Falling IN Your Boat

Thornback · January 12, 2018, 08:06:25 AM

We hear about anglers falling out of their boats into the water. I was wondering if anyone has a story about falling IN your boat. I have fallen/tripped 2 times in my bass boat. Once when moving about I tripped and fell against the windshield. Another time I hooked a bass and was trying to take up the slack as the bass swam towards tree roots so i started to walk backwards while reeling as fast as I could, tripped and fell on my back on the deck. Another time I fell flat on my face in a friend's boat when I tripped. My boat has three different deck levels plus various items on deck that are easy to trip over. Luckily none of my falls resulted in a broken bone or a cut.

analfisherman · January 12, 2018, 08:19:46 AM

I've never actually tripped BUT I've taken a couple spills on buddy's boats.............
WHEN THEY DECIDED THERE IS NO NEED TO INFORM THE CO-ANGLER THAT THEY DECIDED TO MOVE TO THE NEXT TREE TO PITCH IT.............AND DECIDE TIME IS OF ESSENCE AND KICK THAT TROLLING MOTOR UP AS FAST AS IT POSSIBLE CAN GO!

Bud Kennedy · January 12, 2018, 08:59:56 AM

I fell on my front deck and my knee landed directly on the trolling motor pedal. The result was 9 stitches that unfortunately pulled apart as the gash was directly on the knee cap. Wasn't doing anything special just lost my balance and went down.

Princeton_Man · January 12, 2018, 09:29:50 AM

I've had a few clumsy moments. Front deck, console, back deck. Nothing serious, but it's a wonder a couple of my more graceful moments were caught on tape somewhere.

I think my most painful moment was witnessed by Lee in Guntersville. Earlier that year in early March I fell under Bigwrench's Ranger on a slippery ramp. Went down like a tall pine tree on my right shoulder. I crushed things in there pretty good.

Seven months latter it still hadn't completely healed, but I could cast well enough again. Lee was standing near the front of the trailer, Caddy Joe's rig was in the bay next to mine and he was on the it's starboard side. Me, I was in my boat buttoning up things from the day on the water.

Standing on the rear deck with beer in hand, conversing with Lee and Joe while stepping down at the same time, I missed the trailer's fender step by a good 10-12 inches. Once again like a tall tree being felled by a woodsman's axe, beer still in hand, I crashed with all my weight on that same shoulder. I can still do the instant replay in my mind, the grimaced look on Lee's face...

That's been a few years ago. My shoulder has finally healed and these days, I put my beer down before I climb down.

SteveTX · January 12, 2018, 10:16:20 AM

I fell stepping up on my front deck and my knee landed directly on the front live well lid. The result was a dent on the aluminum lid bad enough the door had to be forced open and beat back some. I also wasn't doing anything special just lost my balance and went down.

I've had a few other incidents but none that caused damage to anything but my pride. These days I am almost out of pride so its all good.

Bud Kennedy · January 12, 2018, 10:24:15 AM

I did fall from my boat once in the driveway. Was getting out of the boat and my foot slipped on the boat frame and I started to go down. I had a good hold on the boat's hand rail and my left foot hit the ground but the right foot was still up on the gunnel of the boat. I am a short person and at this moment things were stretched in places they were not designed to be stretched. I guess just another WTF moment at the Kennedy household.

fishballer06 · January 12, 2018, 10:41:53 AM

My first bass tournament a few years ago was on a very windy day with 3 foot white caps. We fished early in the morning behind an island that protected us from the wind. Then we ran up the lake to fish a little hump that wasn't protected by the wind. I stood up on the back deck and before I could even make a cast, a big wave hit the boat just right and it threw me down. My upper body was outside of the boat, and my legs were still in the boat. Luckily I grabbed onto the HDS10 to keep me from going completely into the lake. It could have been deadly with the wind and waves like they were.

mygreenihc · January 12, 2018, 03:33:10 PM

I have actually fallen in my boat numerous times, but two falls stand out the brightest.

Last year we were waiting to blast off in a tournament and my buddy says "Hey, I left my cooler on the pier". No problem, I swung the boat back around and jumped out, grabbed the cooler and went to step back into the boat. Luckily, I'd set the cooler down before trying to step into the boat. I stepped onto the boat, it went down a couple inches, and my feet both slipped on the wet gunwale. I started down but caught myself on the end of the pier, but being backward, I didn't have the strength to pull the boat in that I was pushing out with my feet. I knew I was going to get wet and had already started thinking about fishing wet, but my alert buddy got to the trolling motor right before I ran out of room.

OK, the good one. To start off with, at the time I was about 23 years old. the outcome would be totally different at my current age. =)

We are on the Mobile river delta in the middle of the night in the middle of the swamp gigging frogs. There is an alligator on top of the water at the front of the boat. He is about three feet long and I have him blinded with the spotlight, so, I decide I am going to catch him. I lean down and slowly reach behind his head and caught him. After soaking everyone within 30 feet, I am standing on the deck holding my alligator. I take one step and down I go, face first into the bottom of the boat. I don't want to kill the poor thing by falling on him, but I certainly cannot let go. He was not big enough to do any real damage, but it would have looked sort of like a foghorn leghorn cartoon with the weasel chewing on his leg. So down I go, face first, trying to hold this alligator up behind me, and me and my two buddies are laughing so hard that we cannot do anything and this little gator is bound and determined to get loose. I survived and let the little guy go, no one was harmed or eaten, but it could have turned out much differently.

Brad

Lee Smith · January 12, 2018, 03:37:13 PM

Quote from: Princeton_Man on January 12, 2018, 09:29:50 AM
I've had a few clumsy moments. Front deck, console, back deck. Nothing serious, but it's a wonder a couple of my more graceful moments were caught on tape somewhere.

I think my most painful moment was witnessed by Lee in Guntersville. Earlier that year in early March I fell under Bigwrench's Ranger on a slippery ramp. Went down like a tall pine tree on my right shoulder. I crushed things in there pretty good.

Seven months latter it still hadn't completely healed, but I could cast well enough again. Lee was standing near the front of the trailer, Caddy Joe's rig was in the bay next to mine and he was on the it's starboard side. Me, I was in my boat buttoning up things from the day on the water.

Standing on the rear deck with beer in hand, conversing with Lee and Joe while stepping down at the same time, I missed the trailer's fender step by a good 10-12 inches. Once again like a tall tree being felled by a woodsman's axe, beer still in hand, I crashed with all my weight on that same shoulder. I can still do the instant replay in my mind, the grimaced look on Lee's face...

That's been a few years ago. My shoulder has finally healed and these days, I put my beer down before I climb down.

That fall still makes my shoulder hurt!

Kris · January 12, 2018, 03:53:16 PM

"Here, hold my beer and watch this!" "Yessir, alcohol was involved." lol

I built my old Ouachita so that I would fall in the boat but not out of it. So far, so good.
I was fishing a Club Tournament at a local lake and everybody else was out of the water but me. As the last other guy was pulling his boat out I hitched a ride to the top of the hill. Got in my truck and backed the trailer in the water to load up the boat. I had forgotten to wear my water shoes so I stepped up on the rear bumper of the truck. Got down on the tongue and got the boat loaded. Then it happened. On the way back across the bumper I slipped, lost my balance and fell on to the edge of the pier under my left arm. Wind was knocked out of me and couldn't yell loud enough to get some help. I did get to my feet finally and up to the parking lot but I was a hurtin'.
Got home and went to the Emergency place down the road for xrays to make sure I didn't break a rib. I cracked one but it wasn't broken. I was sore for weeks.
This proves that even if you build a boat you won't fall out of easily you can still fall.

Team KaRu · January 12, 2018, 04:42:58 PM

Love hearing there are more clumsy guys like me out there! My nickname as a kid was "The accident waiting to happen".

zippyduck · January 12, 2018, 11:22:37 PM

My wife and I were trolling for walleye, the bite was slow so she started to wipe down the outside of the boat. Well the throttle got accidently leaned on by her. I happened to be in the back of the boat checking lines and ended up face first in the motor. She has never cleaned the boat again while on the water.

Team KaRu · January 13, 2018, 11:47:58 AM

Quote from: zippyduck on January 12, 2018, 11:22:37 PM
My wife and I were trolling for walleye, the bite was slow so she started to wipe down the outside of the boat. Well the throttle got accidently leaned on by her. I happened to be in the back of the boat checking lines and ended up face first in the motor. She has never cleaned the boat again while on the water.

Well, at least you still take her fishing . . .

bassnman81 · January 13, 2018, 07:07:36 PM

I fell in mine during a hook set. Fell backwards into the consoul, broke the windshield and cup holder on the side. Bruised my ribs and messed up my left shoulder. Had to get a shot in the shoulder and fix the windshield. I think my ego was damaged more than the boat

SteveTX · January 13, 2018, 08:18:02 PM

Quote from: Team KaRu on January 13, 2018, 11:47:58 AM
Well, at least you still take her fishing . . .

true so true

zippyduck · January 13, 2018, 09:18:06 PM

Quote from: Team KaRu on January 13, 2018, 11:47:58 AM
Well, at least you still take her fishing . . .

It is because of her that I get to fish so much. So taking her is in my best interest.

e7454 · January 14, 2018, 08:34:22 AM

This one happened to a friend of mine. He was fishing a night tournament alone. He returned to the ramp and tied his boat and as he departed boat fell backwards into boat. Compound break of both bones in leg. Others went to help and called ambulance. As they were loading him in ambulance he hollered at another buddy and said "weigh my fish, I may have this thing won". True fisherman lol

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Wizard · January 14, 2018, 09:40:59 AM

My main concern when I started fishing again from my boat was falling. I keep the floor as clear as possible and installed a front and rear vertical grab pole to assist moving around the boat. I also do not fish by myself. All of us will get older or injure ourselves. Don't be too proud. Put in assists and ask for help if needed. I put a letter on the condo clubhouse bulletin board looking for people to fish with me. I got a great response. Not only did I find people to fish with but new friends as well.

Wizard

big g · January 14, 2018, 01:19:38 PM

I just fell getting into the boat on a dirt ramp. My whole shin was ripped open and blood running down my leg. I looked like a real clutes at the ramp. It didn't keep me from catching some fish. This getting old crap is for the birds!

Oldfart9999 · January 14, 2018, 02:51:13 PM

E7454 welcome to the site, good to have you here!!! Don't forget to enter the new members contest, you could win a great prize!!!
I've slipped or lost my balance more times than I care to think about but have fallen and got hurt, usually into the front seat and caught myself. I was fishing the Fish & Game club big fish tourney one year, about 6 in the morning, beginning of August but it was cold this day, I was wearing a full set of sweats. The boat was in about 13 or 14 fow casting to 2 to 4 fow, a charter boat went by on the other side of the bay putting up a big wake, it made it across the bay and hit my boat, suddenly I was 3 feet underwater looking up at the boat, I know how to swim which is good, I can tell you how easy it is to panic I almost did. I came back up to the surface and the boat was going in circles, I hit the TM switch when I went over, caught the boat, made it to the front and killed the TM then thought "Now what", I couldn't climb back in the boat. I grabbed the TM shaft and swam over to a dock and was finally able to climb back in the boat. I lost my sunglasses and had to change my clothes but still managed to take third and cash a check. I now wear an inflatable PFD while fishing.
Rodney

e7454 · January 14, 2018, 05:39:14 PM

Quote from: Oldfart9999 on January 14, 2018, 02:51:13 PM
E7454 welcome to the site, good to have you here!!! Don't forget to enter the new members contest, you could win a great prize!!!
I've slipped or lost my balance more times than I care to think about but have fallen and got hurt, usually into the front seat and caught myself. I was fishing the Fish & Game club big fish tourney one year, about 6 in the morning, beginning of August but it was cold this day, I was wearing a full set of sweats. The boat was in about 13 or 14 fow casting to 2 to 4 fow, a charter boat went by on the other side of the bay putting up a big wake, it made it across the bay and hit my boat, suddenly I was 3 feet underwater looking up at the boat, I know how to swim which is good, I can tell you how easy it is to panic I almost did. I came back up to the surface and the boat was going in circles, I hit the TM switch when I went over, caught the boat, made it to the front and killed the TM then thought "Now what", I couldn't climb back in the boat. I grabbed the TM shaft and swam over to a dock and was finally able to climb back in the boat. I lost my sunglasses and had to change my clothes but still managed to take third and cash a check. I now wear an inflatable PFD while fishing.
Rodney

Thanks for the welcome and the info.

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