk area. I havn't quite understood the point your trying to make. Some folks are more callus than others to this kinda stuff. Hope your son is doing well.

I remember that Michael. It's a fact.

I talked to Ron this morning. His comments on this board have been misunderstood. What he is meaning to convey is that we all need to be more aware of our surroundings and be ready to act to keep ourselves safe. Not to put ourselves in a bad situation. We need to be responsible to ourselves and to each other. His mention of high risk situations is a reminder to recognize when our safety is compromised. We do this by being aware of our surroundings. A situation we find ourselves in, sometimes without any warning at all. But, sometimes, no matter what you do or how careful you are, accidents happen. A fellow angler slipped and fell, it could have happened to any of us. Most of the time, we come out of it unscathed, but sometimes they are tragic. Outdoor-attict, if you think standing on a bow of a boat is not a high risk area...while it is true it is not as high a risk as sky diving or scuba diving, it is still a risk and it becomes even more of a risk when weather gets bad. I have found myself in situations with waves breaking over the bow. I would say that is a risk. What scares me more than anything is lightning. It seems I hear of more and more getting hit every year, and it comes sometimes with no warning at all. It is easy to be complacent about fishing after doing it for years. Everything becomes almost automatic. We are on autopilot. That is when things happen. We can never be too careful out there. You guys need to cut Ron some slack, his intentions were honorable. Be careful out there, and have fun.

I have seen a boat get hit by a wake from another boat and the
person in the bow almost going overboard..in open water you may
not see a big wave coming your way..should we have seat belts..

A friend of mine and I fished Conroe 3 weeks ago, and by noon there was no way to avoid Boat Wakes from every direction. If you fish Conroe, once the pleasure boaters and Fleas get out, you really need to wear a PFD all the time. Heck, we had areas in the back of small boat house coves that were too rough to fish at 1PM, and that was with only a slight wind. That is the very reason why I try to avoid Conroe and Livingston between May and October.

I think I know what rjs is saying - if he's not, I am.

We are all responsible for our actions. Contrary to what some would have us believe or what we would like to think - we are responsible for our actions! Whether or not we're in a situation that we control, we should have "situational awareness" and be prepared for whatever may happen - whether it's on the deck of a carrier or the bow of a fishing boat.

Absent that, it's in God's hands alone. What's so hard to understand about that?

Well, I would just like to express my condolences to the family for thier loss.

Has a name been released or does anyone know him? I know a couple of guys down there that I have lost contact with

Exactly right. That is what he was saying. After all of this, it is still tragic no matter how it happened. Keep his family in your prayers.