jetty safety, jetty tips

[DarkSkies]

I'm sure they didn't wake up one morning and say that today I will have an accident on a jetty. Just think before you step or take that extra stroll, especially in the cold. Don't be one of the ones who say what a stupid thing I did- after the fact, if you're lucky enough.

Excellent points, Surfwalker, thanks for sharing them.


Something along those lines happened to me the other night....
Thought I would share.....




Stories, stories, there are so many of them out there.. some good some bad.
but really, I want to to stress safety, over all else, how sad would it be for your family if you went out there, and didn't come home from a night of fishin?...I had the dubious pleasure of fishing next to a drunk guy the other night,...

He came up as I was gearing up to go out. Generally I would rather keep to myself out there, but this guy kind of crept up on me....

When I turned around and he was talking, his breath was so strong from drinking if you lit a match he would have been breathing flames....

He said he had just come from the bar, and he was going out there...
I tried to give some words of advice, talked about the huge swell, said it was bad enough I was wearing a PFD, and told him that even though I didn't know his level of expertise, it was not a great night to be out there anyway....

Additionally I told him that if he fell in I would be the one who would have to jump in and save him, and I wasn't looking forward to that moment if it should happen...

You can only reason with a drunk so much, otherwise it's a waste of words.

I did much drinking and drugs in my life and no one could ever tell me anything when I was high or drunk....

His response:
"Thanks for looking out for me, brotha! But I'm going to go out there anyway"


I saw that he eventually put himself into a risky position. There were no real opportunities for fish that night where he was fishing anyway. I know you can't save someone who is hell bent on destruction.

I left soon after, and checked the papers the next morning to see if anyone was reported missing or dead. Satisfied that there was no news, I'm glad he made it out of there OK.



He had no business being out there in those conditions.

[jigfreak]

He had no business being out there in those conditions.

Amen brother! Every year another idiot gets culled from the herd. Maybe it's Darwin's laws of survival of the fittest. You should see how insane they are in Australia. Losing another fisherman seems to be routine down under.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6f2_1330517296

[nitestrikes]

Amen brother! Every year another idiot gets culled from the herd. Maybe it's Darwin's laws of survival of the fittest. You should see how insane they are in Australia. Losing another fisherman seems to be routine down under.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6f2_1330517296

Dark you should really speak on this. Did you watch this video?

Guys are starting to wear pfds. I, have seen 1 or 2 at Montauk, or maybe that was you and I didn't realize it? The narrative in this video is eye-opening. Here is some of it:

(Starting at 5:00)
"Just how crazy this sport can be, not a life jacket in sight.
Rescuers end up risking their lives to fish out the bodies.
Their chance of dying while fishing is high becuuse of their overconfidence.

Helo pilot:
I've never picked up a fisherman who drowned while wearing a life jacket.
Why are there no life jackets? - Arrogance."


Granted we don't have waves that bad there, but at the Point at Montauk it can get pretty bad, or just a little west of that on an incoming moon tide.

[Monty]

Amen brother! Every year another idiot gets culled from the herd. Maybe it's Darwin's laws of survival of the fittest. You should see how insane they are in Australia. Losing another fisherman seems to be routine down under.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6f2_1330517296

Thanks for posting that video, that's crazy stupid. You gotta be an idiot fishing there. Its simply not safe.

[UrbanFishingMan]

those Australians are nuts!
A korkers store would make $$$

Here's how i go out if i feel
being swept away is a possibility.

[DarkSkies]

Helo pilot:
I've never picked up a fisherman who drowned while wearing a life jacket.
Why are there no life jackets? - Arrogance."

Nitestrikes thanks for bringing this up. I watched the video and have come to the conclusion that a lot of Aussies have a different mindset than we have here. They seem to embrace danger, even to go so far as taunting death.....because IMO that's what you're doing when you fish craggy points like that that have waves crashing over them, without a PFD.

I was at the Nissequogue River the afternoon last summer that father who wasn't wearing a PFD died. It has affected me deeply.


I have been to Montauk many times, and never thought of wearing a PFD.
Like some of you have mentioned, I probably would have thought that others would think you were a sissy or wimp for wearing one. We are all self-conscious about looking stupid when we're out there....

Since that Dad drowned in the Nissy,
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...quogue-8-12-11

I've gotten beyond that apprehension of what others might think, and am now actively trying to promote guys to wear a PFD when fishing dangerous areas. I try to set an example by wearing one every time.

[DarkSkies]

So far, it doesn't seem many are listening, or feel they would benefit from wearing one....
I understand the apprehension and fear of looking stupid....

A guy kind of laughed when he saw me putting on mine a few weeks ago, we had met out there and decided to fish together...in his culture they laugh at those kinds of preparations....when he saw the way I fish, he wasn't laughing any more and told me it was a smart thing.....

Will guys start wearing them just because I'm preaching about them?
Absolutely not....

But if I can get one person, at a time, to change the way they look at their safety, and the families they leave behind if they end up dead...then it will have all been worth it...


Thanks for pointing that out, Nitestrikes. We have surf fishermen and kayakers who die every year, right here in the US, because they didn't place a high degree of importance on safety and protecting their lives....



UrbanFishingMan, thanks for posting a pic of your gear. I thinik people would be amazed if they knew the level of preparation you go through before you go out there. IMO that's because you've seen the worst that can happen, and are mature enough that you don't want to put yourself in the same situation.







Also, to those folks who think this level of preparation is stupid, I ask you if you've thought about the First Reponders who will be at risk as well, if they have to go and rescue you...isn't that something that we should also be thinking about?

[Monty]

Also, to those folks who think this level of preparation is stupid, I ask you if you've thought about the First Reponders who will be at risk as well, if they have to go and rescue you...isn't that something that we should also be thinking about?

I think it the opposite of stupid.
IMO its smart, well thought out and properly prepared for his fishing experience.
Nothing but respect for a person properly prepared.

[UrbanFishingMan]

Thanks Dark Skies!
when you live 5 miles from the most dangerous spot on LI
you evolve. In this spot a well established plug makers/ MTK contest winners has been swept away & had to swim 50 minutes to get back. BTW the rescue for that plug maker took 70 minutes to deploy. He had been on shore almost 20 minutes when they showed up. The 2 men ditched their VS reels, lami rods & plug bags losing thousands but keeping their lives. But don't feel too bad for him cuz most of you guys probably own a few of his bottle darters.

In light of this event; i began to practice swimming in fins & boots. Eventually i began carrying glow sticks, energy gel,gatoraid & protein bars, all in a camalbak i can swim with. I'm considering purchasing a spot GPS locator too. That was Zeno's suggestion.

MTK locals will never laugh at you for wearing a PFD! go out with out korkers & toss a popper durning a buck tail blitz & cross a few lines..... then they'll laugh at you.

I'll wear that same set up at IBSP too in certain situations. Even a sandy beach can
mess you up: remember the guy who almost drowned on Dec 1st this year at IBSP?

Bottom line is ......no fish is worth your life.

[dogfish]

MTK locals will never laugh at you for wearing a PFD! go out with out korkers & toss a popper durning a buck tail blitz & cross a few lines..... then they'll laugh at you.

I'll wear that same set up at IBSP too in certain situations. Even a sandy beach can
mess you up: remember the guy who almost drowned on Dec 1st this year at IBSP?

Bottom line is ......no fish is worth your life.

Crossing lines with a popper when everyone is using bucktails, yessir, that is a quick way to get yer line cut. Great photo, urban. Looks like the edge of the world.

[jigfreak]

those Australians are nuts!
A korkers store would make $$$

Here's how i go out if i feel
being swept away is a possibility.

Nice gear dude. Awesome pirate flag. Is that for a yak or do you just fly in the sand when you're out there?

[UrbanFishingMan]

From Surfcasters journal
The Striper Surf took back another one of its disciples today. A truly remarkable person in so many ways.
RIP Tim Coleman.
The Fisherman, The Author, The Editor and a Friend
Our sincerest condolences to the Coleman family and his friends

[DarkSkies]

^^ Rip Tim, deepest condolences to his family. Thanks for posting this, A.....

[DarkSkies]

Someone I know of got washed off a jetty last night.

He got a 38# bass, made it back to the shoreline, and went back out to keep up with the bite.....and shortly after got washed off.......

I have been dying to fish the ocean, but the swells have been too big and dangerous. With all the dangerous situations I have put myself in over the years, I have tried to learn from them....

As a result, I have a policy of always wearing a PFD when I may fish different areas at night including rocks.
I also make it a policy not to fish if the swell is over 4', (preferably fishing 2-4')....after last Winter during a storm I was almost washed off in a big swell.

I had to climb back up by myself, and it really knocked some sense into me........


















Here is the reply I wrote.
I hope some of you new guys will take heed of this advice.....

******
"I hear ya....


I know you're upset, and probably mad at yourself...but only you can learn these lessons,,,and IMO you can't learn in a seminar or having someone tell you...you have to go through it.




I'm embarassed to admit how many times I've gotten washed off a jetty, or almost washed off.... or taken a fall and smashed the back of my head..... Sometimes seeing stars.


Doing that, taught me to walk around like an ape with knees bent, if conditions are bad. Also I learned when the water is big, to only fish the ebb tide....


And I now have a rule I will only fish a jetty if the swell report says 2-4'...otherwise I feel it makes presentation tough.....and as you said, no fish is worth your life.....




Believe me you aren't the only one this has happened to.
The 38# fish was nice, but not as important as your life, or the people you would leave behind if you didn't make it home at night.....











A few more thoughts, since I see that you, like I, fish alone...

1. Always write an itinerary, and leave it at home with your wife or girlfriend in case they have to do a search for you.

2. When the surf is too big, stay home, use your judgement to decide, only you know the level of risk you are williing to take.


3. If the surf is fishable but big, try to have a policy of only fishing the dropping tide. That way if something does happen and you get wedged unconscious in a hole somewhere, there will be time for you to save yourself, or someone to find you. At 9:30 last night the tide was still coming in....try to think of that next time.....

4. Carry a phone with you in a sealed case, for emergencies.

5. Always wear a PFD...I'm kind of a proud guy, and felt like a sissy when I first wore mine. No more.... that PFD has saved me more than once, and I have no issues at all about wearing it now.....















Glad you are ok...
No fish is worth your life, or the pain caused to your loved ones if you do not come back alive.....

Be safe, learn from this, you may not get another chance....
Best wishes, thanks for the warning to others"....

[Monty]

1. Always write an itinerary, and leave it at home with your wife or girlfriend in case they have to do a search for you.
2. When the surf is too big, stay home, use your judgement to decide, only you know the level of risk you are williing to take.
3. If the surf is fishable but big, try to have a policy of only fishing the dropping tide. That way if something does happen and you get wedged unconscious in a hole somewhere, there will be time for you to save yourself, or someone to find you.At 9:30 last night the tide was still coming in....try to think of that next time.....
4. Carry a phone with you in a sealed case, for emergencies.
5. Always wear a PFD...I'm kind of a proud guy, and felt like a sissy when I first wore mine. No more.... that PFD has saved me more than once, and I have no issues at all about wearing it now.....

Great rules Dark. Can't say it enough, people be smart and use common sense. That PFD is a life saver Dark, great advice.

[jigfreak]

"No fish is worth your life" Ain't that the truth. A 38 is something great to hunt for but not if he shows up on the news the next morning floating face up. Anyone we know, dark?

[DarkSkies]

^^ Not from NJ, Jigfreak....SS of LI....
Thanks for the words, Monty.....

The reason I know these rules is because I have screwed up many times in life. I thank God for giving me more chances to come back...but wonder how lucky I can be....I made those guidelines for me as a safeguard to help keep my enthusiasm, and insanity ...in check when I know the fish should be there, but the conditions are dangerous......

I'm not judging anyone here, and I don't think it's productive for us to judge him either.

John S, the kayaker and author, recently got into trouble in Montauk and almost died. The amount of guys judging him for his mistake, saddens me.
Maybe because of who he is, some feel he should have been more aware of his surroundings. I'll agree with that.










However, we all make mistakes.
I have made plenty of them in my life....and I will continue to make them.
(Hopefully not the same ones).

The only perfect being out there is God.
Other than that, we are all flawed,,,and I must confess to having many flaws....
If someone learns from a bad experience, then maybe it was meant to be....it's one thing to learn from a book, but IMO nothing can substitute for a real life scare, until you realize how precious life truly is.....












*******

Anyone else who has something to add, feel free.....
You just might end up helping someone to save their lives one night out there...

[UrbanFishingMan]

two people in the last two days have been swept off the breezy point jeddy!
todays dude was picked up by a center console boat fishing near by. IDK how Saturdays
fisherman is. Big storm swell & new moon this past monday combined for treacherous surf all the way from breezy to MTK
.

[cowherder]

Wow, like they said no fish is worth your life. Be careful out there.

[CharlieTuna]

Do not get to close to the edge during hurricane season or rough surf. Mike Laptew documented this recent rescue.
http://www.abc6.com/story/36425241/p...t-point-judith