Anything new on the search for the high school fishing team

I can't believe there aren't daily updates.

Still a recovery effort. No bodies recovered as of yet.

I unfortunately witnessed a drowning below the Lewisville dam many years ago. In this case the guy ignored signs and many people yelling at him and moved down to the slippery cement edge next to the outflow. Gate was wide open and as he cast he slipped and fell in, disappearing immediately. Corps was notified and gates closed within 5-10 minutes. Probably 30-40 people on the bank looking for him and casting to try to pull him up. Rescue was looking downstream and in the outflow area but he did not come up. They used large grappling hooks in the outflow area and eventually pulled up the body. It was not something I ever want to see again. They said the body would have never come up without dragging for it.....very sad situation then and now. Prayers up.

I copied this picture and comments from another forum....comments are from a guy who is very knowledgeable about Pickwick and apparently what happened...

""several comments here... First, Prayers and strength for those lost and their families.
that said, this whole deal was a combination of very poor judgement, and lack of common sense. The state park ramp is a long way from the locks, and flood gates, which you can see in the photo. With no outboard, this boat could have turned around and gone back into the harbor and fished docks; BFL and FLW events have been won here. They could have gone out of the launch area and turned right, and had two good coves and good shoreline, with minimal impact from the current.

But, for some reason, they chose to fish down the riprap dam, which would still be OK. They continued on and fished around the first long lock wall, which is still ok. But then, for reasons we will never understand, they went around the shortest lock wall, which immediately exposed them to almost 300,000 CFS of current. ALL the gates were open; the current here is massive and beyond capability to handle on a trolling motor.
they could not have helped but hear the rush of all that water. When the went around the short wall (picture taken by TVA still camera), it was over.
there was not time to call anyone, tie up to a wall—nothing. The force of the flow is massive here.

Even if there were some sort of cable or buoy system out in front of the flood gates, it would not have mattered. You cannot block off the entrance to the lock, and when you go around that corner, it was a done deal.

it was a terrible tragedy and I pray daily for their peace. But there is a lesson here; nature is harsh, lack of knowledge and poor choices can carry a very severe penalty. ""

WIth the water rolling at 300,000 CFS, there is no telling where they are.

I cant believe there is a launch so close to the dam, or an organization would choose to launch that close to the dam with the flooding.

I dont think i would use that launch under those conditions if my motor had been working flawlessly. At least if you are a ways up the lake you should have time to make it to shore in an emergency. Yeah i agree that dad made a poor decision.

Being affiliated with THSBA and their rules, there are typically boundaries that are "off limits" for whatever reason at each particular lake. I find it hard to believe that the organization in this situation didn't put an off limits boundary around the dam. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't, but they should've also made it very clear that any boat moving that direction would be automatically DQ'd and removed from that event. Seeing this image reassures this could've have been avoided and I just wonder how much of a priority their organization made it to stay away from the moving water near the dam or the retaining walls that are supposed to block boat traffic.

The way I have read the story, it was not a big event like THSBA or SETX- it was just members of the same school team going out and competing against each other.

That would make more sense. Thanks for that info.

Those poor families, that's really heart breaking.

x2

I've not been following this story too closely, so forgive the question if it's been covered thoroughly. Were they not wearing life jackets? I understand that probably wouldn't have saved them, but sure seems like it would have made recovery much easier.

There are via the TWRA Facebook page.

There are people overseeing these clubs with no experience, don’t own a boat, know nothing about boating. It may not have anything to do with this accident but add in inexperienced boat captains it’s a recipe for an accident.

I live in Huntsville and have seen the power of the Tennessee River the last two years in flood stage. Pictures don't do it justice. It is the law that when you are within 800 ft of any TVA dam, life jackets must be worn. Two weeks ago, someone committed suicide by jumping off a bridge in Chattanooga, TN. The body was recovered after it had floated 122 miles downstream and through two flood gates. The last one was Guntersville Dam. Only then because someone on shore had spotted it floating on the edge of the current. Authorities had no clue it had floated so far and so fast.

YEP. Hard to believe it drifted that far without being seen.

https://www.timesfreepress.com/news...s-downriver-guntersville-alabama/516070/

https://www.facebook.com/pg/tnwildlife/posts/?ref=page_internal

anybody know anything...i don't do facebook

Still haven't found any of the three.

Honestly, I don't think that they will be found by human efforts at this stage. They are likely wedged in the rocks beneath the outflow and won't float back up until the waters calm and nature allows them to come to the surface.

Let's just keep the families in our thoughts and prayers for their loss.

Man that's horrible to think about. Prayers up for all involved.

Must be hung up under log jams or something. The lifejackets eventually become waterlogged I'm guessing and don't float the same

I think about this almost daily, it is terrible to think about what they went through and now the suffering the families are experiencing. Praying for all of them, lots of people impacted by this.

This is as of late afternoon, Sunday, March 1st: (Copied from the Tenn. Wildlife Resource Agency Facebook page)

UPDATE FOR THREE BOATERS MISSING NEAR PICKWICK DAM
HARDIN COUNTY, Tenn. --- The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, TEMA, and Hardin County Fire Department will be reducing the workforce in search and recovery operations for the missing boaters near Pickwick Dam. The reduction will begin Monday morning with the anticipation of heavy rain and rising waters. Local resources will continue searching, and volunteers may assist but will not be required to check-in. Press releases will be suspended until there is a development in the search and recovery.
Over the last seven days, search crews have conducted surface and sonar scans in attempts to locate the missing boaters on the Tennessee River. Multiple aviation units have assisted in air searches along the river banks. TWRA, Hardin County Fire Department, Sumner County EMA, Decatur County Rescue, Hardin County Sheriff’s Department, Henry County Rescue, Henderson County Rescue, and EMA, Lake County Sheriff, Humphreys County Sheriff, Carroll County Rescue, Chester County Rescue, Samburg Fire Department, Finger Fire Department, Obion County Rescue, Fayette County Sheriff’s, TEMA, TVA Police, and Pickwick State Park staff, Jackson Police Department Aviation Unit, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol Helicopter have assisted with searching for the missing boaters on the Tennessee River near Pickwick Dam. Thank you to all good Samaritans that have made donations with food, drinks, and supplies for all the volunteers this week.
The preliminary investigation indicates that a Stratos boat containing 43-year old Kenneth Driver and two 15-year-old boys was last seen in a picture taken above the dam on Saturday, Feb. 22, between 8 and 8:30 a.m. The three occupants and the 20-foot bass boat went through the floodgates at Pickwick Dam. Search efforts are concentrated on a 14 mile stretch the Tennessee River for the missing boaters. The three people were reported missing after the fishermen failed to return from an Obion County club bass tournament.

they could be stuck in the hydraulics just below the gates, aerated and won't float ya even with a life jacket. you just keep recirculating, did recoveries in colorado when I was a guide, sucks when they are so easily avoided most of the time.

as a reference, 5,280 cfs is one square mile one foot deep every second, EVERY SECOND moving thru, now do 300,000. that is a huge amount of water going downstream. I hope they find them soon so families can have closure.

You're right, it is a lot of water, but your math is incorrect.