WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET! http://cjonline.com/sports/2011-02-26/crappie-angler-escapes-frozen-waters By Marc Murrell SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL Kansas outdoorsmen and women don't usually let winter get the best of them. They're still outside enjoying their favorite pursuits, hunting and fishing. Now that Mother Nature has loosened her icy grip, area anglers will be running their boats around reservoirs in search of their favorite game fish. Safety is always a concern and most trips go off without a hitch. However, if you don't think a bad, potentially deadly, accident can happen to you, better think again. A crappie angler's near death experience should serve as a friendly reminder to anyone fishing in wintry waters. "I fish in the winter probably one to two times a week," said 36-year-old Brandon Pope. "I love to fish for crappie." Pope, a biology teacher, was on an outing the day after New Year's on one of his favorite lakes near his home in Arlington, Texas. He wasn't fishing, however. "I had been collecting Christmas trees from the neighborhood for the past week and when I had accumulated enough I headed out to the lake to place them for the upcoming year," Pope said. "I finished up and was headed back to the ramp at about 4:30 p.m. The lake was flat with no wind, and I had the engine trimmed out, and I was cruising back when it happened." Pope's back was sore from bending over and maneuvering the Christmas trees. He leaned back in the driver's seat to stretch his back and for a brief second took his hands off the steering wheel. "My boat made a very abrupt left turn and the boat spun and threw me out," Pope recalls. "I hit the water and saw the boat coming back at me and I swam out of the way, but then I knew I was in trouble." The water temperature was 48 degrees. The shoreline was maybe 200-250 yards away according to Pope. He wasn't wearing a life jacket and his heavy winter clothing quickly became waterlogged weighting him down to the point of nearly pulling him under. "I started to swim for a spot I knew that was shallow in the summer," Pope said. "After only 5 minutes I couldn't feel my body and really was having a tough time swimming." He contemplated trying to pull off his clothes but worried he'd get tangled up as he was already losing feeling in his extremities. He worried it would cost him time as well and he decided to keep trying to swim. "About a minute or two later I started to sink, so I just had to consider all the things I had, trying to make myself happier about it because I didn't want to die scared," Pope said. "I started to think about my wife and my 1-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son." He worried about his daughter not getting to know her father and knew she wouldn't remember him. But his son knew him well as the two were extremely affectionate and close. He knew his son would know he loved him. "I just got ready to die and got ready to sink, and I tried to keep myself from panicking because I didn't want my last moments to be fearful," Pope said. "My feet settled to the bottom and I realized I had made it to that high spot." Pope looked around but saw nobody. "I had to keep my face up because the water was still above my mouth if I looked forward," Pope said. "I was looking straight up hoping someone would come." Pope stared at the clouds. Only minutes later his eyesight started to blur, and he knew he would soon slip from consciousness. "I really couldn't feel my arms or legs at this point," Pope said. He once again tried to prepare himself mentally for death. Just as he thought it might be over, a boat showed up. But the next 20 minutes were fuzzy for Pope, and he doesn't remember much. "I remember someone yelling at me but I don't remember what they said," Pope said. His rescuers had seen his boat going in circles from a distance. When they approached it, Pope wasn't evident and they wondered if he'd already drown. They saw his face sticking out of the water and even then thought he was dead when they pulled up to him. "They said I didn't respond and that I was white, my lips were blue and my eyes were wide open and my pupils completely dilated," Pope said. "They dialed 911 when they pulled me out." Paramedics arrived shortly at the boat ramp. Pope said they tried to get blood out of his hands but he didn't have any circulation. His core body temperature had dropped to 88 degrees. Arriving at the hospital, doctors put him in a Bair bag. It's blanket-like, designed to wrap the body and circulate warm air to gradually bring the body temperature back up. Two liters of warm I.V. fluids were administered and his body slowly warmed. "They told me I would start shivering and I shivered like I was having a seizure for probably 30 minutes to an hour," Pope said. "And then I could start remembering things at that point." Nearly three hours later his body temperature had risen to 97 degrees. His bodily functions returned to normal and his blood pressure was good and he was released from the hospital. Pope knows he's lucky to be alive. He gets to see his wife and kids again. He gets to go crappie fishing again. He offers this advice. "I know life jackets are extremely cumbersome," Pope said. "But if you spend any time on the water you ought to go ahead and spend the $100 on something like an inflatable life vest that's not cumbersome and wear it." He points to another safety issue available to every boat owner. "And hook your motor's kill switch up to your jacket," Pope said. "It doesn't take but 5 seconds and it could save your life." Pope now knows it can happen to anyone, no matter their experience or residence. He's spent thousands of days on the water fishing and recreating. He's sailed from the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean through the Panama Canal and up the Pacific Coast of California. "I've never had an accident," Pope said. "You just get too comfortable and you can never be too comfortable." Marc Murrell can be reached at mmoutdoors@cox.net. ================================================ Fishing reduces stress and gives you a break from our modern world where everything is going a million miles per hour 73 Check & Clear 6 LOC: 38-54-14.60N / 097-14-09.07W |
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