Indian Creek 4/26 and a eye opener about PFD's

Went to Indian Creek near Woodworth with a friend who is really good and knows how to catch them over there and we got SKUNKED ! Fished for 4 hours without a fish. Anyway, we got checked by GW right away while fishing and we both had our inflatable pfd's. We wear them while travelling, but take them off to fish. He asked if we had any other pfd's on board. I said I had one other one, a vest type. He said that if you ONLY have the inflatable ones, you have to wear them all of the time while on the water. We were totally blown away by this. My friend immediately picked his up and said "Well, I'll wear it from now on" and he let us go with a warning. It's ok if you have the vest type for each person and not wear it, but if you only have the inflatable kind, you have to wear it all of the time. My friend called the local Wildlife Enforcement Agency when he got back home and they verified that. I'm sure that some of you knew this already, but I bet there are some of you that didn't. Thought I would pass that along.

It's really a good idea to wear them all the time, I have a self inflation and love it , I find it comfortable and it don't inhibit my fishing.

That is some good information to pass along. Thank you. I had no idea about that law. I don't have inflatables, but if I ever get any I'll know. You know what they say, "Ignorance is no excuse!" So, thank you again for bringing this to our attention.

That is like up until about 3-4 years ago I did not know that when hooking a trailer to a vehicle, it is state law that the safety chains be crossed to form an X under the hitch.

didn't know that.....thanks

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Originally Posted by Dapet

Went to Indian Creek near Woodworth with a friend who is really good and knows how to catch them over there and we got SKUNKED ! Fished for 4 hours without a fish. Anyway, we got checked by GW right away while fishing and we both had our inflatable pfd's. We wear them while travelling, but take them off to fish. He asked if we had any other pfd's on board. I said I had one other one, a vest type. He said that if you ONLY have the inflatable ones, you have to wear them all of the time while on the water. We were totally blown away by this. My friend immediately picked his up and said "Well, I'll wear it from now on" and he let us go with a warning. It's ok if you have the vest type for each person and not wear it, but if you only have the inflatable kind, you have to wear it all of the time. My friend called the local Wildlife Enforcement Agency when he got back home and they verified that. I'm sure that some of you knew this already, but I bet there are some of you that didn't. Thought I would pass that along.

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1st...thanks for the heads up...2nd...hate the skunk story...3rd....where abouts did you fish because i'm seriously thinking about a trip there....soon...did ya'll mark any fish......just some general locations in reference to the launch or a pm if you would rather..Thanks...TDG

Didn't know that. Thanks

We fished points . We tried to find some underwater grass with the depth finder. There wasn't nearly as much grass as they used to have over there. We saw some fish on the sonar, but not sure what they were. We fished around the island and any points that we could find. Talk to 2 other boats and they said the same thing. fishing is not as good as it used to be over there. If you're going to be camping there, I would try to fish at night with an underwater light. Perhaps that light might draw some in. I tell you, I'm not going back there anytime soon. We even tried trolling jigs out the back of the boat following the banks and didn't get a bite.

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Originally Posted by Pastor

... it is state law that the safety chains be crossed to form an X under the hitch.

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That's true, been that way for several years. Always do it. Under the hitch is the key so if it become comes unlatched, the crossed chains will catch it before hitting the ground. On one of my utility trailers I have to wrap the chains around the tongue so there isn't too much slack while hooking up.

Cut the chains shorter. I also think that you are supposed to have a regular pfd to use after an inflatable inflates. Once it is used, it has to be recharged and is no longer a valid pfd. I carry 2 inflatables and 4 regulars all the time. I had the room and I had the pfd's , so I figured why not.

Okay, I did some research. In boats under 26 ft. Children 16 and under must wear a class 1,2 or 3 pfd when under power. No inflatables allowed on the children. Older than 16 are not required to wear pfd's but must have a class 1,2 or 3 available if needed. That is the part about having a regular pfd even if you have an inflatable one. That was found on the boating section of the regulations. #2. As far as trailers, help me out. All I can find says chains are not required unless the gross weight of the trailer and load is up to 6000 lbs. As far as crossing them, I can find nothing and do not believe that to be true.

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Originally Posted by "D"

Cut the chains shorter.

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Don't want to, may come in handy one of these days.

Sometimes what you don't believe to be true can get you in trouble....Check with your State DOT for the trailer regulations. I do know that its true in MS.....Also in MS and boat under 15 ft. you have to wear a pfd at all times on the COE lakes only....Over that length you can take them off when you turn the big motor off.

I have the coiled cables on my trailer instead of chains. Crossing them or not makes no difference if the trailer comes off the hitch since they will stretch either way.

Thanks for the heads up on the inflatable PFDs. I started wearing one this year and mine DID say that it had to be worn AT ALL TIMES to be considered a life vest, said so right in the directions of the pfd. Danny, mine is a manual/automatic so if mine was to inflate, all I would have to do is to roll it back up and velcro it back together and I could still wear it legally and it would just be a manual pfd. I have also heard the rule about crossing the chains on the trailer, whether it is a law or not, it is a good idea. IMO.

From the USCG site.....

Will the approved inflatable PFD satisfy the USCG carriage requirement?

Only if the user complies with the approval conditions will the carriage requirement be met. Unlike the inherently buoyant wearable PFDs, which must be readily available, an inflatable PFD must be worn to meet the carriage requirement.

Boats 16' and longer need a throwable on board too. Crossing chain is not law in LA but is a good idea. If your chains are to long you can twist them to make em shorter or tie em up.

Linda and I both wear inflatables 100% of the time when in the boat. I also have a recharge kit in case one gets inflated while on the water. I had that happen once, I guess the humidity finally did the trigger in, bamm or should I say Hisssssssss, that thing was full blown in about 3 seconds. In that case I rode home legally because I also had a class 1 in the boat.

Another tip. DO NOT WEAR A PIECE OF CLOTHING OVER YOUR INFLATABLE, A SHIRT, JACKET, OR RAIN COAT. IF IT INFLATE UNDER THEM THE PRESSURE COULD COLLAPSE YOUR CHEST OR KEEP YOU FROM BREATHING AND SMOTHER YOU.

Thanks everyone for the tips, it's good to watch out for each other.
"gene"

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Originally Posted by PawPaw "gene"

Another tip. DO NOT WEAR A PIECE OF CLOTHING OVER YOUR INFLATABLE, A SHIRT, JACKET, OR RAIN COAT. IF IT INFLATE UNDER THEM THE PRESSURE COULD COLLAPSE YOUR CHEST OR KEEP YOU FROM BREATHING AND SMOTHER YOU.

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That's plum scary.I wear the vest type. The pockets are where most of my tackle is and I don't have to wonder if that tech-no-gizmo will puff up should I take the plunge again.

Jig Rig took the words out of my mouth......twist chains to tighten to desired length.....I have cables on my trailer

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Originally Posted by shadow

Thanks for the heads up on the inflatable PFDs. I started wearing one this year and mine DID say that it had to be worn AT ALL TIMES to be considered a life vest, said so right in the directions of the pfd. Danny, mine is a manual/automatic so if mine was to inflate, all I would have to do is to roll it back up and velcro it back together and I could still wear it legally and it would just be a manual pfd. I have also heard the rule about crossing the chains on the trailer, whether it is a law or not, it is a good idea. IMO.

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Dwyane, I think mine has a place to manually blow it up also. It deployed once in the boat and I just put a new charger kit on it. I keep one in the boat. As far as the chains go. I have cables on my boat trailer and chains on my 6 x 10 utility trailer.They have the clips on the ends to keep them from coming off the vehicle. I have been in a vehicle when a boat trailer came off and broke the chains I think. I was young then, but pretty sure it had chains.Not as good as the heavy chains used now. My dad had to slam on the brakes to avoid a truck running a light in Berwick. I remember it had a long pipe tongue and was home built. It swung around the passenger side then swung through the open passenger window, just missing my brother's head. That could have been a life changer.

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Originally Posted by "G"

Sometimes what you don't believe to be true can get you in trouble....Check with your State DOT for the trailer regulations. I do know that its true in MS.....Also in MS and boat under 15 ft. you have to wear a pfd at all times on the COE lakes only....Over that length you can take them off when you turn the big motor off.

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For some reason 16 ft is the magic number in La. Under 16 everyone is required to wear a pfd while under power.

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Originally Posted by "D"

Okay, I did some research. In boats under 26 ft. Children 16 and under must wear a class 1,2 or 3 pfd when under power. No inflatables allowed on the children. Older than 16 are not required to wear pfd's but must have a class 1,2 or 3 available if needed. That is the part about having a regular pfd even if you have an inflatable one. That was found on the boating section of the regulations. #2. As far as trailers, help me out. All I can find says chains are not required unless the gross weight of the trailer and load is 6000 lbs. As far as crossing them, I can find nothing and do not believe that to be true.

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D, from the research that I have done on this about the trailer chains, it falls under R.S. 32:384 of the state law but it was for trailers under 6000 lbs, but it seams they are changing it to trailers under 10,000 lbs.. But no where could I find anything about it chains HAVING to be crossed, only that you SHOULD cross.. I also found a page that shows that only 1 chain is required in Louisiana and if that is true, then it would be impossible to cross them with only 1 chain.

http://www.expediter.com/natm%20pdf%...Laws-Table.pdf

https://www.boat-ed.com/louisiana/st...901_700053789/

https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewD....aspx?d=875283

Thanks Johnny. I want to be clear, I am not against doing it. I just did not think it was law. Still not sure what effect it has if any.

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Originally Posted by "D"

Dwyane, I think mine has a place to manually blow it up also. It deployed once in the boat and I just put a new charger kit on it. I keep one in the boat. As far as the chains go. I have cables on my boat trailer and chains on my 6 x 10 utility trailer.They have the clips on the ends to keep them from coming off the vehicle. I have been in a vehicle when a boat trailer came off and broke the chains I think. I was young then, but pretty sure it had chains.Not as good as the heavy chains used now. My dad had to slam on the brakes to avoid a truck running a light in Berwick. I remember it had a long pipe tongue and was home built. It swung around the passenger side then swung through the open passenger window, just missing my brother's head. That could have been a life changer.

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Wow Danny! That would have scared the crap out of me! I have had a boat come off on me before but I was in town and was going very slow (35 or less) so I just kept hitting my brakes and let the tongue hit my bumper until it stopped. Mine came off b/c the tongue was not tightened down like it should be. For those that may not know, the tongue has a nut on the inside that can be tightened down to fit snugly on the ball.

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Originally Posted by "D"

For some reason 16 ft is the magic number in La. Under 16 everyone is required to wear a pfd while under power.

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Yep my bad...I mean't 16 ft.......geezer moment

I was told that the thinking about the crossed chains would be to support the tongue and keep it from digging into the roadway. The regs. state that the chains are to only be long enough to be able to turn the trailer, so excessively long chains are not acceptable and would allow the tongue to dig into the roadway. Digging into the roadway could cause the chains to snap and then you have a loose trailer. Some laws are silly and some are smart, but all laws should be obeyed.
"gene"

Good stuff guys, I found out about the inflatables after being stopped by Mr Greenjeans too, he didn't write us up just told us the law. I usually carry 2 throwables as well. The vests are misery in our hot summers.

sorry to hear they weren't biting. Me and my wife were there two weeks ago and caught some nice ones. One day we caught 31. Then the next night we caught 21. Mostly about 10 foot deep in anywhere from 16 to 20 Fow. We were using shiners and jigs. We caught some in the grass in about 7-8 fow water, but not as good as the deeper water. They mostly had eggs in them and were 1 lb to 1 1/2 lbs.

Correct me if Im missing it - But I dont see that in the regs anywhere... Just: No inflatables for 16yrs and under while underway and no inflatables for skiing tubing wakeboarding etc. Not to say its a bad practice safety-wise - but im not seeing any grounds for a ticket - even a warning. Again If I missed it I stand corrected.

https://books.google.com/books?id=_w...ent%3F&f=false

Google is your Friend

It definitely says that to be considered a PFD it must be worn at all times or you must have another approved type on board.

Thanks JR, I was googling but was looking specifically for La. law.
"gene"

I never was able to find where you had to be wearing the inflatable in order to be legal. From what I found, it states that while underway with a tiller handle under 16 ft it must be worn, but other than that, it onlys says that it has to be easily accessible.. seems like you could fight that ticket.

http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/sites/d...tions/pfds.pdf

Good luck fighting that.

The coast guard document I posted states that to be a approved PFD (inflatable)it must be worn. State law states you must have a coast guard approved PFD.

HTH