Recovery effort, now.

https://wreg.com/news/officials-sea...on-pickwick-lake-now-a-recovery-mission/

Just hard to understand how once the current started pulling them they didn't use the trolling motor to get them to shore or to the lock.

I wouldn't have known any better. Super sad. I can see how a dad would want to get out on the water with the kids after being ready for the tournament.

they were releasing @ 230,000 fps

that's a lot of current for a trolling motor

Chris they have been in recovery mode for a lot longer than they announced publicly.

We don't try and call it like it is for a while, for the sake of the friends and family.

Sometimes the sad truth of reality hurts!

Just hard to understand how once the current started pulling them they didn't use the trolling motor to get them to shore or to the lock.

Chris, as I have already said ...... People that haven't witnessed TVA discharges just can't imagine the power and force of the current when the gates are open. Even a strong 36v motor would have a very difficult time holding it's own when within 100 yards or so of the gates.

I still have to wonder why they didn't abandon the boat immediately and take their chances swimming at an angle to the flow with the idea of getting to something that would allow them to get a handhold and at least have the possibility of being seen or heard. Their life jackets might have made this a do-able task.

But it's easy to speculate after-the-fact.

A lot of people don’t know to swim at an angle in current that is sweeping you away. A lot of people also panic and don’t think to do what they know is their best option.

There is so much speculation and ideas about what happened and what they should have done. To me it is very apparent that the adult had no clue or lack of knowledge about the current. Did he even know how much water was being released. As far as what they should have done when the current got them. You have an adult and parent of 1 of the boys in the boat and the 2 boys. To me it was sheer panic and fear that probably swept over them. They were inexperienced and had no emergency plan or any knowledge on what to do. It's not something that you practice for. And it could have happened so fast they didnt have time to think. The fear one gets thinking they are about to die causes total panic. From here forward any tournament on this lake should include that this area is off limits due to water release. This info should have been shared at the meeting before the tournament.

How they were allowed to fish within miles of that thing is unreal. You wouldn't catch me anywhere within sight of that sucker and thats with a working big motor, Tm and prob a buddy boat close by. Water is scary.