Hey Guys, My parents are letting me join a bass club and the tournament direcyor brought to my moms attention the chances of me flying out of a bass boat and skidding accross the wayer and now started naming all the risks involved and now my parents are even more freaked out since I cannot swim, I wear a Mustang automatic life vest, but that still doesnt calm their nerves......

A: go to the Y and learn! B: you'll only fly out of the boat if the driver is a crazy nut or you're dancing on the bow while driving. Falling out because you loose your balance while fishing is very likely at some point so see A.....

+1 and keep that vest on and be sure to check your cartrage

I can't swim a stroke man, I will beat a rock to the bottom. Just don't get overly comfortable and start taking the vest off when you're stopped and fishing. One missed step and you're over the side and headed for the bottom. I went from a regular life vest to an auto inflator as well because it's just brutally hot in the summer to wear the normal vest all day.

Some people just aren't swimmers, I have determined after 34 years of life and more instructors, lessons, boot camp, etc that I cannot survive in water so I just take precautions hahaha.

Do yourself and your family a favor and learn to swim. It's really easy, I think most people that don't ,have the "panic" set in and that's what gets you in trouble. If you ever find yourself in the water, remember to relax and don't panic. And, always wear your life vest!

It's too easy to learn how to swim. If your gonna spend a lot of time in a boat, you need to learn my friend.

Please go learn how to swim!

Not Fishing related, I lost a very good friend this summer working cows in the river bottom, they were crossing the river and his horse spooked and he fell into the river and did not know how to swim, i am positive if he had been able to swim he would still be with us today.

So again, Please go learn how to swim, it can happen to anyone, anywhere!

I talked to slodsm about this very thing. If the marines cannot motivate a person to swim, not sure what could.

Try to learn but by God if you can't....wear a vest.

If you want to learn how to swim shoot me a PM. My son takes private lesson at the house been swimming since he was 14 months old and still takes lessons today he is 6 now but he still takes them for a refresh after winter. The lessons are not that much either.

Never met anyone that couldn't swim. Are you afraid of water?

It's not always about fear. Some people are very dense and lack natural buoyancy. I have never been scared of the water, I just now have a very healthy respect for it. I had instructors, HS swimming coaches, my recruiters buddy was Force Recon (fish), drill instructors, air crew swim instructors, private instructors, and some very hot trampy women in various hotel pools all across the world. We aren't abundant but we are here, some folks just can't swim .

When I was 10 or 11, I was very embarrased because I hadn't learned to swim. Went to the YMCA. That was a waste of time for me. The instructor said, jump in and swim! Stupid!
I learned in the boy scouts. I learned in a lake (PK), starting in very shallow water, I first learned to float, etc. Easy after that. But I still wear a pfd when I am fishing alone or on plane, or in bad weather!

I hear what you are saying, but are you telling me if that auto inflate doesnt inflate when you fall overboard its over.

Fisherman that can't SWIM... Gotta learn how, your LIFE may depend on it! Don't take that PFD OFF!

By the way, i didn't learn to swim until i was in 3rd grade. I kept telling my dad i couldn't swim, so he threw me off the end of a dock on Texoma and told me to sink or swim as he was walking away. Guess what, i was a great swimmer!