Although the details of the accident are still not clear, three kids from my neck of the woods in Donalsonville Georgia were out on lake Seminole when they flipped their boat. Two of the kids swam to the closest island where one of them eventually passed out but was later revived. The last they saw the third kid, he was hanging on to a gas tank.
http://m.walb.com/#!/newsDetail/24386562

Man I hate to hear this.

It's rough, although it happens more often than not as sadly revealed to me by a sheriff who has pulled a number of hunters' dead bodies out of this lake. Maybe it will be enough to convince those who are on the edge about wearing a PFD. I don't normally wear one but I think it's time to start, at least while running the boat. Just something to think about gents.

I'm 20 and that lake straight up scares the shit out of me. My guess is that they flipped the boat on one if the thousands of stumps. My dad is always worrying whenever he hears I'm hunting that lake. Big, deep water

Second report of this accident I've heard today... I'm sayin' a prayer that the young man was rescued and is safe and warm by now. It took a freak accident years ago to teach me to wear the kill switch and check it periodically. Summertime here is one thing but, hunting season's a lot different if your tryin' to swim in waders/heavy clothes. Man I hope they're OK...

Lee, they found the body of the last man this afternoon. One of them didn't make it. Sad to hear.

Sure hate that.

Ya that's a bad deal there and prayers going out to the family froth there loss.
in the state of Texas it was made law last year that the operator of a stick steer motor must wear a lord while vessel is underway and any one under 16yrs of age must have one one underway and 13 and under must wear one at all times if boat is 16 ft or shorter.

Regardless sorry to hear that

When I was a kid, many, many years ago, my dad started wearing his PFD everytime the boat was underway when he used to not wear one hardly at all. He said that it is just good sense. This was in the early 70's. On another note, when everyone else was sinking their bottles in the swamp, in about 1972, I remember he said that if we make trash, we bring it out the swamp. I can tell you exactly where we were in the Atchafalaya--yall call it the Williams Canal off the 21, I call it the Cement Piling canal where it hits the bayou that connects to Bayou Long.

All of it just common sense stuff, nothing happened to make my dad make these decisions. That is just how he was and he was always made these decisions long before everyone else was.

So I wear my pfd, automatic inflatable, nearly all the time. It does not even bother me when fishing--though I take it off a lot too. I wear my kill switch all the time that engine clutch is engaged. It just make good sense. I will also not drink before I get in the boat. And will monitor what conditions others may be in before they get in my boat. Also, except for jugging, I require everyone to wear one.

I hope that time will lessen the pain this young fellas parents are going through. He may be alive today if he wore a PFD, then again, he may have died from hypothermia if he was out there too long.

Me and everyone in my boat will always wear a PFD, the only time I wont is if I am hiding/retrieving the boat and the water is only a few inches deep.

I ALWAYS have my kill lanyard on, even if I'm just loading the boat up.

Word is that they were picking up a duck and the guy on the bow missed it, so the guy driving let go of his longtail and grabbed the bird and the boat started spinning and got swamped.

It's such a habit for me that sometimes when I get in my boat in the garage I'll find myself reaching for the life jacket. Actually put it on a few times.

I wear mine when underway. I just can't imagine someone digging my body out of a river or lake and telling my wife that I was a dumbass.

This happend about 600yds from our dock at the lake. Sad to hear this. I was in a boat that flipped a few years ago on new years eve in that same slough and its a miracle all 4 of us survived. I always wear a life jacket now when underway.

When I was a kid we had an old bateau with a 50 merc that stayed at the camp in pigeon for whoever to use anyway me my brother and step dad went fishing needless to say it broke down and some old guy came by in a big ol fancy bass boat and started pulling us in when the rope popped and the boat came straight up in the air from the transom I watched it catapult my step dad and brother out like rockets needless to say my fat ass never moved I was probably eating a Twinkie like DDM so my low center of gravity kept me on my seat lol. But all I can say is it happened very fast and my step dad had on cowboy boots he could not swim at all when those boots filled up


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Always wear mine. Seems dumb not to. When im hunting and running Ive gotten so used to it that i dont feel right without it on. Sad deal for those families.

I gotta say I'm bad at times about not wearing my lanyard or pfd but when I realy think about it, after reading this . I couldn't imagine what my wife and beutiful little girl would have to endure loosing me. I'll deffinatley start being safer in my boat. It there why not use it. Guess it's like hunting without ur safety on, on ur gun. Just dumb not too

I gotta say I'm bad at times about not wearing my lanyard or pfd but when I realy think about it, after reading this . I couldn't imagine what my wife and beutiful little girl would have to endure loosing me. I'll deffinatley start being safer in my boat. It there why not use it. Guess it's like hunting without ur safety on, on ur gun. Just dumb not too

Found this story about a duck hunter in a tube getting swept over the spillway at Seminole a few years ago. F'n crazy, I'd be cursing my buddies the whole way down!

http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishin ... 599.5;wap2



CHATTAHOOCHEE, FL (WALB) Searchers on the Apalachicola River wrapped up their third day of looking for an Albany hunter.

John Slappey was swept over the Jim Woodruff Dam on Lake Seminole while he was duck hunting Sunday afternoon. Rescuers and his family presume he drowned.

So far they've recovered some of John Slappey's equipment but still no sign of him. And last week's heavy rain and flooding isn't helping their efforts.

It's Day three on the Apalachicola River in search of 34-year-old John Slappey of Albany. He was last seen Sunday afternoon on Lake Seminole just north of the Jim Woodruff Dam hunting ducks with his brother Andrew.

"The water as high as it is and as fast and turbulent as it is making the search difficult and that's why we're not sending down divers. It's too dangerous," said Lt. Mike Hodges with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

Instead Florida law officers, volunteer search and rescue teams, and just concerned citizens float atop the violent river searching for Sappy's body hoping it will float to the surface.

And water near the dam is so turbulent, search groups can't even go near it.

"There's a part that is actually like a suction and it will suck you in then keep spitting you back out," said Lt. Hodges.

On Sunday when Slappey went over the spillway gate dam workers tried rescuing him and say he re-surfaced twice, only to be pulled down one final time by the current.

"I was hoping we'd get that call that a guy was cold and wet and needed a ride home, but it just hasn't happened," said Chattahoochee Police Chief Vann Pullen.

Slappey leaves behind his wife Mandy and their 1-year-old daughter Sawyer. Search teams say they won't give up on finding Slappey's body.

"At least to be able to recover the body so the family has closure," said Hodges.

Even if that means continuing their search on Christmas Day. Family members we spoke with are obviously struggling to grasp what happened to Slappey.

They're encouraging the community that in lieu of flowers to sent memorial contributions to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital or Wewa Search and Rescue many of the men and women who have been searching for his body are volunteers, and the family wants to thank them.

I was down there this morning and the GSP/Investigators were getting ready to dive for the boat.

I wear my life jacket most of the time and especially when riding in at night. I also keep an emergency foil blanket, a fire starter, and a ziplock with a lighter and some fatwood in the pocket of my lifejacket cause i know if i fall in and swim to shore im gonna need to start a fire quick to warm up