So I've never fished in November here in far, far upstate NY, but I wanted to have one more crack at getting a big smallmouth, so my brother in law and I headed for a boat launch on the St. Lawrence yesterday morning.  When we got there we found the dock pulled out and the wind and waves a little daunting, so we headed to a smaller lake.  Same conditions, so we headed into the mountains to a small power reservoir that I like to go to.  I catch mostly dinks there, but fishing is fishing, and the wind seems a bit less treacherous there, so we launch.  I like to fish at the far end of the lake, about 4 miles from the launch.  We get there and start fishing.  We catch nothing, and the wind is still a bit unruly so I fire up the outboard and decide to go back to a big island at about the halfway point and fish there.  We went about 100 yards when wham, I hit something.  No idea what it was, no buoys or anything.  I raise the motor to see if the prop is damaged.  I can't really tell, mainly because the prop and skeg are resting comfortably at the bottom of the lake.  Now we have a bit of a problem.  We're 4 miles from the launch, with no cell reception, and are tasked with using my 40lb thrust trolling motor to get us back, with a brisk wind blowing right in our faces.  The temp is in the mid-40s.  There's no one on the lake.  It takes about an hour to get across the lake, to the side with camps, and we hug the shoreline to try to stay out of the wind.  We make it about halfway back when the wind is simply too strong and we stop making our slow headway.  So we pull up to a camp (no one home) and tie off the boat and walk to the road to walk the two miles back to the launch.  Luckily we were still wearing our life vests (for warmth, mostly) and a passing hunter figured something was wrong, and picked us up and dropped us off at the launch.  No cell signal at the launch, so we hop in the car and drive a few miles to where I get some cell reception.  I call my wife to let her know what was going on, and I call the student president of the college bass club I advise to see if he can come tow us.  His boat is in storage for the winter, but he says he'll call some of the other guys in the club.  So we sit beside the road for him to call us back.  He calls back, and everyone has put their boat away for the winter.  The nearest town big enough to have a sheriff's office is Colton, so I look up the number and call.  They ask where the boat is, and I tell them the name of the reservoir (just a few miles away) and they've never heard of it.  Turns out I had called Colton, California.  I call the right Colton sheriff's office, and they are going to try some fire departments to see if they can help.  So we wait for a call back. 

Then it starts to hail. 

Eventually someone from the Colton fire department calls me back and says he'll meet me at the launch with a boat.  So we go back and wait. 

It begins to hail again, mixed with sleet. 

Eventually he shows up with a pontoon boat and he backs it into the water.

The boat won't start.

After several minutes he says he has to go get another boat.  He leaves to go borrow his father's pontoon boat.  He's back in about half an hour and he backs the second boat into the water.

The boat won't start.

Luckily he has brought a portable jump unit and he eventually gets it started.

The rest is fairly anticlimactic.  We go get the boat, and tow it back.  I hit the rock or whatever about 11:00am, and got back home, soaking wet, about 4:30pm.

We didn't catch any fish, but I don't have to worry about draining my lower unit oil for the winter.

That sucks, glad you got the boat back home

 

Wow…couple of events away from being on Lifetime network. 
 

It was 80 with a breeze yesterday…??‍♂️

I always tell my students that our lives consist of the stories we can tell.  We never remember the times we were warm and well fed.

Glad you're both uninjured. 

Bad stuff happens to good folks all the times.

Can only be so prepared.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

35 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Can only be so prepared.

I did something really dumb, and it wasn't hitting the rock.  My family knew I was fishing, and since I had said I was going to the St. Lawrence, that's where they thought I was.  We changed our location twice and I didn't think to let anyone know, so literally no one knew where we were, and we had no cell signal.  No other boats on the water, no one in the camps.  We weren't really in physical danger, but it had to potential to freak our families right out if I hadn't been able to contact them before we were missed.

Sorry I had to laugh at Went to check on the prop and skeg and they were at the bottom of the lake hahaha

Glad it turned out the way it did. Parts can be replaced. You sir are a die hard for fishing ??

Oh wow, quite the adventure, the things we endure for a fish.

Glad to hear you made it home safely. 

50 minutes ago, billmac said:

I did something really dumb, and it wasn't hitting the rock.  My family knew I was fishing, and since I had said I was going to the St. Lawrence, that's where they thought I was.  We changed our location twice and I didn't think to let anyone know, so literally no one knew where we were, and we had no cell signal.  No other boats on the water, no one in the camps.  We weren't really in physical danger, but it had to potential to freak our families right out if I hadn't been able to contact them before we were missed.

As a prior Search and Rescue Professional, from both the planning and operational side, leaving an accurate float plan with at least one responsible adult every time we hit the water is Rule #1.  Inculding accurate phone numbers of the emergency agencies you want them to call in the event you are overdue, saves valuable time you may or may not have. 

All of this is far less helpful if and when plans change, you don't keep them informed. Requires a bit of time and effort on your part but you need to ask yourself, am I worth it ?

I know I am.

A-Jay

Glad you’re okay! We always think it’ll never happen to us but we can never be too safe. 

Glad you made it back in one piece.  I started to get a little anxious when I read that you were using the trolling motor to get back on. 

Glad you made it back okay. Do you think the motor is fixable or will it have to be replaced?

1 hour ago, Log Catcher said:

Do you think the motor is fixable or will it have to be replaced?

I'll have to replace the lower unit.  I think everything else is OK.  I hope.

Could've been bad. Bright side is you did it on the last trip of the season and not the first. I wouldn't tarry on ordering the parts you need at this time or next season we slip up on you and you'll be waiting on parts.

I was thinking I needed to change the impeller anyway. ?

Glad everything worked out. You may consider a satellite connection device when out of cellular reach. Check out Garmin inReach, Zoleo, or SPOT Messenger. Can save your life. 

Beached a couple of boats in bad weather. ALWAYS carry & put on a full rain suit. bright yellow hat ,jacket and chest high bottoms with calf high boots to stay dry & warm. If I get caught in going bad weather.

 

I have depth maps & all bridge locations memorized. I also will go right to ANYONES sturdy , closest dock if wind gets to high.  I pick on the down wind locations.

 

The 15" short transom does not like waves or wakes.  Long VHF antenna & cellphone if in danger. I never go where there is no cell phone coverage or a unmanned VHF station.   Lucky I was not out during a massive " Down Burst ?  "  Would have finished me in the winds & waves. As I age I become more weather checking conscious.

 

Luck still beats skill every time.

 

 

Well it's unfortunate about the boat, but at least you got it back largely intact and made it back in one piece which is most important.

Wow that had to be stressful, in a boat things can go bad so quickly.  I too was isolated with my son 22 miles from the ramp in the everglades.  Luckily I had cell service and had the number of Florida Fish and Game, and they sent a supervisor with a boat to come get us on a Sunday Afternoon.  We could of spent the night out there with all the mosquitos, gators, and pythons.  He tows us in 22 miles, and would not take a penny.  He said it's my job and I'm paid well to do it.  I learned a lesson that day.  I always take three times more water then I normally would take just for an emergency.  Glad no one was hurt in your boat!

God was watching out for you, and i'm glad, even though i don't know you. 

November in upstate NY can be treacherous on the water. The periodic good November days are some of the best fishing times of the year, but the bad weather and high wind days (which is often) really put you in check. 

Glad you both are OK. 

On 11/2/2021 at 12:00 PM, billmac said:

I always tell my students that our lives consist of the stories we can tell.  We never remember the times we were warm and well fed.

Glad you made it back to tell us about it, too many times situations like that turn into people wondering what happened.