Those Weather Dudes Still Can't Get It Right

The last thing I heard this morning before heading to the river was that the winds were supposed to run 10-15 mph today. As it worked out, 15 was the low end, and 30, with higher gusts, would have been about right for the high end. However, I had come dressed for the dance, so I wasn't going to be deterred.

The first thing out of the frying pan this morning, I saw a young man who quite obviously was endowed with more testosterone than he had brains, 'cause he had put his white SUV in the ditch just before I turned into the marina. He was pacing the parking lot, with cellphone in hand, which told me he was OK, so I headed on up to my storage shed to get the boat ready to launch. A wrecker finally showed and pulled the victim out of the ditch, but he decided to drive away in his vehicle.

My first stop this morning was Straight Creek, but the wind was so bad there, I didn't stay but an hour or so before heading to the back of Albright's (where the water temp, as I would learn, was running about 4 degrees warmer). I was navigating the No Wake Zone in front of what used to be Capt. George's when I looked up and saw a couple of craft coming in the distance at high speed. As the boats neared, I could see they both were camouflaged and loaded with Marines. Both craft blew off the No Wake Zone as though it didn't even exist. They flew past me and still was getting it up through the bridge and on south. Must be nice to be so privileged.

Once I had stopped bouncing from their wakes, I collected myself and headed on to Albright's. There still was plenty of wind in the back end, but it was manageable, and that's all I really wanted.

I finally gave up on the chatterbait and my jerkbait and settled in for the long haul with a square-billed crankbait. Before I called it quits about 2:15, I had boated two bass, both of which tipped the scales at 1-5. One came at 12 noon straight up (the one pictured here), the other at 12:30. Didn't feel or see another fish after that.

Met up with my friend, Skip, when I got back to the marina this afternoon. He, too, had been out today, getting a little time on his outboard and trying to find a couple fish. He had worked his way up above the bridge, but had nothing to show for it besides a swirl right at the boat.

It was a lifesaver having him at the dock. The wind was angling across the ramp, which made it tricky, at best. With his help, though, I wasn't long at all getting my boat on the trailer.

We both are going to take a look at conditions in the morning and decide whether we want to make another trip. I can assure you that, if the winds are like they were today, we'll both do an about face and head back home.

Had an email from Ron Ameika when I got home today, telling me that he and his son, Alex, had a very long day on the water Sunday. They linked up with a friend in Albright's and fished for about 4 hours.

The only fish of the day, a pickerel, was caught by the friend. Ron and Alex tried several baits, but nothing was working for them. Like Skip and me today, they had lots of wind Sunday.

In closing, I want to share this photo Charlie sent me yesterday. He had been out driving around and stopped to shoot this at the entrance to the ramp area at what was Capt. George's. While making his rounds, Charlie stopped and talked to three different fishermen Sunday: one at PAWMA, one at Mill Landing Road, and one at Beggar's Bridge. Said Charlie, "Nobody even had had a tap."

"It's Like a Box of Chocolates"

That's how Ron Ameika described the North Landing River in his latest email to me, and I couldn't agree more. You just never know what kind of fish you're going to be looking at after you make a hook-up, as will be evidenced in the following narrative and photos.

Ron hit Pocaty in his kayak after work Friday and pulled this 15-inch, 1-lb. 12-oz. "little fatty" from the murky and debris-filled water. The fish succumbed to his XTS.

I couldn't help noticing the note he included about his Friday afternoon adventure. In his words, "It was cold!" I wasn't fishing, but I went to West Neck Friday, where I met and jawed with Skip for a spell. I'm here to tell you that I was anything but disappointed to climb back into my van after being exposed to those cool temps we had Friday.

Yesterday, Ron decided to go to Oakum Creek. It got clearer the farther back he went, but the best he could do in that back region were two tiny pickerel, one of which is pictured here.







Then came the point in Ron's day yesterday that prompted him to draw the comparison of North Landing River to a box of chocolates. He had left Oakum for the main river in pursuit of table fare. "Very murky but surprisingly calm," he said, adding, "I think I caught the wind shift. It almost was flat at 2 p.m."

While trolling the XTS and a Cotton Cordell Redfin near some downed trees just outside Oakum, Ron's rod suddenly doubled over, and he felt sure he had snagged one of the trees. He soon realized, however, that he had hooked a big fish.

"I was thinking striper," he said. But, alas, he was disappointed to learn that his "big fish" was nothing more than the 26-inch, 5-lb. 7 oz. bowfin pictured here.

Ron concluded his email to me by saying he had a trip planned to Albright's today. Unlike his previous trip, though, in which he peddled the 4 miles from Old Pungo Ferry Road, he said he was going to hike in today from Blackwater Road, adjacent to Old Carolina Road. "Should be interesting," he said.

I feel sure I'll find out later today and will share it with all of you.

The Haves and the Have Nots of Bass Fishing

If someone told me to name just one constant about our Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourneys, I would have no problem giving you a quick answer. It would be this: No matter how many people find few, if any, fish on tournament day, there's always some who find nice, and in some cases, big limits.

Here are some examples from our 2015 series:

   

     * On April 11th, while 9 of 15 competitors had a total weight of 10 lbs. or less, the 1st-place team (from left, Allen and Al Napier) had 17.71 lbs., followed by the 2nd-place team at 12.42 lbs., and the 3rd-place team at 12.38 lbs.



   

     * On July 25th, while 26 of 30 competitors had a total weight of 10 lbs. or less, the 1st-place team (from left, Rob Peppers and Don Carter) had 16.82 lbs., followed by the 2nd-place team at 12.23 lbs.

     * On Aug. 8th, while 11 of 15 competitors had a total weight of 10 lbs. or less, the 1st-place team (from left, Don Carter and Rob Peppers) had 15.74 lbs., followed by the 2nd-place team at 13.74 lbs.




I also read online about a fella who owned a small, private lake loaded with bass in the pound-and-a-half to 2-pound range. This lake also had been known to give up a few 4- and 5-pounders, as well as some that occasionally weighed in at the 8-to-10-pound mark.

A friend of this fella had fished this small lake a few times. On his first trip, he caught 57 fish in four hours. The next time, he tallied 38 in three hours.

All the fish in this lake were well-fed and healthy, and they were not pressured in the least. After having gone to this lake and caught fish on virtually anything he threw, you can imagine his excitement when the owner invited him back for another visit. He was so filled with anticipation of what was about to happen he had trouble just getting his rod rigged. Little did he know what was about to happen, though.

He made cast after uneventful cast before finally feeling his first thump. The fish immediately dropped it, though. Then he had another thump, but the results were the same. This frustrating and disappointing pattern continued for several hours. At day's end, the friend had managed to catch only a dozen or so fish--all on the soft-plastic stickworm, which had proven so deadly during earlier visits. He tried several other lures, too, but with no response whatever.

So, how do you account for incidents like these? Is it a matter of differences in fishermen's luck? A funky bite? Some people being in the right place at the right time... others in the wrong place at the wrong time? Some anglers just being better "stickmen"? Maybe a combination of factors? Or perhaps none of the above.

Instead, it might have something to do with what I was reading in another item a day or two ago. These two anglers, whom I'm going to call Gary and Dave, were talking about some conversations they recently had had with anglers in a bad mood after lackluster days on the water.

Said Gary to Dave, "You have to remember something; somewhere on the lake, someone is catching fish. Your job as a fisherman is to figure out what the bass want that day, what color bait they are hitting, and what presentation they want. If you do this, you'll be able to catch fish when others can't.

"If you work approximately a city block of shoreline without getting bit," continued Gary, "change colors. Don't be like those guys we were talking about and say the fish just aren't biting. The real truth is they're not biting that color, that bait, or that presentation. You have to find the color they want today, not what they were hitting yesterday or the last time you were out. Keep changing colors until you get bit.

"Switch techniques, and if that fails, try drop shotting. Maybe the fish don't want to see a bait on the bottom. Maybe a drop shot will change their behavior, and you'll start catching fish. That's why you need to learn different techniques and then work those techniques until you master them. Build confidence in each one, because doing so will make you a better angler and turn what otherwise would have been a bad day on the lake into a good or great one," Gary concluded.

All this pontificating on bass behavior may be fun, but it adds to the complexity factor of our sport. As one angler offered, "Sometimes the best answer for many things is: 'It is what it is.' Time is better spent accepting and dealing with the issue under these terms, rather than trying in vain to explain it. Under those directives, the convolution of thought is controlled, and confidence is more easily maintained."

In other words, rather than wasting time and energy trying to understand the inexplicable, just do as Steve Winwood recorded and released June 21, 1988, and "Roll With It."

There Are Few, If Any, Absolutes in Bass Fishing

And for that reason, I don't take people seriously when they say, "You can find the answer to anything on the Internet," or words to that effect. There simply are too many variables in bass fishing, as well as a host of other subjects.

Consider, for example, the results of my research over the past few weeks to educate myself on how to use a jerkbait successfully, especially in cold water. About the only thing that everyone seems to agree on is the necessity to make long casts with this bait. Nearly everything else is open to individual interpretation.

People can't even agree on the kind of line you should use. Most advocate fluorocarbon or mono, but just yesterday morning, I came across a bass pro who says he finds 30-lb. braid more to his liking. The choice of rods likewise is pretty much the same story: whatever suits you.

And then there's the cadence issue everyone talks about--that twitch-twitch-pause routine. Now Pandora's box really opens wide, especially as it relates to fishing a suspending jerkbait in cold water. You'll find some guys saying your pauses should be anywhere from 3 to 15 seconds, while others urge you to pause 15 to 30 seconds or longer.

And then, two days ago, I watched a video in which this guy supposedly was fishing 40-to-49-degree water, with only a 2- or 3-second pause, the same length of time he uses year-round.

His take was, "Why waste your fishing day by allowing 15-to-30-second pauses?" And, of course, he was proving his point by boating some nice bass with only that 2- and 3-second pause, but so were those guys advocating the longer pauses.

There's also the matter of some who recommend using a sweep-sweep-pause cadence for the best results. Toward that end, one person, whose video I watched online the other day, was saying, "Forget that it's even called a jerkbait. Start calling it a 'sweepbait.'"

As I've already said, there are few, if any, absolutes in bass fishing. However, there are certain generalities that hold true, no matter where you fish or what you fish for. In the final analysis, fish are pretty simple creatures that act and respond to the options and alternatives available to them wherever they live. That fact perhaps is best epitomized by In-Fisherman's 40-year-old "the formula." In case you're not familiar with that formula, it's F+L+P=S. Those letters translate into Fish+Location+Presentation=Success.

As I was wrapping up my jerkbait research, I came across some info that put things into better perspective for me. According to the author of this one particular piece, "Too many anglers trying to get answers to help them succeed at this sport of bass fishing end up getting a case of information overload. It seems that everyone has an opinion on the best 'this,' or the newest and greatest 'that.' In many cases, it amounts to nothing more than putting the cart before the horse.

"In reality," he continued, "if guys just would spend more time focusing on a few simple concepts, and then extend that knowledge to all areas of their fishing, they'd probably realize much greater success and much less frustration over the long run."

Rick Clunn summed things up this way, "It's human nature for all of us to look for shortcuts. Every basser seeks a secret lure that will guarantee a limit of fish every time, or a secret technique that never fails. But it doesn't happen that way."

When Bassin' Partnerships Get Out of Tune

Among the things that once brought my dad great joy was an opportunity to play twin fiddles with someone. And make no mistake about the fact it was "twin fiddles," not "twin violins." The latter, according to Pop, was reserved for people who played in orchestras, not western-swing bands like his.

In any event, I remember one Saturday-night dance oh so many years ago at the local VFW Hall in which Dad had such an opportunity. He and his fellow fiddler were playing "Wildwood Flower," an oldtime, upbeat fiddlers' special, when, without warning, Pop's fiddle started going out of tune. The other fiddler immediately started adjusting the strings on his instrument, despite the fact Dad was trying to signal for him to stop. Dad knew the problem was his alone.

Anyway, long story short--the fellow fiddler kept adjusting the strings on his instrument until one of them finally broke. So what does this anecdote have to do with bass-fishing partners?

It's just that similar circumstances sometimes happen here, too. Something about the relationship starts rubbing one or both the wrong way, the tension grows, and before you know it, the "string" holding the whole thing together breaks. Following are some examples of what I'm talking about.

A boater had a backseater who chewed tobacco and always was spitting in the water. When the boater would get home, he always had to clean dried tobacco off the stern. For the longest of times, the boater never said anything because he didn't want to hurt the other guy's feelings. Besides that, he had known from the git-go that the guy liked to chew. But one day as the duo were getting ready to head back to the ramp, the boater wet a small towel and announced that he was going to wipe the tobacco spots off the stern. The backseater promptly replied that he had planned to do that when they got back to the ramp. The boater figured the problem now was resolved, but he figured wrong. When they returned from the next fishing trip, the backseater made no effort to clean up his tobacco stains, leaving the boater once again to do it when he got the rig home. Bottom line: They no longer fish together.

A backseater fished with a co-worker who had made it abundantly clear a number of times that he felt the only reason he wasn't a tournament pro was a lack of money and sponsorship. The backseater consistently outfished the co-worker, which sometimes would make the co-worker so mad he would start throwing his rods in the bottom of the boat. Finally, the backseater quit accepting his co-worker's invites and told him what he really thought about his angling skills. That ended the partnership.

A fishing duo, both of whom had retired from the same place, broke up after fishing together for 15 years, which really was sad because both loved the same kind of fishing, and they always had lots of fun when their personalities weren't clashing. Their problem stemmed from the fact that one of them couldn't let his old gripes go about the workplace and the employer they both hated. Every time the two of them were together, he would just keep going on and on about the place and its people. This same guy also kept bringing along his grown son--uninvited--on all the fishing trips. In fairness, the other fella admitted that he was moody at times, due to sleep-cycle problems. Despite these difficulties, the two continued fishing together until the moody angler decided to start asserting himself a little bit. The other guy didn't take the change very well, so they called it quits.

So, how do you go about finding a lasting fishing partner? One angler responded thus: "About as carefully as choosing a wife!" Depending upon how many tournaments you plan to fish, coupled with how much practice time you plan to devote, you may spend almost as much time with your tournament partner in a given season as you do your life partner.

With that thought in mind, your partner needs to be someone you can get along with, not someone you'll be wanting to dump over the side the first tough fishing day you have.

You and your partner also need to have some "chemistry." In other words, you need to be able to work well together as a team and be able to trust each other. The trust comes into play if/when you each go off on pre-fishing trips to find good spots. You must have as much confidence in your partner's spots as you do your own. If you don't, you won't fish effectively, and that means you'll be wasting your time.

You further want a partner who complements your style, rather than mirrors or interferes with it. A partner with fishing styles or techniques different from yours adds to your team's versatility. In the long run, though, it's better if you both prefer to fish in similar ways, or one of you is not going to be very happy a lot of the time.

Some people may prefer a partner who has less experience than they do, as they are comfortable in a leadership role. Meanwhile, others may prefer a more seasoned partner, hoping to learn some things and improve their own skills in the process. Either way can work, as long as both anglers are comfortable in their roles. However, in order to reduce the chance of friction and maximize the chances of success, it's best if partners are of basically similar or equal skill levels and experience.

A Few Degrees Make the Difference

Ron Ameika took his kayak back to Albright's again today. He fished hard for three hours, with nary a nibble, then decided to head westward in hopes of finding clearer water. About halfway to where he and his son, Alex, were yesterday, he found some clear, albeit skinny, water and stopped to give it a try.

While working his way into the area, throwing a BPS STX minnow with the same twitch-twitch-pause cadence used yesterday, there were two or three boils under the bait. He was way up in the area when the nice 2.3-lb., 16-inch bass pictured here slammed his ultra light rig.

Said Ron, "His final surge took the rod under the yak, and I was worried it would break, but I was able to work him out and land him. Made my day."

Ron caught his biggest-so-far fish of 2016 at 1351, with nothing before or after that time. The important point to remember here is that, although the water temp in the main creek was 49, the temp in the wee shallows where Ron caught the fish was reading 53 and 54 degrees.

Ron also told me that he talked to a friend, who was trolling an XTS minnow farther back in Albright's about 1530 when he scored a nice 21-inch striper.

And, for the first time ever, he had a boat pull up next to his yak and ask for his license. "I've been at West Neck and West Landing bank fishing and had that happen, but never on the water in my yak," Ron explained. "Good thing I had my license."

Tight lines and safe boating.

Lots of Wind, Not That Many Fish

It had been a month since I last stirred the water, and I decided today was the day I was going to shake off some of the rust that had built up in that amount of time. To my delight, it was as though I had been running the Yamaha regularly, 'cause she fired as soon as I turned the key this morning. If I didn't know better, I'd almost think someone had reinstalled my thermostats the way it took off and ran.

With the wind I had at launch time, I decided just to stay in West Neck today and make the most of it. I started out by running to the mouth of the creek and worked my favorite shoreline all the way back to the bridge and finally beyond. It wasn't until I got to that point that I finally caught my one and only fish for the day--a dink. I was fishing a 1/4-oz. Bomber in firetiger at the time. Also fished a chatterbait and a jerkbait, with not so much as a smell.

Ran across Rob Peppers and a partner while I was out. Their platform for the day was my tourney partner's old Stratos. Rob paused long enough about 10 or 10:30, when I first saw him, to let me know he had 1 bass then, and his partner had 2. He also voiced some frustration with a fella who was out running around in a Tracker. Seems this dude had run between Rob's boat and the piece of shoreline he was fishing. When Rob asked him what he was doing, the fella just responded, "I thought you were fishing the other side."

Didn't get any further reports from Rob and his partner before I quit about 1:45, but they still were out... as was the guy who had caused 'em some heartburn earlier. As a matter of fact, that guy was headed in their direction again as I was wrapping up and preparing to head for the ramp.

In places, West Neck Creek didn't look too bad today, but in those areas really being beat by the wind and waves, quite a bit of mud was visible.

The water temp as I arrived back at the dock was 49 degrees. Sorry, but I forgot to check the temp at the start of my day.

Received an email from Ron Ameika since posting the original piece above. He and his son, Alex, dusted off their yaks and stroked all the way from Old Pungo Ferry Road to the North Landing River Natural Area Preserve in Albright's Creek today. "Wiped me out!" said Ron of their estimated 10-mile roundtrip.

Using a Bass Pro Shops XTS Floating Minnow, with a twitch-twitch-pause cadence, Ron managed to coax two chain pickerel (one 20 inches, the other 16) into biting. He also caught three white perch, one yellow perch, and one 12-inch bass. As Ron clarified, however, the yellow perch hit a live minnow. Meanwhile, Alex suffered a skunk, even though he was fishing the same area with the same bait.

Said Ron, "The bite seemed to pick up about 2 p.m., then shut down about 3. The water was murky near the main channel but cleared the farther we went." He also pointed out that the wind was gentle in the area where they were fishing.

In closing, Ron told me that they had run into two fellas in a boat about three-fourths of the way to their destination, and they had told him they had landed three bass. I have to wonder if those two gents were my friend, Rob Peppers, and his partner whom I encountered in West Neck.

In the Shade and Shadows of the Shallows...

That's where, according to a lot of bass pros, they find fish year-round, despite all the books on bass behavior, which usually state that bass relocate to deep main-lake areas and feed infrequently in frigid winter water. The problem is this: Somebody evidently forgot to tell the bass, because certainly not all adhere to that textbook pattern. The problem gets compounded when anglers start taking what was intended to be general guidelines as gospel, instead of remembering the axiom that says there are exceptions to every rule.

As Brent Chapman (right) points out, "Shallow water is relative to the body of water being discussed. In Florida, for example, that might be 2 to 3 feet. On deeper lakes, that might be as deep as 6 or 8 feet. I (and as I learned from my research for this article, a lot of others) believe that there is a population of fish (some refer to them as "residents") on every body of water that will stay in this depth range their entire lives."

What causes them to stay shallow? Chapman believes there are a few reasons. "First," he says, "there is always forage in shallow water, including crawfish, insects, baitfish, frogs, and more. I don't think there is always enough forage for the entire population of fish, but there is enough to keep some fish shallow at all times during the year.

"Fishing shallow, simply put, is easier. Shallow fish are much more predictable than deep fish. They also are easier to pattern, and most importantly, they are less likely to move long distances in a short amount of time.

"While I don't think every tournament can be won solely on shallow fish," notes the Kansas pro, "I do think that shallow fish can keep you competitive in most events. My point is not to overlook the potential that shallow patterns can have, even on bodies of water known for deep-water fishing."

Someone else who digs the shallows, especially after a heavy rain has stained the water, is Tim Horton (left). Working channel drops with diving crankbaits in the winter months, he has been known to score big numbers of big bass in the backs of major creeks.

"There's nothing difficult about this pattern," Horton insists. "The main thing is just knowing these fish are back there and recognizing when conditions are right for catching them. Having stain in the water is the key.

"After a rain," he explains, "muddy runoff in the backs of the creeks adds color to the water. Stained or muddy water absorbs more sunlight than clear water, so it warms up faster. After three or four days, stained water up in the creeks can be several degrees warmer than clear water out in deeper areas. When such a warm-up occurs, the shad become more active, and the bass respond by moving up onto the shallow ledges and feeding actively."

Horton adds that, in winter, the water temperature in the backs of creeks actually may drop a few degrees the first day or two after a heavy rain. "Runoff initially may be colder than the lake's water temperature," he says, "and the active bite won't start until the warm-up occurs."

When the conditions are right, Horton starts checking for likely fish-holding ledges. He does this by idling up a creek, following the channel with his electronics. He goes until the channel disappears (completely silted in), then turns his boat around and moves back down to where the channel reappears. He keeps looking until he finds 3 to 4 feet of water on the high side of the channel and 6 to 10 feet in the bottom. "A lot of times, this will be where the channel makes a bend," he explains.

From this point, Horton starts fishing his way back toward deeper water, casting a Bomber 4A or Bomber Smithwick Shad, depending on the water depth. "I want the bait digging along the bottom and bouncing off cover objects along the ledge," he says. His favorite colors for this stained/muddy water are chartreuse shad and firetiger.

"I'll use my depthfinder to keep my boat in the channel," says Horton, "and I'll make 30-degree angling casts up onto the ledges on both sides of the channel. As I ease along, I'll hunt for places where bass may be clustered. I'm always looking for any wood cover (stumps, logs, brush), gravel, chunk rocks, etc. Another key spot is where there's a bottom transition from rock to sand or clay on top of the ledge."

Time of day also factors into Horton's pattern. He says midday in winter offers the best fishing, noting that, during this period, the water is warmest, which makes the shad the most active and puts the bass in a feeding frame of mind.

What creeks are best for running this pattern? According to Horton, it's the ones with the most inflow and well-defined channels. He adds that this pattern will last right on through the winter.

Another pro angler who has an affinity for the backs of creek channels with water flowing into them is Denny Brauer (right). He believes that the key to a lot of his success with a shallow-water bite in these areas during summer months is the oxygenated water.

"Many anglers will tell you that, when the water temperature hits the 90s, bass can't live there," says Brauer, "but they're wrong. Bass can live in hot water; they just can't live in an oxygen-deprived environment." He knows that if he sees plenty of bait in shallow water, in the form of shad and bluegill, then bass likely will be there, too. It's just a matter of finding a lure to best imitate the baitfish and going to work.

Pro angler John Crews (left) also subscribes to the idea that you can find success by fishing the shallows, even when it's hot. He quickly points out that George Cochran conquered the 1996 Bassmasters Classic by fishing shallow water when it was a smoldering 96 degrees. Cochran fished the far back end of a creek on Lay Lake in central Alabama with a variety of lures, including a spinnerbait and Texas-rigged worm to win that prestigious event.

In Crews' words, "Ledges, points, humps, and river channels always are the buzzwords for summertime bass fishing in most of the country. Most anglers equate hot weather with having to fish deep water and off the bank, and while that's often a very effective way to catch summertime bass, it's not the only option for catching quality fish. There are a few ingredients you need to look for in order to get back to your comfort zone, like Cochran did, for those not-so-deep bass.

"Shallow bass in the summer are not deep for a variety of reasons," continues Crews. "In most rivers with current, bass will stay shallow all summer. The same holds true for lakes and creeks with current. Lakes with lots of bream will have their largemouth cousins close by their shallow spawning beds. Heavily stained water usually brings bass up shallow, even during the summer. Lots of vegetation up shallow on a lake can be another ingredient for shallow summertime bass."

Summer and/or winter bass fishing does not always have to be an exercise in deep-water dredging, so never rule out the shallowest of water. You just might stumble onto the mother lode or a big bass that others have missed.

I Wonder What Fishing Will Look Like in the Year 2050

It was with that thought in mind that I went digging around the Internet this morning. The first prediction I found was this: Fish body size will have declined by nearly a quarter (see accompanying photo for an idea of the size change) in 2050, compared to the year 2000. The suggested culprits will have been changes in distribution and abundance, accountable for half the shrinkage, with the remainder being from changes in physiology brought on by global warming. The same prediction suggests that the tropics will have been the worst affected regions.

The website from whence I obtained that info momentarily distracted me. I suddenly found myself reading a couple other predictions. The first was that, by 2065, longevity treatments will be available to halt aging (just my luck--I won't be around then). Supposedly, the costs will be low enough for the average person to be able to afford them. Supporting data goes on to explain that while it only was possible to extend the human lifespan by two months per year in 2010, it will be possible to extend the lifespan 12 months per year in 2065--all thanks to major advances in the use of stem cells, gene therapy, nanotechnology, and other techniques. Ever smaller and more sophisticated devices will be gaining the ability to scan, identify and treat the most elusive of defects, with tiny robots going directly inside cells to perform surgery. Cost reductions, made possible by the exponential growth of information technology, will be enabling the vast majority of people to benefit from these procedures. As with many previous medical breakthroughs, debates will continue raging over the ethics and implications of defeating aging, but there will be generally strong support from the public.

And secondly, much to what I know will be the delight of many working professional women across America, there was a prediction that, by 2067, male and female salaries finally will be reaching parity. Women will be playing a greater role in both business and government than ever before. There will have been one consequence, though: a significant reduction in military spending. The money and resources saved will be diverting to education, healthcare, transport and environmental programs, and improving the living standards and opportunities for many. With less male aggression in world affairs, more balanced and rational discourse will be taking place on international issues. The world of capitalism also will be undergoing some of the biggest changes in history, with less pursuit of short-term profits and a greater emphasis on long-term sustainability.

Getting back to my original focus, however, I learned that Dr. Chris Underwood (pictured right with a piece of D-Flex), a fly-fishing physicist, as reported already in early 2010, has invented a way to make D-shaped fishing rods with rounded edges. This new D-Flex technology allows the manufacture of rods with an overemphasized spine, meaning they are significantly stiffer bending one way than the other. Dr. Underwood based his design on the fact that an equal-sided triangle has more integral strength than a circle.

"A triangle isn't practical for rolling rod blanks, but the shape I have come up with--a unique piece of geometry called a curve of constant width--is perfect for fishing-rod manufacture," he explained. "The D-Flex cross-section reduces stress loading, making casting control easier, more accurate, and significantly more powerful, and can be used to make rods for fly fishing, spinning, waggler fishing (float or bobber fishing, for those who don't already know), distance casting, and even pole fishing."

D-Flex is not the first rod-blank design different from the norm. In 2007, Shimano launched its "Aerocast" rod, based on oval-blank technology that provided a stiffer casting action and a softer fish-playing bend.

According to Tricast, a leading carbon-fiber manufacturer, the new D-Flex concept has merit. "We looked at triangular blanks about 15 years ago and concluded that they would be best served in a fly rod," said the Tricast sales and marketing director. "When it comes to this D-Flex design, we felt it would be most suitable to a salmon fly."

Some folks, however, question how expensive the D-Flex rod mandrels (the steel tubes that carbon-fiber sheets are wrapped around to make rod blanks) will be to manufacture. As Daiwa's marketing manager explained, "We developed a curved carbon stick, and it was a nightmare to make, using standard technology."

Rather than manufacture his own new rod, Dr. Underwood wants to license the new design concept to any major rod manufacturers who think it might help them secure a larger share of the $5 billion-a-year global market. As a result, he keeps a briefcase packed and is ready to travel the world at a moment's notice.

Last but not least, I found an item detailing what one red-blooded American fisherman (thanks, IAF) saw when he gazed into his crystal ball and asked it for some revelations as to what the various aspects of the whole bass-fishing industry will look like in the year 2050. Here are the results.

Boat Ramps

There won't be any. Instead, according to his thinking, you'll pull your trailer out onto a three-story, barge-type machine with individual cell-like spaces, resembling a parking garage. You'll then unhook the boat, push a button, the cells will fill up, then the boat is lowered into your individual cell. You subsequently go park your truck, walk back to your boat, and get in. The whole barge then sinks, and 20 boats at a time are launched from the first floor. The barge then sinks some more for the boats on the second floor to launch...same procedure for those on the third floor. Instead of a boathouse, you have a boat condominium.

The Boat

All boats will be jet-propelled. They'll burn clean and quiet, and you'll be able to run for three days on a tank full of a clean super fuel. There will be no wet-cell batteries. All power for engines and trolling motors will come from a regenerating power source in the boat. It will get kinetic energy from the motion of the boat and solar power. Livewells will be temperature-, PH- and O2-controlled and automatically will self-adjust to keep the fish in a peek comfort zone. The livewells will have a bladder in them, so that at weigh-in, you'll just pull the bladder out with the fish in it and carry it to the scales. The boats will have hull bottoms that can be adjusted like trim tabs on motor yachts... deeper Vs can be extended when you're out on the main lake... hit a button and it will flatten out for shallow-water fishing. There'll be no more fishfinders; everything will be live digital-camera images from the bottom of the boat. You'll be able to zoom in or out, and the display will tell you the bottom composition, temperature, etc.

Tackle

Reels will be made to fit your individual palm signature. You'll go buy your reel, and they will put your hand in a mold, then pour the reel into the mold, and it will fit your hand perfectly. Everything will be made from super lightweight and strong metals.

The rods then will be made to be perfectly balanced with your reel. They will be made from graphite/kevlar strands that are light, yet won't break, bulletproof, etc. They won't snap when you drop a lid or tailgate on them.

Line

You won't have choices among mono, braid, fluoro, copolys, etc. There will be one superline that has all the characteristics needed in a fishing line. All you'll have to do is pick your diameter.

Eyewear

You no longer will have to wear bulky polarized sunglasses. Instead, you will put some drops in your eyes before you go out, and they will protect your eyes from UV rays and polarize your vision for up to 12 hours before wearing off.

Lures

It still will be fun to shop, and you'll still buy more than you'll ever use. However, 99 percent of it will be bought online. Most of it will come with a real-life sub-surface Internet demonstration of its fish-catching abilities, using different techniques.

The Fish

Due to the efforts of biologists, genetic engineering, and improved fish-management programs, world-record bass will be caught regularly from waters all across America.

Just how much of a visionary this fisherman, or those others mentioned here, turns out to be is anyone's guess. One thing is certain, though; only generations younger than mine ever will know for sure--unless, that is, I maybe decide to gamble on cryonics. You know, have 'em freeze me when I'm legally dead--not brain dead, thaw me out in 2065, tune me up with all the latest advances at that time, and then turn me loose to chase bass again. Wow! How great that "could" be! However, I've never been much of a gambler, so it'll likely just remain a distant thought.

What's the IQ of the Bass You Go After?

Really, folks, I haven't gone off the deep end, no matter how stupid that question sounds. By the time you get through reading the details I'm going to present here, you'll truly understand--believe me.

Once again, I'm going to leave names--and places, too--out of this piece. However, I assure you that none of what follows is a figment of my imagination. It represents the findings of some legitimate research efforts from bygone days that I found on the Internet. This first account dates back nearly 25 years.

So you've been bakin' like a hush puppy in the hot sun, draggin' every kind of bait you got in your tacklebox over them hawgs, and you still haven't boated one dang fish. Well, it ain't you; it's the bass. You're fishin' for the wrong ones. Specifically, you need to find the dumb ones.

Believe it or not, officials in one southern state's Parks and Wildlife Department did a study, with an eye toward helping anglers do just that. Their premise was that biologists were going to try and prove what a lot of anglers had suspected for years--that there are smart bass and dumb bass. "We're trying to determine whether the susceptibility to being caught on a rod and reel can be passed from generation to generation," said one official. "Then we can selectively breed for that characteristic and get a fish that's easier to catch."

To that end, researchers started with about 100 one-pound bass, a genetic mix of stocked and native largemouths that probably never had seen a fishing lure. The bass were dumped in a half-acre hatchery pond and left for two months to gather their wits. Then, the biologists pulled out their rods and reels.

"We flailed the water, and there was nowhere for them to hide," said the official. "We know that every single fish had many opportunities to strike a lure. There was a bunch of those fish that, for whatever reason, just said, 'no thank you.' Then, there were others that seemed to be hook-happy." When the scientific anglers landed a fish, they would mark its tail harmlessly with a paper punch and return it to the pond.

After a month of fishing, 40 man-hours total, they drained the pond and inspected the fish. Nearly 25 percent had no holes in their tails at all. Most had one or two holes, and those fish were removed from the experiment. Nine bass had three or four holes (three others had died from overhandling). "Not even the dumbest fish, so to speak, were crawling up on the bank," said the biologist in charge, who went on to explain that the smartest bass and the dumbest ones subsequently were placed in separate ponds.

The following spring, the two groups spawned. A year later, when the offspring had reached 10 to 12 inches, 100 from each group were marked with distinguishing fin clips and dumped into a single pond.

The biologists again reached for their tackle. This second round of fishing seemed to confirm that catchability indeed runs in families. "There was a tendency for offspring of naive parents to also be naive, and a tendency for offspring of wary parents to also be wary," said the biologist in charge. Subsequent work with a third generation also produced similar results.

There's seemingly no record to indicate any pursuit of the next logical step in this research project: to better understand what "dumbness" is. Instead, the biologist in charge admitted that no one really knows what makes a fish strike a lure. "A naive fish, what is that?" he asked. "Is it really a dumb fish? Or, is it an extremely aggressive fish? Maybe it's both. Maybe some are aggressive, just mean as heck and will chase anything that comes near them. Maybe some are hungry all the time and just don't have good sense. I don't know what it is."

Before rods and reels came along, further theorized the biologist in charge, bass probably were best served by a mix of aggressiveness and wariness. "A bolder fish," he offered, "would win the race for a passing minnow but might meet its end in the mouth of an otter, or at the tip of an Indian's spear. But since bass boats and baitcasters have occupied evey available acre of bass habitat, conditions favor the wary fish that sticks to its shadowy world in a bed of water milfoil, or near a flooded stump.

"Whatever the indefinable quality that makes a fish easy to catch," continued the biologist in charge, "it is a valuable trait whenever more anglers are demanding ever more fish to catch. No one has seriously discussed replacing all wild fish with these specially bred ones of ours, but they would provide great sport in state-park fishing ponds, city lakes, and fishing derbies for kids and the handicapped. You want them to catch fish. If we could just put the dumbest fish in the world in there--fish that would strike at any lure you threw in--that would be ideal."

I also came across this item concerning a leading biologist who wrote a book about 60 years ago on a fish-population-management study he had done. At the time, he was considered an expert on the subject matter.

The biologist's study involved a lake that had been stocked with 500 bass. Three or four years later, they opened it to what they called "controlled experimental fishing." All who went in or out had to check with a game warden, and everybody who caught a fish had to fill out a a report, which was monitored. Tallies carefully were kept of all the fish that were caught.

At the end of three years of experimenting, they decided to drain the lake to see how many fish were left. A check of their records beforehand revealed that several hundred fish had been caught the first year, with only about half as many recorded the second year. In the third year, only 40 or so had been caught.

When they drained the lake, they found approximately 1,400 bass, which clearly indicated the fish had reproduced, because they hadn't added any more to the initial stocking of 500. Lots of fish biologists of the era concluded that the few hundred bass that had been caught were the "dummies." The ones that were left to reproduce passed on to their offspring the genetic capabilities they possessed--in this case, wariness, stealth and caution. The 1,400 left in the lake were basically cautious, wary fish.

None of the research findings presented here answers the question I asked at the beginning of this post. However, I think we all can agree it's wonderful to know that fish biologists and researchers today have greatly improved means available to them for conducting their experiments. And, too, here's wishing you Tight Lines! regardless of what the IQ is of the bass you pursue.

The Greatest Fishing Story Ever Told

Tens of thousands of volunteers, donors and supporters advance the Make-A-Wish Foundation's vision to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. In the United States and its territories, on average, a wish is granted every 37 minutes.

Say foundation officials, "We believe a wish experience can be a game-changer. This one belief guides us and inspires us to grant wishes that change the lives of the kids we serve."

As you might imagine, timing can be crucial in these cases. The story that follows is one such example.

By Captain David M. Rieumont

The story you are about to read is a story about an extraordinary young man who touched my life. It's a story that I hope will reach every fisherman. It's a story of reflection, remembrance, hope, and a whole lot of courage.

You see, the thing I love most about my life is I get the opportunity to meet young children like Joshua Lownes (pictured above right). Joshua was a young boy who came into my life a short time ago through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Joshua was going to get a wish, but even more than any wish, Joshua dreamed of going fishing. I hoped when he got out of All Children's Hospital that dream would come true. I was going to take Joshua fishing.

It's with tears in my eyes that I write this, as Joshua never got the chance to fish with me. I received the worst news anyone could imagine; Joshua passed away on Aug. 11, 2010. No one, and I mean no none that I know right now, can take away the empty feeling I have inside of me. Today I bow my head and close my eyes, cry a lot more, and laugh a lot less because Joshua cannot grace my presence and fish with me.

I have been attached to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for about 17 years. It's how and why I became a charter boat captain. Nevertheless, this story is not about me, but about an incredibly courageous and brave young man named Joshua Lownes.

I called Joshua's mom, Donna, before I was going to meet with him, and she told me how much Joshua loved to fish. It's not often that the foundation gets wishes from a child who loves to fish, but when we do, I know exactly what to do. I contacted "The Bass Professor," Doug Hannon, and he signed his book, Big Bass Magic, for Joshua. My next quest was easy enough--get my friend, Gary Poyssick, one of the authors of the saltwater fishing book, Skinny - How to Fish in Shallow Saltwater, to autograph his book for Joshua. I was all set with books, lures and paperwork and ready to find out exactly what Joshua wanted as his fishing wish.

When I met Joshua at All Children's Hospital, his father, Jeffrey, was there with him, along with Donna. They are not ordinary people by any means. They were Joshua's strength. What loving parents; Joshua was proud of them. You could see that immediately. They held him up at every step of his journey. They never let the circumstances or disease steal away Joshua's capacity for joy and wonder, just like the Make-A-Wish creed states.

When I met Joshua, the treatment he was getting was something no one should have to go through, much less a young boy. What he went through is indescribable. It is something he did not deserve; he is a lovable boy who loves to fish. What life had given him (Acute Myeloid Leukemia, as diagnosed on Jan. 21, 2010) was not fair or right. It makes me so mad. I cried so hard I put myself to sleep thinking about these cruel and unfair things. But Joshua, he surely would let you know that is not what he wanted you to do.

Joshua's smile that day warmed my heart. We talked fishing and shared fishing stories and laughs for hours. I had to bite my tongue so hard as not to let the tears roll down my cheeks during our talk. We talked about all his favorites--reels, lures, baits, his favorite fish to catch, and Doug, Jose Wejebe, Bill Dance, Kevin Van Dam, and the greatest bass story every told. Talking about these legends of our sport and their angling skills brightened his day, and for those moments, just maybe made him forget about the sickness and pain.

I told him Jose jumped in the water after a tarpon, and how Doug never has killed one bass in all that he has caught. Then it was onto fly fishing on the flats with those monster permit. The stories included Flip Pallot's first meeting with Jose and Kevin Van Dam's Classic wins. That day I left Joshua with the hope of taking him fishing.

The minute I walked out the door of the hospital, my emotions got the best of me until I thought of something Joshua had said to me: "I caught this beautiful bass on a bread ball. Why did the bass eat the bread ball?" Wow, I thought to myself. Here I am feeling sorry for Joshua, a young boy who does not even feel sorry for himself, even after the cruel, unfair hand life has dealt him.

"Joshua," I thought, "it was my honor to sit in the same room with you. You again have reminded me of the meaning of true bravery, courage, hope, faith, and sacrifice. You had the courage to fight and never give up hope. You were unafraid of everything that was thrown at you. You were a boy achored with so much guts. Your heart was tremendous. I wish every fisherman could have met you. You are truly inspirational. You taught me that we are put here for a purpose, and that purpose is to give, not receive. So, if I ever had a wish, it would be for you and every little boy and girl to never have to be sick, be afraid, hurt, or scared."

Joshua was teaching me lessons in life, not my teaching him anything about fishing. The message I got from Joshua is that no matter how barbaric or horrific his sickness was, that someway, somehow he was able to triumph because he was not going to get in the way of his dreams or his parents' love. His character constituted a victory, no matter what life threw at him.

The qualities Joshua possessed are what winning at life means, and that lasts forever. I always will remember Joshua as an amazing kid and the last smile I saw on his face as we talked fishing. I want the entire world to know how special Joshua was. "On this day," I thought, "I will take myself fishing, and as I catch that first fish of the day, I will release it in silent honor as a living memorial to Joshua. That fish I release will stand eternally in honor and remembrance of Joshua's courage and legacy."

I ask all of you likewise to go out and catch a fish and release it in honor of a great young boy who graced our Earth--Joshua. Let the fish go in celebration of life, and let Joshua's love for our sport live eternally. Joshua is looking down on us with a smile.

The power of my words never could describe how Joshua and all the Make-A-Wish children touch me. I have not forgotten any of their faces. They remind me the greatest quality any human being can have is compassion, no matter what the circumstance. When I came out of Joshua's room that day, he might not have realized that my life as a man was better because he had been in it. He made me a better man, a better human being. "Thank you, my fishing buddy. I will someday meet you at the greatest ocean of them all to once again share in our fishing plight. When I have that day, I will get to treasure it for life."

This is also a living testament to Joshua's family, who day after day bravely and quietly can piece their lives back together. Knowing Joshua, he would say to all of us: "If you want to honor and remember me, repay the world with a compassionate act of kindness to someone who is less fortunate. Take them fishing!"

This article first appeared in TheOnlineFisherman.

About the Author: David Rieumont is one of the five original team members that conceived, built, and currently manage TheOnlineFisherman. He's the only licensed guide on the team, but he's definitely the most respected and knowledgable fisherman in the bunch.

David didn't start his career on the waters of West Central Florida. In fact, he started his career as one of New York's finest and relocated to Florida, where he retired from the Clearwater Police Department after 25 years of  service. He became a U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine in 2003. He also founded and serves as president and owner of Sea Scrap Charter Guide Service.

Captain David gives back to the community in a number of ways. Besides being a granter, facilitator and spokesperson since 1995 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, he's also involved with Wounded Warriors, Cops for a Cause, the Blooming Place for Kids, and other charitable efforts.

Another Seasoned Make-A-Wish Volunteer

Like the author of the previous article, Kevin VanDam makes it a point to give back, which, as outdoor writer Larry Rea posted in The Commercial Appeal back in November 2015, "is part of VanDam's makeup. Not only does he give money, KVD also gives his time."

Among the charities he supports is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

"I have a lot of personal connections to St. Jude," VanDam, 48, told Rea. "I've taken Make-A-Wish cancer-afflicted kids fishing, and we have friends who have been afflicted with the disease."

"This is where VanDam's choice of charities gets personal," wrote Rea. "One of his closest friends is former pro bass angler Mike Auten, whose son Ryan is receiving treatment at St. Jude. VanDam has visited Ryan and other children at the hospital."

"I've seen the amazing things that the hospital does for families and the progress they've made in cancer research," said VanDam. "It is a special place for not only the kids but their parents."

As Rea noted, "VanDam and his wife have firsthand knowledge of kids and hospitals. Their twin boys, Jackson and Nicklaus, were born 15 weeks premature."

"They weighed about one-and-a-half pounds each," explained VanDam. "Now they are 18 and seniors in high school and doing great. We were blessed to have had great care for them in the hospital here in Michigan."

In his November 2015 article, Rea went on to note that "two years ago, VanDam and his wife set up a foundation to support youth-fishing efforts, camps and scholarships, with the intent of getting more youth involved in fishing and conservation.

And, as added KVD, "I have done a lot of things with veterans through the Wounded Warriors, and with the March of Dimes, as well as Make-A-Wish."

Wrote Rea, "The Make-A-Wish Foundation, in particular, is close to VanDam's heart."

"Mitchell Schmitt was the first person I took fishing for Make-a-Wish," said KVD. "At the time, he was 14, and now he is a senior in college in Iowa. The crazy thing is that all these kids could do anything they wanted, and they wanted to go fishing with me. When it is all said and done (please note the distinct similarity of these closing comments by KVD with what the author of the previous article said), fishing with these kids probably has done more for me than it has for them. The experiences have changed me," he concluded.

It's Always About the Big 'Uns

Most of us probably have heard the Biblical tale of Jonah and the whale--the one where God asked Jonah to go to a place called Nineveh and tell the people living there to stop being bad.

The only problem was that Jonah didn't want to help the people there. He knew they were bad and wanted them to be punished for their mistakes.

So, instead of listening to God, Jonah decided to run away from Nineveh. He ran to the sea and found a ship that was going to another city. He paid the captain, then went in the lower part of the ship to sleep.

Shortly after the ship left the shore, a very bad storm came up and started tossing the ship around. The captain soon went to find Jonah, who still was asleep. He told Jonah to pray for help.

Meanwhile, the other sailors decided the storm was Jonah's fault, so they cornered him and asked what he had done.

Jonah admitted he was running away from something God had asked him to do and told them the storm would stop if they threw him into the sea. Not wanting to hurt Jonah, though, the sailors put him in a rowboat and tried to row him away from the ship. The storm only got worse, however, so they eventually picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea.

Immediately, the storm calmed, and the sea became still. But as the sailors were watching Jonah out on the sea, a whale came and swallowed him. God actually sent the fish to keep Jonah from drowning.

He stayed in the fish for three days and three nights. In that time, Jonah asked God to forgive him for running away and thanked God for not allowing him to drown.

After the third day, God had the whale spit Jonah onto dry land. He then went to Nineveh and told the people about what had happened to him and warned them to stop being bad, and they listened. For a while, though, Jonah was angry that God hadn't punished the people. He went on a hill to sulk until God explained to him that He loves everyone and would rather they turn from their evil ways than to punish them for it.

Seems a preacher had told this story one Sunday morning during the worship service, and as the congregation was leaving, one gent stopped and said to the pastor, "That's a good fish story, but I have a good one, too."

The pastor responded, "By all means, tell me."

"Some buddies and I, who enjoy bass fishing, have always liked to fish a certain lake," said the gent. "The only problem was it had little cover. We decided to sink some old cars, so the fish would have a place to hide. A few years later, I hooked the biggest bass I ever had had on my line. I knew he was huge because he jumped in the air as I was fighting him. What a bass he was! However, he eventually turned toward those old cars and got hung up about 6 feet down."

"What did you do?" asked the preacher.

"I wasn't going to let one that big get away without doing everything I could to land him."

"So, what did you do?" again asked the preacher, who was beginning to feel like he was being strung along, much like that fish.

"I stripped off my shirt, handed my billfold and my rod and reel to my friend, and jumped in," the gent finally replied.

"What happened next?" the pastor asked.

"I found the line and followed it," replied the gent. "Sure enough, it led down to one of the old cars we had sunk years earlier."

"Did you get him?" the pastor questioned.

"I would have," the gent said, "but every time I reached toward the car, he rolled up the window."

Maybe you've heard that one before--maybe you haven't. In any event, hope you were entertained at least a little bit.

Boating Safety--Not Something To Be Taken Lightly

Before you take exception with that statement, check out the following statistics for calendar year 2014, the latest year for which Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) has complete statistics. There were a total of 61 boating incidents, involving 71 vessels, 38 injuries, and 16 deaths. Property damage from these events totaled $617,916. (FYI: Incidents required to be reported to VDGIF include those with more than $2,000 worth of damage by or to the vessel or its equipment, those with injuries requiring medical assistance beyond first aid, those with loss of life, and/or those where someone from a vessel disappears.)

Two of the incidents in which people died involved bass boats. The first occurred at 6:05 p.m., May 2, 2014, on Smith Mountain Lake. A 19-foot bass boat with two people onboard was traveling upstream when it ramped over a 17-foot bass boat with three people onboard. This collision knocked one person from the second boat into the water. This victim died from blunt-force trauma.

The other fatal bass-boat incident occurred at 9:22 p.m., July 31, 2014, again on Smith Mountain Lake. Two subjects were on a 21-foot bass boat traveling at high speed when it hit a large Chris Craft (see accompanying photo of the two damaged vessels). Both boats subsequently began sinking. Both persons on the bass boat died from blunt-force trauma as a result of the collision.

Five of the incidents in which there was loss of life involved canoes. The first occurred at 12 p.m., April 19, 2014, on a private pond in Halifax County. Two people were in a 13-foot canoe when one of them caught a fish and stood up to reel it in. This action caused the canoe to flip over, tossing both occupants in the water. One person swam to shore, but the other didn't know how to swim, went under, and didn't resurface. No life jackets were on onboard or used.

The next fatal canoe incident occurred at 2:30 a.m., June 22, 2014, on a private pond in Dinwiddie County. It involved three people who had gone fishing, eating and drinking in a 13-foot canoe. One person stood up to relieve himself, causing the canoe to capsize. Two people swam the canoe back to the nearest shore, while the other swam toward the opposite bank, where their campsite was located. They subsequently lost verbal contact with the victim, who was known to be a good swimmer. The victim's body was found 50 feet from shore in 10 feet of water. Besides alcohol being involved, no life jackets were available or worn.

The third fatal canoe incident occurred at 3 p.m., Sept. 28, 2014, on Waller Mill Reservoir. Two people were in a 15-foot canoe when it capsized. One of the occupants became trapped under the canoe, so the other grabbed and pulled him to shore, where CPR was begun immediately. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where he later died from drowning. Life jackets were worn.

The fourth fatal canoe incident occurred at 6 p.m., Oct. 18, 2014, on a private pond in Pittsylvania County. Two people were fishing from a 14-foot canoe when one of them leaned over, causing the canoe to capsize and throwing both people into the water. The victim was last seen trying to swim to shore. No life jackets were onboard, and none were used. Both individuals had consumed alcohol prior to this incident.

The fifth and final fatal canoe incident occurred at 3:38 p.m., Nov. 11, 2014, on Lake Perry (a private lake). Two people had borrowed a 13-foot canoe to cut down some limbs that were reaching over the water. One person stood up, causing the canoe to capsize. The other person held onto the canoe, while the one who had stood up started swimming toward shore. He subsequently was seen going underwater and did not resurface. No life jackets were in the canoe or used.

10-Year Virginia Boating-Incident Summary

One of the fatal incidents involved two fishermen who found a body floating at 2:30 p.m., Nov. 1, 2014, in the Chickahominy River. They contacted the James City County Fire and Rescue, who subsequently found a partially submerged kayak. Further investigation revealed the kayak had been anchored; the anchor light was still on. The victim's wife said her husband had gone catfishing that night. He was found with one strap of a life jacket wrapped around his arm, but the jacket was not worn. The cause of death was drowning.

Two of the incidents in which people died involved open motorboats. The first occurred at 10:30 p.m., May 30, 2014, on Aquia Creek. The vessel was traveling upstream from the Potomac River with two people onboard. The operator hit a river marker at high speed and died from blunt-force trauma. No life jackets were worn, and alcohol played a factor.

The second open-motorboat incident occurred at 4:20 p.m., June 8, 2014, on the James River. Five people were onboard to go fishing. As they went out, they realized the conditions were too rough and turned around to head back in. The engine stopped running, and the boat started taking on water. The boat subsequently swamped, and all five occupants found themselves in the water. Four life jackets were used; one was not serviceable. Two people drowned in this incident.

Only one fatal incident involved a PWC. It occurred at 5:15 p.m., July 18, 2014, on the Lynnhaven River. The victim was trying to start her PWC when it exploded, throwing her into the air. She landed back on the PWC and fractured her L1 vertebra. She died at a later date as a result of her injuries.

There also was only one fatal incident involving a johnboat. It occurred in the wee hours of Dec. 18, 2014, on Aquia Creek. Two waterfowl hunters were in the 16-foot johnboat, heading to a duck blind in the darkness, when their boat crossed between buoys of a marked commercial gill net. The boat's motor tangled in the net, causing the boat to capsize. The hunters stayed with the boat for about 30 minutes before one of them decided to swim to shore and try to get help. He made it to shore but then lost consciousness for several hours. When he regained consciousness, it was daylight, and he was able to get help from a nearby residence. The survivor said he used a type IV life jacket and the victim had been holding a life jacket. It's believed that the cause of death was cold-water exposure.

The final two fatal incidents involved craft that never were identified in the VDGIF report. On July 19, 2014, the victim's vessel was found beached on the James River in Surry County. The next day, a body was discovered near the Jamestown Ferry, which proved to be the owner of that vessel. A life jacket was not used.

At 1 p.m., Aug. 31, 2014, the victim launched his boat on the Pamunkey River, but it didn't start. The boat began drifting because of the swift current. The victim tried to use his anchor to pull his boat to shore, but his efforts were in vain. The victim subsequently jumped into the water and tried to swim the boat back to shore. Unfortunately, he became tired and disappeared under the water. No life jackets were worn.

To see the entire 2014 VDGIF report (in PDF format) and all of its accompanying charts, click on this link: http://www.usps.org/richmond/library/2014boatingincidentreport.pdf. And let's all work together to make 2016 the safest boating season ever on record.