Lessons Learned

[bidkev]

Further to recent debates on boating safety I thought it may be interesting and worthwhile to share any painful (or otherwise) experiences that you have encountered whilst boating/fishing.

Was there valuable lessons to be learned? Could the experience have been avoided? In retrospect, what suggestions do you have to prevent them happening again?

First up, I've made the fatal mistake of grabbing a wire leader and taking a turn around the hand without gloves. I now always have a pair of welders gloves in the boat, these because they reach up the arm and cover the wrist/artery.

2nd: My deckie was handling a very fast run from what I assume was a wahoo or spanish.......I was stood to her left giving "verbal help" when the fish ran to the left and the stern of the boat. As I moved to the stern to see if it was going to entangle the prop, it decided to run for'ard up the other side of the boat, resulting in the line going across my neck, The deckie couldn't wouldn't let go the rod and I screamed at her to pass the rod over my head which she duly did, unfortunately from the wrong way, which resulted in a coil around my neck. I screamed for a knife and luckily one was to hand. I think this was the most frightening experience I've ever had in fishing. Me and the deckie didn't speak for 48 hrs Lesson learned....stay away from the deckie when she's on a high

3rd: I dropped a 6ft pike eel into a 10 ft tinnie........'nuff said, my joggers still bear the scar

4th: I let go the winch handle when I hadn't engaged the lock....result.......fractured cheekbone
lesson learned: Let the deckie handle the winch

kev

We tolerate shapes in human beings that would horrify us if we saw them in a horse.

[Canoedle]

Ouch

[ShaneJ]

When you get stung by a balleye? ray, dont think you can finish the crabbing session

[Grand_Marlin]

LOL Kingtin, that is legendary stuff.... I had to wait for the tears of laughter to subside before I could reply....

Can I come fishing with you?

You can keep all the fish, and I will keep what we win on funniest home videos !!!!

Lessons learnt, none the less.

[Owen]

Lessons learned while fishing?

• The crab will always let go of the wife's hook just before you get the net under it, and you will get into trouble for scaring her if you tell here it's "in my eye" if it hasn't actually punctured your eyeball, but is instead lodged in the skin in your EYE SOCKET. I now know they are entirely different and I had no right scaring her that way [smiley=end.gif]
• When standing on the front of the tinnie retrieving crab pots whilst your wife is drive, do not start yelling to put in in reverse to avoid crashing into the bank as apparently the unique accoustics in the mangroves can make it sound like "give it full throttle!!" when they are under pressure
• Don't throw cast nets near the entrance to barnacle encrusted drainage pipes on causeways

Kev,
My wife reckons I'm a danger to myself, but I reckon you've got the jump on me so far

cheers,
Owen

[Grand_Marlin]

Now I have stopped laughing... what can I add....

1) Never assume live crabs (bait) will sit quietly in an open bucket in the car. 24hrs later you realise that they stink lots and that there are cavities in the car that you never knew existed.

2) Never trust your mate when he says "Yes, of course the trailer hitch pin is clipped in"

3) If, out of enthusiasm, you teach your 5 year old how to start the boat when you take them fishing, remember to take the keys out when it is sitting in the driveway.

4) Ever wonder why they are called electric eels? Ever wonder if they were joking? They weren't

5) Point 4 makes things difficult... you finally believe what the name says... then you catch a "Happy Moment"

6) Never trust your Grandfather, even with his years of wisdom and experience, when he says "Don't worry, I wont hook you" while casting lures out of the boat. (treble through the ear)

7) Never go away camping on good Friday and expect to catch fish for dinner, especially if you are a Catholic.

8) If you are out GameFishing (trolling) .... fish are quiet.... so you decide to have a sleep.... always check that the fire bucket is still in the boat if it is YOUR rod that mysteriously gets the strike..... before you spend half hour fighting it... Man those buckets pull hard...

9) Penguins arent as cute and innocent as they look... especially if provoked...

10) and this is dead true, dont trust the marketing spiel on para anchors / sea anchors when it comes to safety. Any more than 15 kts of wind and they wont keep the nose into the wind. They let the boat drag side on. Thanks para anchor... do u want to replace my old boat?

Gee we seem to learn the hard way sometimes...

Cheers

Pete

p.s. Kingtin. I am still laughing.

[Owen]

Could have been worse Kev,
When you had that line around your neck your deckie could have recited my favourite movie quote.
"I've just spoken to the Lord and He say he thinks he can get me out of this, but He's pretty sure you're f......d!"

[BigE]

No matter how hard you try you will never convince your fishin mate "that letting 20 bucks loose in the tent while he slept" ... "seemed like a good idea at the time" and the old chestnut " I'm sure they were all tied" doesnt go over to well either............ the thumb nail did grow back eventually , but we have never gone crabbin together again.

E

[Bream_Reaper01]

In a 14" tinny ,DON'T tell a procrabber,yes mate we'll have your shark that u don't want,assuming it was dead.Lucky i suppose the noah was only 1mt long.

When helping the little ones and nearly finished tieing new hook on,DON'T say nearly done to them before hook is clear of hand.

[bidkev]

Owen and Grand Marlin.......touche mates.........I am wetting myself here

kev

We are the unwilling, led by the unqualified, doing the unnecessary, for the ungrateful.

[DICER]

When your in Northern Germany far out on the mud flats and the tide is coming in faster than you can walk, and also while you are extracting yourself from a mud/cockle gutter up to your waist, and also when the German guy next to says "Raus" - he really means get out of the mud as fast as you can without your waders/pants on.

[fish2eat]

Oh Kev...........I just hope Sarajane reads this thread, since you offered her a deckie job on your boat

Help!!!!!! I'm starting to feel sorry for a journalist...... help!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bidkev]

Oh Kev...........I just hope Sarajane reads this thread, since you offered her a deckie job on your boat

Help!!!!!! I'm starting to feel sorry for a journalist...... help!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aaaaaaaw! You're just a big softie

kev


He who blames himself is halfway there. He who blames no one has arrived.

[Maria]

Tie knots - then test them, and test them, and test them some more before sending it into the drink.

Don't take gf/wife to mosquito/sandfly infested mangrove environments. Picture her running screaming and yelling 200m back to the car waving hands about frantically before locking herself in the car in tears (because you need to lock the doors too don't forget).

Hands and feet simply don't match up to what creatures from esturine environments can throw at you - teeth, spikes, gill plates, oysters, rocks, glass.....the list goes on. Keep em protected.

Don't think that if you stop drinking at 2am, the two hours of restless doze that you get will be sufficient to enable you to go fishing that morning at 5am - right Jeff

Ben

[Pwoida]

When you drop your $300 rod & reel into the drink, don't just stand there watching it, as it floats for a few seconds, hoping the boat will drift towards it........ dive in ya woos!!!!

When you've just bought a new cast net, and you go for you're first throw, remember to loop the rope on your wrist securely.