jetty safety, jetty tips

[plugcrazy]

I saw some Spanish guys almost get washed off the tip of the Barnegat Jetty last week. They were out there with big swell on the incoming. Stupid is as stupid does. I guess that's God's way of making the gene pool stronger.

I saw a guy slip and smash his knee pretty hard tonight. Be careful dudes!

[DarkSkies]

Very timely post, plugcrazy.

I was having a few discussions with some friends about this today..
Guys have mentioned they see some fish caught off the rocks, and are thus motivated to try there too...

If you're new to this, please re-think that strategy at this time of year...
It's January, and while the air temps this weekend hit the mid-60's, the ocean is still in the mid to high 40's

These temps, if you are not wearing a wetsuit or drysuit, can disable you completely within 10 minutes, resulting in a slow agonizing death, if you fall in and are not able to self-rescue.

Look no further than this thread to see an example of one of our own who died less than 2 months ago because he fell or got washed off a jetty.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...t=jetty+safety




Some new members here have asked me, in light of the success I have been having, to take them out on some rocks as well...

I put these cautions here not to scare guys away or "keep the fish all to ourselves"...I hope my posts explain that anyone who's catching multple digits of fish is working hard for each and every one of them. My reports may make it seem like it's easy, but it's not...there are risks associated with each trip..and the penalty of aches and pains to be paid for after each trip.

As I sometimes cannot contain my enthusiasm, I apologize if it seems that my fishing excursions are too easy,

They are the result of hitting it hard, taking calculated risks, and years of experience walking those rocks, studying the tides, rips, and holes, and applying that to hopefully catch fish.

Some nights it all comes together for nice action.

There have also been many nights where I've had no action at all, not even a tap. So when it seems the level of activity has increased, I'm out there as much as I can be, giving it all I've got...to get these fish.

Truly, I'm having a hell of a time, very happy nights, but I want to be clear about the level of risk involved, and maybe with the honesty in this post get some out there to think very carefully about their plans for venturing out there at night..
Many may have read that I'm now wearing a PFD. Some may think of this move as beneath them, but I will continue to encourage people to wear one for cold water fishing off the rocks...even the best of us have accidents...





Please, folks.... from the mistakes of others, and don't think you can't die out there...for at the very moment you convince yourself of your invincibility, FATE has a cruel way of throwing a curve ball into your life....

[DarkSkies]

The OFFC were out last night. They related to me that as they were done fishing, they saw a guy crawl off a jetty...that's right, he was crawling on his hands and knees...


I relate this not to make fun of the guy, but to say that something must have happened to him out there that caused him to take that posture when coming back...

maybe he fell in a bit...
maybe he fell down and bashed a knee, or twisted a joint or part of his back,
maybe he slipped, didn't fall, but the incident was too close for comfort, and it spooked him (self-presevation instincts come into play here)

And in fearing that he was not going to come back aliive to his family and loved ones, he humbled himself and crawled off that jetty...




*****
In addition to that, Pebbles and I met some pretty experienced fishermen when we went to the next stop. Even so, one of them fell out there on the rocks. He quickly regained his footing, but these are the types of things that can change your life, in an instant...

[Monty]

I apologize if it seems that my fishing excursins are too easy.

Anyone who thinks fishing with you is a walk in the park, pleasant experience is off their rocker.


People need to know their limits.
I do not go on rocks at all. Just to dangerous for me. I can have enough fun and excitement on the sand (or throwing a lure at a branch on my lawn).

[DarkSkies]

^^Thanks for the feedback Monty...as always you have a diplomatic way of expressing your point....

As for hooking yourself while casting to trees...well I think we ALL have a little GOOGAN in us....




******
Here's another cautionary tale I wrote tailored to kayaking,,,but edited to include surf and jetty fishing...I know some of this may seem redundant and repetitive, apologies for that...but if it ends up saviing someone's life, then I make no apologies...




*************
Some basic lessons for the new guys here, and the rest of us as well

1. Always have a location plan written and available to someone you trust back home. (If fishing a jetty or jetty area write down where you should be that night)

2. For the new guys, don't go out alone until you are extremely confident in your abilities.

3. Don't go out at night until you are confident with your safety precautions and have run a list of "what if" scenarios in your mind. If you are not good at strategizing Plan B, C, and D scenarios, you could get yourself killed out there.

4. I hope my words about guys "challenging" themselves aren't taken the wrong way here.You never want to challenge yourselves by compromising your safety. If something goes wrong, you not only put yourself at risk but put the safety of first responders at risk. You should also think about the family or friends you leave at home, and what will happen to them if you don't come back from a trip.

Ex - I thought about the people at home who depend on me, and instantly knew I had to leave. No shame in that.

I hope these poiints will give the new guys some things to think about. We're not pushing anyone to go out there who doesn't feel it is within your skill set.

If it's not within your skill set, you will find out very quickly, and remember that things can turn around on any jetty or inlet, in a moment's notice.There's no shame in being careful, cautious, or saying to yourself..."Things aren't right for me today, to do this...I'll re-assess, do something else, and come back when conditions are better."

Hope this helped some of you guys.





**********
Last but not least...
*How important are your family and loved ones to you?
*What would happen to them if you didn't make it back from a fishing trip?
*What kind of pain would they go through knowing you drowned out there at night?
*Is it fair to put them through that, all for a fish?

Please be safe out there, guys and gals...no fish is worth your life...

[xtreme_visions]

check this guy out. a few years ago he was trying to take photos of the ny skyline and met some rocks

although he wasnt fishing it shows how safe u need to be even when not on the rocks


http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/loca...erg_new_jersey


that is some of my stuff dark

[DarkSkies]

Alcohol and Rocks don't mix..

a few years ago I was on the Shark River north jetty. I thought I was fishin by myself...until to my surprise 2 drunk dudes who had climbed the tower above began singing to the seas for me to catch a fish....they were so drunk, and swaying over the rail so much, I thought one of them was going to fall down and smash his skull like a cantaloupe on the rocks next to me...

Luckily, someone (not me) saw them and called it in to the Bradley Beach PD. They came out and arrested these guys...I know they weren't hurting anyone, and were in fact the best entertainment I had that night...but they were in a dangerous position, and really were too blazed to know that....

Thanks for sharing that Extreme...
....tell me, how did you get to that accident scene so fast to film that video?

[xtreme_visions]

i move like the wind