re: Mandeville fisherman missing in Lake Pontchartrain. Update 1/17 body recovered in lake

This won’t help him but if you’re going to do this or any outdoor activity alone why not get an apple AirTag or some type of tracking device for peace of mind for your family.

Worst case scenario they have a chance to find you.

This is for today or last weekend?

that was a current report when I posted it...


edit...so current through Saturday...

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The only time I take it off is if we're on anchor which is almost always great conditions.

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I’ve heard stories of guys falling off the front deck of a bass boat and their pants snag a lure on one of the rods tied down on the front deck. They’re left hanging with just the upper part of their torso and head in the water and eventually get too tired to keep their head above water.

What do you do if you're in a small vessel and experience 5 ft waves? Get in the helm and strap-in or the center point of the hull and hunker down?

Throttle control. Try to not drop the bow into a wave.

Easier said than done

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The only time I take it off is if we're on anchor which is almost always great conditions. My buddy who was with me when we went down never takes his off.


I’ve heard stories of guys falling off the front deck of a bass boat and their pants snag a lure on one of the rods tied down on the front deck. They’re left hanging with just the upper part of their torso and head in the water and eventually get too tired to keep their head above water.

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I'm in a very different style boat. From the floor to the gunwhale is almost 4'. If I was on a typical bass boat I wouldn't take it off. All spare rods are kept in rocket launcher rod holders attached to the tower above the soft top so they don't get stepped on and for space purposes.

That being said when I'm on the bow of the boat dropping or picking up the anchor I do wear my PFD as that area has the best chance of something happening.

I have a drift boat as well and I never take it off. Lower sides and if someone doesn't announce leaning left or right it is possible to lose my balance and go in. I'm wearing chest waders in that boat so I need my PFD to save me from my waders filling up. Although I've read you're naturally buoyant if that happens.

Announcing that you're leaning left/right is a rule I tell everyone is non negotiable.

Eta....There are a lot of smaller aluminum boats around us when the salmon are running and they have lower sides. The smart folks where their PFD as would I.

I have been fishing my entire life and been running a boat since I was in my early teens.

One thing is for sure if you do it enough, one day(Probably multiple times) something bad is going to happen!

Whether you are prepared or not can be the difference in living or not.

No amount of fish is worth dying over! We go to Rayburn or Toledo mulitple times a year and if it's really rough we just trailer our boats and drive to where we want to fish. It's a pain, but not worth taking a chance IMO..

Basin guys that run WOT in some of these smaller canals are just asking to be on the bank with any little issue

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For a given wind speed shallow lakes like Pontchartrain and Maurepas get much bigger swells than deeper lakes.

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I've grown up in this area and have spent a lot of time in this part of the lake boating. I used to windsurf form the Mandeville harbor regularly in high school and during breaks from LSU and used to pray for storm fronts. It was the most fun times to get out on the water. I've also done a lot of windsurfing along the gulf coast and once in St. Johns. From my experience in the lake the waves are not necessarily bigger, they are the same size (up to a point depending on depth of water) with shorter periods than what you would have in more open water like the Gulf or oceans. So you are getting pounded more frequently. And yes, the waves can kick up very quickly when a storm moves in.

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Got any reasonable suggestions?

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I do not fish offshore or go across large bays/lakes but if I am running I am tethered to kill switch of the boat and have my iphone ON me in a waterproof lanyard pouch.

And honestly, even though I fish very shallow and rarely run in 3 ft plus water, that's probably not sufficient in the worst case scenario which would be going overboard unconscious.