Regardless of weather conditions, wear that life vest

Bitterly cold weather the last two weeks has seen very few fishermen out on the lake although there are always a few hardy souls who venture out onto the lake. It's bad enough just riding around in a boat on these cold days but if you accidentally fall overboard it can be deadly. When the water temperature is in the mid-40 degree range, you may not survive past 30 minutes. After that, hypothermia sets in. Even if you don't drown, you could freeze to death.

Hypothermia occurs when your body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced. Prolonged exposure to cold will eventually use up your body's stored energy. The result is hypothermia or abnormally low body temperature. A body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well.

Bass fishermen are especially vulnerable to falling into the cold water. They are in boats that travel as fast as 70 mph and they tend to stay out even if the wind comes up. The good news is that because they are normally experts at handling the high-speed boats, there is a rarely a wreck on the lake and it's even more rare for fisherman to fall overboard.

Actually, it's the small boater that is in the most danger. These fishermen often don't wear their life vests and their boats aren't equipped to handle the rough water.

No one should ever be in a boat without having a life vest on. Statistics have shown that more than 70 percent of drowning victims weren't wearing a life vest. This is amazing considering that winter storms are common, especially on Clear Lake.

A boat can capsize in minutes. I know this all too well because 40 years ago I was traveling with two duck hunting companions in a boat that went down and had to be rescued after spending more than eight hours in the frigid water.

The incident occurred in the flooded Yolo Bypass near Sacramento. The bypass had flooded because of heavy rain and was loaded with ducks and geese. We decided to take my friend's 16-foot aluminum boat and go duck hunting. In addition to the three hunters we had several dozen decoys and a Labrador retriever. We launched the boat at daylight and headed to an island two miles away. The water was calm but with a fast current and the air temperature just above freezing. Halfway to the island a strong north wind suddenly came up and there were whitecaps on the water. We knew that we could never reach the island and decided to change course and head for a row of trees. As we neared the trees, suddenly a massive wave washed over the boat tossing us all in the water. Foolishly we weren't wearing life vests and, in fact, had on hip boots. In a matter of seconds the boat was gone and we were struggling in the water. Luckily we managed to swim to a pair of trees and climbed up high enough to be just out of the water.

By then the wind was roaring and not another boat was in sight. We clung to the trees and yelled for help. After more than six hours, a boat with another hunter appeared. The hunter attempted to rescue one of my hunting companions, but a wave also swamped his boat. He ended swimming nearly a mile to an island where he flagged down another boat, which finally rescued us. That particular day two other hunters drowned in the flooded bypass. We were extremely lucky.

That episode taught me valuable lesson. I never go out in a boat without wearing a life vest and knowing the weather forecast.

Many people don't like to wear a life vest because they're often bulky and uncomfortable. Most of the bass fishermen wear vests that are lightweight and automatically inflate if they're tossed in the water, so if even if you're knocked unconscious you will float. These vests can be worn throughout the day in comfort and are Coast Guard approved.

A few years ago a well-known bass fisherman was fishing in the Delta on a cold day in January. He said he was in 20 feet of water and there was a strong current. He was on the front deck running his trolling motor when the boat struck a submerged tree and the jolt tossed him into the water. He was wearing heavy clothes, which immediately filled with water. He said the last thing he remembered was his feet hitting the bottom. The good news is his life vest automatically inflated and he shot to the surface where his fishing buddy grabbed him. His fishing partner maneuvered the boat close enough to shore for him to climb out on the bank. The life vest saved his life.

The lesson in all of this is to wear your life vest at all times even is the weather is calm.