Most people think of fishing as a leisurely activity that’s as much about relaxing as it is hooking a fish. But it can also be quite dangerous—so much so that two different members of the SafeStart team have stories about incidents that have occurred on (or near) the water.
We’re already heard Tim Page-Bottorff’s story about fishing with his dad. And now here’s Casey Ruttan, an account manager for the Aerospace, Marine and Heavy Equipment industries and a professional fisherman on the side, talking about a close call his entire family had on a recent excursion.
Had a near miss on the water last week. My wife and son came for the day and after fishing the first spot for about an hour or so I decided to move. The destination wasn’t very far but there was one more spot on the way that I wanted to drive over to scan with the fish finder. After making sure they were good to go I put the boat on plane and cruised at an easy 30 mph.
The spot was right in front of a marker bouy so I knew the scanner would catch it if I went close, and the water was calm so I wasn’t worried about the boat moving or rocking toward the bouy. As I approached the bouy I started moving my eyes quickly between the fish finder and the bouy and just after we passed it a boat passed us on the port side out further in the channel. I had to turn to the port side to get to the destination. If I’d been 3 seconds later and forgot to look back that boat would have cut us right in half!
In looking back and analyzing this close call I can see where my error was. I looked ahead before taking off initially but I should have looked back as well. Boat speed is deceiving but I’d have seen that boat coming and would have waited for it to pass. I need to work on that habit so it’s automatic every time. My complacency led to mind not on task and I need to self-trigger on the hazardous energy of a 2000lb bass boat at my fingertips.
As a seasoned professional, Casey’s taken his boat out more times than he can count—and he’s proof that even people with plenty of experience are at risk of getting themselves and others injured when they don’t pay attention.
Casey also has plenty of great advice on how to stay safe on the water and how focusing on safety could help even fishing professionals perform under pressure. So before you set out on your next fishing trip, be sure you take a moment to think of the habits you’ll need to rely on to stay safe.