Thread: First day in 3 months

Glad you recovered and that is an impressive catch!

Dang, dude ! I didn't know that. I saw you post a while back about getting a new boat, but I didn't know the reason. Hey, you didn't ask my permission to go to my lake. Don't let it happen again. Hope you continue to heal. You've been thru a lot in the last 2 years. I was thinking of going there this afternoon.

BTW, what boat did you end up getting. Post a pic.

Excel Bay Pro 203
115 merc
Ipilot
Lawrence 7
I love it


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Nice boat and setup!!

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Very nice boat for sure! Tell us about your accident so we way learn.

Pic in the hospital before surgery. Literally broke every connection that holds the bottom half of your face on. Told that you seldom survive.
I was going to my deer blind on the island at Larto in the dark for a morning hunt. Made the trip dozens of times. Started from Larto cabins and remembered that there were a line of jugs strung out so I made a extra wide birth. Something told me I was down to far, so I throttled down and turned towards the island. Down to around 10 mph a cedar I came on before expected caught my trolling motor. I remember thinking boy is the wife is gonna be pissed, turned sharp right now realizing I was in the cedar line. My next memory was waking up on the boat deck which was now wedged between to cedars on the shore, picked up my bow and tried to walk off to my stand. Right away I noticed I wasn't in the right spot. I felt some wet on my face and started to realize I was in trouble.
I looked towards the lake and saw the store lights, not where I usually go in. I called the store, ( my brother-in law owns the store) and mumbled I was in trouble. They just opened, and noticed the out of place rear boat light on the island. They put 2x2 together and came and got me.
Bottom line lesson, I got complacent. Made it lots of times but didn't stay on high alert. It wasn't speed.
My new boat has flood and spotlights installed that turn night into day. I spotlight sitting on the seat wasn't enough and I didn't treat the darkness like every trip is your first for awareness.
When I got to the hospital the kill switch was still on my belt.
The first day home from the hospital I filed an accident report with WL&F. Yep, mandatory.
Hospital bills over 150k and off for 8weeks, thank God for great insurance and full short term disability.

Here's the kicker. WL&F came to my house and gave me two tickets.
One because I didn't report the accident right away. Doesn't matter I was in the hospital for 6 hours of surgery or that if I didn't bother to file they wouldn't have known I existed.
The second for careless operation of a watercraft.
I lost any respect for WL&F in this interaction.

Dang, that sounds terrible! I'm sure glad you made it out ok although I know you must have gone through an extreme amount of pain and suffering. God, was definitely with you though, I hate to imagine what would have happened if you would have been tossed in the water unconscious or if your cell phone would have been lost or damaged. Thank you for sharing your misfortune with us and I hope we all learn a valuable lesson about boat safety and not taking things for granted. I'm happy to see you are back out fishing and we all wish you well with a full recovery


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Great catch for post rehab. Hadn't heard about accident but glad to know you have recovered well and still able to get back on the water and "suckemup".