re: 3 missing boaters on Pickwick Lake

quote:

---

Also, if all 3 had life jackets is it not possible one may have survived? Its not that far of a fall I mean if they went over the spillway?

---

It's not the fall, but cold would do it real fast. That water is freakin dangerous as hell right there too. Even with life jackets, I don't think you are coming out of it for awhile. With life jackets though, I would think they would of found them by now.

Here's a shot of Chickamauga just a few minutes ago, pic really doesn't do it justice just how violent that water is right there.

Looks like they have switched to a recovery mission now.

In laws told me that there were a bunch of fishermen out with their boats today searching for their bodies.

Yeah it is close. I could see engine trouble after launch being a disaster waiting to happen.

quote:

---

A parent of one of the students called a fishing team coach on Sunday to report their teen had not come home, according to RadioNWTN.com. The three were officially reported missing around 9 p.m. Sunday, according to a state press release.

---

From the article. That’s frustrating it took so long. Can’t believe the parent waited so long to report. If the went over the damn and survived search and rescue had almost no shot to find them alive in the water due to the time frame.

quote:

---

Its been verified already that the boat was occupied when it went through the open spillway

---

This is my personal nightmare.


I fish two lakes that have open spillways: Demopolis and Yates. There is always some idiot that drives over the dam at Demopolis. At Yates, they have a chain that crosses the lake before the dam.

I was on Yates one day and spun a hub. Fortunately, I had enough trolling motor to make it back to the launch. It wasn't until I got back that I remembered the open spillway. I could have easily grabbed the chain and tied off to it, but it still puts things in perspective.

Just heard some more details on this.

So, I knew that they were having boat motor troubles but it turns out that their outboard wouldn't crank period.

They apparently were using their trolling motor and instead of staying in the huge cove and fishing (where the boat ramp is) they trolled out to the river.

When the corp is pulling that much water a trolling motor doesn't stand a chance with that current. When they got past the no wake zone it was game over. There was nothing they could do.

should have, at the very least never left the cove, and at the best called it a day with no motor.
I don't know what their experience was but never chance it on the water.

Oh, the water temp is right at 50. At that temp there was no chance to try and swim to one of the banks if they survived the fall.

If you look at the areal map, the water is up well past the wharf road below the dam. The river below is probably .5 mile wide.

Any updates?

Is it possible or likely that the bodies are trapped and held by the undertow where the water spills over the dam?

This is what I read as well, incredibly stupid. Lots of bass fishing guys talking about not placing blame and respect for families...total nonsense.

No anchor
No marine radio
No Epirb or similar device

Loads 2 kids into a boat without a functioning motor and proceeds to use trolling motor to drive right out into river just above a dam spilling water in full flood control mode. In my experience most bass boat owners are a bunch of complete idiots who think they know everything, far worse than the average idiot piloting a small saltwater boat.

Bass boat tournaments and their organizers are just as bad, everyone involved thinks a life jacket is the only piece of safety gear invented for a boat. If you don't have an anchor capable of stopping the boat from drifting or a radio that can call for help you have no business being on the water. Especially "captaining" several young kids in an organized event. Add to that the lack of judgement and they were doomed the minute the boat hit the water.

If the so-called captain were actually a real captain and survived he would be criminally charged for killing the other two on board. The level of negligence is dumbfounding.