Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
Ask an angler to describe what fishing is all about and you’ll probably hear words such as “fun, rewarding, relaxing, exciting, challenging, enjoyable, soothing” or any one of a thousand other adjectives that cast a positive light on the sport – the “passion” that we all love so much. Words that probably wouldn’t be thrown into that mix would be “danger, pain fear, grief” or any other way of describing a situation where things have gone terribly wrong.
Fishing is about good times and good stuff, but the very nature of the sport has us outside enduring the elements, sometimes many miles from another human being, where we may need some kind of help should we need it. Keeping the “fun” in fishing requires that we have our boats floating, our engines running, our body parts out of the very fish we’re trying to catch, we stay warm, dry, nourished, hydrated and not have some kind of freaky mishap with the bait knife while cutting the head off a mullet. Fishing is all fun and games until there’s an accident.
Man Overboard!
Last summer I did a story about falling in the water. Highlighting some of my own blunders, I described a few of the more embarrassing, if not downright humorous, splashdowns I’ve had over the years. I wrote that story back in late June, but now it’s December and falling in the water now is no joke. Cold air, cold water and heavy clothing can be a deadly mix that can end the life of someone in just a few short minutes.
Falling in the water is not something most people plan to do. In fact, I’m pretty sure most folks plan “not” to fall in so they are not prepared if it happens and they do not take extra precautions to ensure it doesn’t happen in the first place. We’ll look at how to prepare in the event that it happens in a moment, but first lets see how to prevent an unnecessary cold-water bath.
Do you know what is the number-one reason why people fall overboard from a boat? Here’s a hint – it’s usually men. So the answer is - the primary reason people fall overboard is when a man attempts to “take a leak” over the side of the boat. If you think about it, the whole set up is a recipe for disaster. The fellow would likely be pushed up as close to the side of the boat as possible, knees against the gunwale, likely holding onto boat with only one hand. If the boat rolls or drops off a wave the guys feet can kick out and over he goes. Talk about wetting your pants!
Preventing that type of plunge into the water can be as simple as requiring that everyone uses the boat’s head, and if the vessel doesn’t have one require that they use a bucket. Stopping the boat whenever someone needs to “go” might seem like a time-wasting inconvenience but it can also be a lifesaver. You can also hold the back of your buddies jacket or belt to steady him while he goes. It might not be a glamorous job, but neither is fishing your friend out of the big cold pond.
Skippers should also ensure that no one has a chance to fall overboard without being observed. A few years ago, a Delmarva boat was running out in the dark and didn’t realize until they were close to their offshore fishing grounds that they were minus one passenger. Somewhere along the way, a fellow ended up in the water. It’s hard to imagine the horror he must have felt watching the boat run away from him in the darkness. Miraculously, after 10-12 hours of treading water (no lifejacket) he was spotted and picked up by another boat. No one saw him go overboard because no one was watching. For the rest of the ride out, those in the cabin thought he was on the bridge and those on the bridge thought he was in the cabin. Incidences like that are not uncommon and occur even during the day.
People also end up in the water by falling off the bow of the boat. Cars have seatbelts to keep us from flying forward during a sudden stop - but not boats. If a boat hits bottom while traveling along at even a modest clip everyone on board who is not holding onto something very securely is going to fly forward. Passengers close to the bow are likely to be ejected right off the boat. To make matters worse, if the boat continues to move forward it could very possibly run right over those in the water. No one should be allowed to ride up close to the bow of a moving boat.
Boats aren’t the only platforms from which people end up in the water. Piers, bulkheads, rock jetties, marsh banks and even a walk along a sandy shoreline can have someone splashing around in neck-deep water when they take one step too many over an unexpected drop off. In the summer the algae that grows on hard surfaces can make them extremely slippery and in the winter just a little bit of frost on a deck or a dock can be disastrous.
Perhaps the one saving grace is that this time of the year there’s a lot fewer people spending time on or near the water than during the warm weather months, so there are much fewer accidental splashdowns. Sportsmen, however, are not so inclined to let a little cold weather stand between them and their quarry and therefore are more likely to be the ones who end up unexpectedly submerged in ice cold water. Careful attention to safety concerns is extra important for anyone who ventures on or near the water during the cold weather months.
Watch your footing on decks, docks and rocks. Take measures to ensure that no passengers have an opportunity to fall over the side, no matter what they’re doing, and if ever there was a time to follow the number one boater safety course recommendation, this would be it – Wear a life jacket at all times!
Hypothermia
Every fisherman needs to know that, no matter what time of the year they fish, they are always at risk of hypothermia. It doesn’t have to be bitter cold outside and you don’t have to be in ice water to succumb to hypothermia, which occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it and your body temperature gets below 95 degrees. Untreated hypothermia can kill you from heart and respiratory failure so it’s nothing to take lightly!
Prevention of hypothermia is simply “don’t get too cold” which can be easier said than done on a boat. We’ve already discussed staying in the boat and out of the water, and that’s a good start. But also those who find themselves on the water during the cold weather months should also consider whether or not they are prepared to spend a night or two on their boat should they have a breakdown and can’t get home before the sun goes down. Poking around the reefs for tautog in December or January in an open boat is a barrel of fun until you lose power and can’t call for help! Cold weather boating requires that safety equipment include more than just your standard PFD’s, flares and fire extinguishers. Quality foul weather gear, blankets, sleeping bags, extra thermal clothing, portable heaters, survival suits and life rafts are items that could keep boaters safe from the effects of hypothermia.
Obviously, treatment for hypothermia is to warm the patient up. On a boat without a heater this can be a problem but if the vessel has a running engine it has a heat source. If the engine compartment is large enough, someone can warm themselves by getting close to the engine. Both inboards and outboards emit warm water from their exhaust. That warm water can be collected and used to warm someone by allowing them to hug a bucket of it or by putting it in plastic bags that can be placed over various parts of the body or even under their clothing. Just make sure the water isn’t too hot.
Knife Cuts
Whether they’re for cutting bait, filleting fish, cutting lines or for slicing bread in the galley, every properly equipped fishing boat is going to be equipped with a knife or, more likely, a collection of knives to cover all the possible onboard tasks that require a good blade. As fishermen, we’re always cutting something. But unlike when we’re carving up the Thanksgiving turkey, on a boat we seldom have a nice stable platform to work on and from. Instead we often find ourselves sitting on a cooler or bucket trying to slice and dice on a cutting board that’s probably sliding around with every roll of he boat. Other times we might be kneeling on a pitching deck trying to restrain some big lively fish with one hand as we slice it’s head off with the other.
Because they always seem to be cutting “something”, fishermen get pretty good with knives. But mess around with anything long enough and sooner or later you’re going to get bit.
Minor nicks on the fingers and knuckles are commonplace for fishermen, but more severe cuts are always just a fraction of an inch or one slip of the knife away. Wearing a cut resistant glove on the hand that does not hold the knife can prevent a nasty cut at sea or at the cleaning table at the end of the day. Such gloves are available in Kevlar for only $10 to $15 or in steel mesh for $70 to over $100.
Besides being careful when you’re using knifes, it’s important to properly store them so that no one gets cut or impaled as they’re moving about the boat. Sturdy knife racks mounted in locations where they are handy but also out of traffic zones where people might brush against them will help prevent severe injuries.
Eye Injuries
It might not seem as though eye injuries are something fishermen need to worry much about but they’re not uncommon and when they do occur they can be really bad. I once overheard a distress call to the Coast Guard from a sport fishing boat that was reporting an incident whereby an angler had a hook impaled in their eye – not in the eyelid, not the eyebrow, the “eyeball”! The thought of it still gives me chills.
I don’t know how that particular accident happened, but I know of two other incidents where anglers were holding large fish (a white marlin and a tuna) when the hook pulled and came flying back into their face, shattering their sunglasses and sending glass into their eyes.
That’s the kind of freaky accident that shows what can happen. How do you guard against something like that happening? I guess when wiring up a fish don’t pull your hands up toward your face, and be prepared in case the hook pulls. Another thing to consider when buying sunglasses is to opt for lenses made of plastic or polycarbonate rather than glass (see Bob Pino’s column in this issue) so that you don’t have to worry about them shattering.
Even more so than a direct eye injury, is the risk of eye damage from the effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. It’s critically important to wear quality sunglasses that offer 100% UV protection. I keep a few pairs of cheap sunglasses aboard the boat for clients to borrow if they forget their own, but what I wear on my face are the best quality lenses I can afford from a reputable optician. I use An Optical Galleria in West Ocean City for my eyewear needs because not only do they know everything about eyewear, but the business is also owned and run by a family of avid fishermen who know from firsthand experience the unique and demanding needs of us fishermen.
Drowning
Whether it’s a stream, a river, an ocean or a pond, the one thing all fishermen have in common is that we do what we do on, over, in or at the edge of the water. And while nothing can survive without water, the environment that holds the fish we so joyfully pursue can also extinguish our own life in mere seconds. The risk of drowning hovers over every angler all the time, and disaster can result from one bad step in a stream, one slippery rock on a jetty or one unexpected wave on the ocean. Anglers don’t have to do something stupid to end up fighting for their life in an environment that just moments before was the source of their happiness and admiration.
There are so many ways an angler can end up in the water that you couldn’t list them all, and about all I can say is “be careful and don’t fall in”. What’s most important is that no one takes the threat of drowning for granted. Fishermen can spend a lifetime on the water without a mishap, and in the blink of an eye find themselves in a very bad way that can end in tragedy if they are not prepared. And being prepared means two things - knowing how to swim and wearing a life jacket.
It’s probably safe to say that these days most people learn to swim when they are children, but not everyone does, and it’s not uncommon to hear of adults who have spent their entire lives working on the water who can’t swim a stroke. No less important than teaching them to look left and right before crossing the street, every parent has a responsibility to ensure that their child knows how to swim, because someday it could save their life, and any adult who doesn’t know how to swim should also make the effort to learn.
Discussion on this topic would not be complete without mentioning the wearing of life jackets (PFDs). Do we all wear them all the time? No. But there’s no doubt that if everyone wore a PFD all the time while they were on the water there would be a lot less drownings. PFDs save lives – period.
Fish Bites
If you’ve never been bitten by a fish you probably haven’t fished for very long. Sooner or later we all get “bit”! Fish bites can be minor nips or life-threatening lacerations. The trick is not getting bitten by anything with teeth big enough or jaws strong enough to do any serious damage. Keeping all your parts in tact starts with knowing what fish have teeth you’ve got to worry about and which ones don’t. The next step is learning how to handle each type of toothy fish so you don’t end up impaled on their teeth in the first place. Finally, anglers should have a “what-if” plan that will help ensure that they can properly address a bite from whatever type of fish they might encounter.
It goes without saying that of all the fish that might be encountered off Delmarva, those that anglers should be most careful with would be sharks. Even those anglers who have no intention of fishing for sharks should have some kind of plan on how to deal with them because no one really knows when one might decide to take a bait or lure that’s intended for other fish. The important thing to remember about sharks is that they are born with a full set of sharp dentures so that even very small ones can cut you up pretty bad if they get hold of you. If a large shark grabs you it’s going to be bad – really bad! I have a number of small scars from sharks that remind me of some close calls I’ve had over the years, but only one time did I have to visit the hospital from a bite. It was only a four-foot shark that got a hold of just my thumb and index finger, but after 27 stitches and a hard lesson I came away with an extra dose of respect for how sharp a shark’s teeth are and how quickly they can snap their jaws!
In most cases the safest thing anglers can do is to release sharks without bringing them out of the water. Using a dehooking tool or by cutting the leader a safe distance away from the hook is always a good move. Sharks that are boated to bring home should be secured with a head and tail rope and it’s not a bad idea to put a bucket over their head so they can’t get in mischief on the way home.
The jaws in a bluefish, wahoo, king mackerel, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic bonito and dolphin may not be as formidable as that of a shark and not large enough to bite off an arm or a leg, but the teeth are quite sharp and can cause severe lacerations that could require immediate medical attention. Bites from fish such as tautog, sheepshead, blowfish, flounder and triggerfish aren’t likely to put anyone in the hospital, but they could certainly spell the end of the fishing trip for an angler unlucky enough to feel the effect of their relatively small, but very powerful jaws.
A lot of people get bitten while removing a hook or holding a fish up for a photo. There are a number of tools on the market (I recommend the “Boga Grip”) that clamp onto the lower jaw of a fish. While they don’t work on medium to large sharks, such tools do allow anglers to safely hold most other fish with little risk of being bitten. Of course, sometimes the safest bet for a photo is not to hold it at all but allow the fish to lie on the deck, remain in the water, or just hang from the leader.
Fish spines
If the teeth don’t get you the spines might! The teeth of a fish are designed primarily to help them acquire food, but the “spines” of a fish are intended for their defense, and you can bet that when you hook and land a fish it’s going to be much more concerned about its defense than its next meal, so you’ve got to watch out for those spines!
Spines are usually located on the back of a fish and are a part of their dorsal fin. Some spines, such as those on the triggerfish, spiny dogfish, stingrays and skates are quite formidable and very obvious. Other spines, like those on a sea bass, are not so apparent until you stick one into the palm of your hand. Some fish such as croaker and sea robins have spines (or at least sharp edges) on their heads and around the trailing edges of their gill plates. Wherever the spines are located, you can bet that when a fish is in defensive mode the spines will be erect and ready to jab. Aside from those of the stingray, most spines are not designed to inject any kind of toxin into the body, but bacteria or other nasty stuff contained in the fish’s slime can enter through the site of the puncture. Getting “spined” should prompt anglers to immediately wash the wound thoroughly with hot water and an anti-bacterial cleanser, and then monitor for any signs of infection, which should then prompt a visit to the doctor.
Being pulled overboard
When I consider some of the sudden and unexpected tragedies that have befallen fishermen over the years, I cannot help but remember a few incidences when crew members where literally pulled overboard by their catch. Particularly when it comes to offshore fishing for big fish on sometimes choppy sea conditions, it’s almost surprising that such accidents don’t happen more often than they do.
Most often the victim is not the angler but whoever has the duty of “wiring” the fish or pulling it in by hand before either gaffing or releasing it. If someone is holding onto the leader and a big fish surges away from the boat, that person had better be able to quickly and smoothly let it slip out of their hands because there is no margin for error. One of four things will happen if a fish makes a last minute run; (1) either the leader is released and the angler fights the fish back to the boat, (2) the hook pulls and the fish gets away, (3) the leader breaks and the fish gets away, or (4) the person on the leader goes overboard attached to a big angry fish. Of the four outcomes one is good, two are bad and one can be tragic.
Wiring even modest size fish on relatively light tackle can get anglers in trouble if they are caught off balance at a critical time. Whether it’s from a boat, a pier or a shoreline, wiring a fish can be the most dangerous part of fishing and should always be done with extreme concern for safety.
Getting hooked
Once, while reaching over the side of the boat to release a 100-pound shark that was on the bottom hook of a two-hook rig, the top hook swung around and imbedded in my upper arm. Fortunately, my mate didn’t let go of the leader and someone else was able to quickly cut the connection between the two hooks, allowing the shark to swim away with a 14/0 hook in it’s jaw and me to stay aboard with one in my arm. While that was another lesson learned the hard way, it could have been worse – much worse!
Hooks are intended to impale two things; the bait we use and the fish we are trying to catch. They’re not supposed to be sticking in or out of us fishermen, but as luck would have it, for one reason or another they very often end up in places where they shouldn’t and we have a dilemma on our hands. Or should I say “in” our hands because that seems to be the part of the body where most hookings occur. Obviously, the more hooks someone has on their line the more chance they have to end up on one. Multiple treble hooks on a lure is an accident waiting to happen, particularly when that lure is in the mouth of a lively fish that the angler is trying to unhook. One good headshake at the wrong time and suddenly the angler and fish become blood-brothers on the same lure!
Something I’ve seen a number of times while bottom fishing is when an angler attempts to hold a fish up by the leader either for photo or just to look at it. If it’s a two-hook bottom rig and the hand holding the leader is between the two hooks and the leader slips a little the weight of the fish will drive the other hook into the angler’s hand – ouch! It’s best to make sure both hooks are on the same side of the hand when lifting a fish on a leader.
Another tip is to avoid using the little wire “hook keeper” that is often installed on light rods just above the foregrip. Storing a hook or lure in a hook keeper while the rod is not being used puts the hook or hooks right where anglers often grab their rods to pick them up.
It’s surprising how painful even a small hook that’s gone in past the barb can be, and getting it out is not going to be fun. Extracting a hook by pushing it the rest of the way through, cutting off the barb and then backing it out is good when it can be done, but it’s not always an option. The other methods such as the string technique or just quickly yanking it out with a pair of pliers like you’d do with a fish can do some real damage if the barb catches on a tendon or any of your internal plumbing on the way out. Often the only alternative is to leave the hook in place and make a trip to the emergency room. If you can get away with it, smashing down the barbs of hooks is a great way to ensure that if you do get hooked at least the hook will come out easily. Better yet, be careful and don’t get hooked in the first place.
There is no way to provide a comprehensive list that would cover all the trouble we fishermen can conjure up for ourselves when we’re out and about and doing all we can do to get a fish on the line. And while the preceding paragraphs covered everything from being too cold to being burned by the sun, I still didn’t touch on common hazards such as seasickness, overexertion, dehydration or the mental stress of spending too many days of your life being a jerk on one end of a line waiting for a jerk on the other. Yea, I guess fishing can be a little perilous at times, but probably no more so than walking across the street or admitting who you voted for in the last election. It’s all about being careful, learning from the mistakes of others, and if all else fails - keeping a good first-aid kit handy!
Capt. Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat, “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center. In the winter, Mark runs charters out of Isla Morada, FL.
