Seneca 3-6-10

[FishinEd]

Went fishing on Seneca yesterday. Had a great day till the wind came up.. Lots of small LLs 17"-19". the action was pretty consistent for a couple of hours. Then....... headed back home north in the bad waves in my little 14" aluminum boat. Hit a wave hard enough to create a 5" stress fracture in the bottom of the boat. So I had to drive and bale at the same time till I got back (about 5 more miles!) Kinda scary....

[Believer]

"Kinda scary..." You must have been terrified. I have a fourteen footer too. As soon as I see whitecaps, I head for shore. If I see them from shore, I don't go out. Stay alive.

[spoonfed-1]

Your very lucky as you would last about 10 minutes in this cold water. Sometimes you get caught in stuff. Fact of life.

Next time head for shore, get close enough should something happen you can walk to shore quickly. I mean really close and slowly work your way back to port if possible. If not beach it tie it up and make a phone call.

In these water temps theres not usually a second chance.

Have a plan BEFORE you need it.

Sorry if I sound like I'm lectureing I'm not. Just concerned.

Glen

[FishinEd]

I kept REALLY close to shore, believe me!! You are correct, one would not last long in the water this time of year. Seneca is a great lake, but it can turn horrible in a very short period of time. I will have my big boat back over there this month

Thanks for the concern, guys. Maybe the story will help someone make a good choice sometime. I probably should not have gone out..

[ac holmes]

Hello intrepid fishermen,

I just mentioned (on the bilge pump thread) about my close call in the cold waters of Seneca and will take the chance of sounding like I am lecturing, so please do put up with me. When I got in the drink many years ago and nearly drowned, I was a strong swimmer (trained in combat swimming in the USMC), strong as an ox, and very fit. The only thing that saved me was a first class life jacket that was zipped and pulled up tight. I took this precaution because I was testing a small sail boat that I had built for a customer. It was gusty and cold that day, but I wanted to test the sails and rigging before I delivered the boat. The boat sailed beautifully and I got a little salty and tightened the mainsheet, and then got hit with a heavy gust and the boat turned turtle. I was soon trying to hang on to the upside down hull. In a very short time I was too weak to hang on and could not think straight. I started to feel a little sad but remember thinking "the hell with it, I am going to die now." The next thing I knew, two young couples in a speedboat were trying to pull me aboard their boat. I was too weak to help and no longer cared if I lived or died. It took all four of them to drag my 210 pounds over the transom. If I had not put on the top quality life jacket I would have drowned in 5 minutes in the 50 degree water.

When you get caught on Seneca and it gets rough most people head for the canal. The waves get two or three times as steep at the canal because of the shallow water. You can stay close to shore on the east side of the canal, but believe me, do not plan on doing much swimming. In my estimation, the best thing to do is not go on the water at all in a small boat if you see white caps. If you get caught, do consider another option than the canal. If it is real bad, tie up someplace at a dock and make a phone call. If you go for it, it is better (I think) to keep the power on pretty good to prevent yawing around in the cross-chop at the entrance of the canal.

I have been on the lake all my life and that is 50 years or more. There are most certainly conditions on Seneca that can kill you, and many people have drowned over the years, usually in the spring when the water is very cold. Usually one or two poor souls each year at the south end, in a north wind. You cannot survive for more than 15-20 in 40-50 degree water. Without a life jacket you area goner in 5 minutes.

Sorry if I sound like an ****, but it is all true.

Best,

Andrew Holmes

[Brian]

Good reminder of how fast things can happen. Glad you are ok.