In an unfortunate event, who can we call if we have a mechanical problem in a lake?

someone you know with a boat to come get you. I guess 911 to

A fishing buddy or maybe 911.

Not sure 911 would be proper in this situation, since its not an emergency, unless of course bad weather is approaching

your best chance for help will probably a local game warden. They will respond and assist you as much as poss.

i would say a good friend that has a boat.
or the GW.

As in this past weekend raise Motor all up Put trolling motor down and wave!! But most of all do not have ROD in hand or Someone may think your fishing. As in cell phone it helps if you know someone on the lake.

FoldcatFisher, that is a good question. Something I do is always carry a lake map if one is available. It will have most all the numbers on it you would need. Another thing to do is program certain numbers in your phone for that area such as Sheriffs, Lake Patrol, or river or lake controlling authorities (SRA at Fork, Corp of Engineers at Joe Pool), Game Warden, and marinas. And always let someone know if you are fishing alone and where you might be.

Thank you all for taking this question seriously. I thought people may joke about it since it might seem to be a no brainer question.

I fish alone most of the time and it's really import to have some idea of how to seek help in water. Accidents do happen regardless how careful you are.

Out on Ray Hubbard, you can call the Dallas Police Dept. which has jurisdiction over the lake and has patrol boats. Other lakes have other agencies that have primary jurisdiction. A good idea would be to write that number down for your lake before heading out.

The one time I needed a tow, I called the marina and they were out in a jiffy. Of course, a $50 charge ought to buy good service!

An important piece of safety equipment is good anchor on board with at least 100 feet of line. You may hardly ever use your anchor, but it sure would come in handy for keeping you from blowing into the rocks if you lost power.

I used to keep flares with me. It is required on salt water. I don't anymore.

I normally have the important local numbers pre-programmed into my cell phone: Sheriff, Local Police, Campground, cabin or motel I might be staying at, Game Warden, etc.

If it is a lake I spend a lot of time on I'll even have 2 or 3 marinas or marine dealers in it. They'll usually charge you but it's still better than nothing.

Kevin

call the wife & tell 'er you'll be late for dinner.

Waving both arms over your head I think is generally recognized as a distress signal.

i don't know who you call but they call us at City Hall at Tawakoni- had several in the past couple of years- we contact game warden and sheriff's office

Having been in this situation 911 does work. They will connect you to either the local authorities (either the Sheriff or Parks and Wildlife if needed).

In my situation it was at Amistad on the 4th of July and the lake pretty much empty with it getting dark very fast. We were about 3 miles from the closest marina with a bunch of big lake to cross (trolling motor going dead). We didn't know anyone in the area and didn't have TPWD phone # so we called 911. They redirected our call to TPWD who came out and picked us up. TPWD only did this because they had not set up an agreement with the local marina for towing services. from first call to piclup was about 30 minutes. TPWD was already on the lake looking for illegal fireworks.

As for using 911, the signal was boosted by something internally in the phone and we were able to get good reception.

Hey this is a good thread. Thanks for posting. What would we do without cell phones? What did we do when we didn't have em'? I can't remember.