To Pull the Plug or Not--It All Depends on What League You're Playing In

More than one local fishing event was called off by organizers this past weekend, thanks in no small measure to the combination of a persistent coastal storm and Hurricane Joaquin. For a while, it looked like we might incur the wrath of both, but in the final analysis, the hurricane took a right turn and headed out to sea, leaving all of us breathing a huge sigh of relief.

There's a big difference, however, between the way weekend warriors and the boys in the major league of bass fishing play the game when it comes to a tournament finding itself in the crosshairs of Mother Nature. The latter group isn't so inclined just to throw in the towel, given everything that's at stake.

For example, I read about a Bassmaster Open tournament on the St. Lawrence River in which 20 boats failed to make it back from Lake Ontario for weigh-in because of winds that, before blastoff, already had been predicted to run as high as 30 to 50 mph. Nine boats ended up having to be rescued, and eight had their lower units ripped off.

In addition, one of the pros buried his boat in a huge wave and couldn't get his outboard restarted. He subsequently had to "abandon ship" before it smashed against some rocks. The boat split into two pieces and had to be dragged up a 40-foot rock cliff with a winch and steel cable.

Then there was the account of a 200-boat Red Man tournament held on the Potomac River as wind and high tides from a stalled storm over the Atlantic Ocean wreaked havoc on the fishermen and their equipment alike. Read the full details of this bone-jarring adventure, as seen--and felt--firsthand through the eyes of Charles Stuart, at this link: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/lesson_in_respect.html.

Many are the encounters with Mother Nature that occur on massive bodies of water like the St. Lawrence and Potomac Rivers. So how do you handle a bass boat in big, rough water?

According to the experts, you should zigzag across the waves. The worst possible thing a boater can do is to try running perpendicular to the waves, even if safety is in that exact direction. By steering a boat directly into each roller, you run the risk of digging the bow into the water and swamping your boat. Even worse, said a Boat U.S. official, is water coming over the stern.

"When the waves are coming over the front, there is less boat to push down into the water," the Boat U.S. official explained. "Ideally, you want to cut diagonally across the waves, and when you turn, you want to time it so that you turn on the smallest waves. They tend to come in sets, so if you do it right, you can greatly reduce the risk of swamping."

Here are some basic rules designed to keep all your fishing trips safe:

     * Tell someone where you plan to fish, and stick with that plan.

     * Carry a cellphone in a watertight container.

     * Carry a weather radio, and use it.

     * Never fish alone during severe conditions, such as heavy winds, or during periods of cold water.

     * Wear your life vest at all times while fishing alone, running the boat, or fishing in cold water.

     * Install a ladder on the back of your boat. A soaked pair of coveralls and several layers of clothes can add 20 or 30 pounds to your body.

     * Trust your intuition. If you have an uneasy feeling about the weather, do the right thing and seek safety.

     * Don't push it. Storms move fast and can cut off your path back to safety.