Two Rescues

There are moments on the water when we actually did something right and other boaters were ill prepared. I vividly recall launching a rental boat at Clinton Lake, while two inebriated guys were preparing to pull off the lake. One buddy threw the truck keys to the other. Result, diving for sunken keys. There was the time I saw the Evergreen Lake staff rent a motor boat to a family and the father claimed to know how to run the motor. After zig zagging around trying to figure how to steer, he rammed the boat into the dock. Fortunately his family was waiting on the dock and was not injured.

After the elderly (e.g. older than me) gentleman helped me recover my wayward boat (Adventures in Rick's Boat), I vowed to always assist someone in need while on the water. These are two tales of this happening.

First Rescue

I was fishing alone at Lake Evergreen. I was moving to a new location and encountered two people in a stalled boat. One, obviously the father, was cussing at his partner, obviously his teenage son, about failure to put fuel in the boat. They had managed to pull start the motor and go just a distance before they ran out of fuel. They were quite a distance from the main dock had no means of reaching that distance.

I pulled up and offered to help. The dad, still cussing at his son, told him to throw a goddamned rope to me so I could pull them in. I attached their line to one of my boat rope cleats and fired up my big motor and slowly pulled them toward the main dock.

As we moved closer, the father said to unhook the rope and they would use the trolling motor to get to the dock. I threw them the rope and moved back. I was still close enough to hear the father begin cussing at his son again because the trolling motor battery was dead. They had failed to recharge it. Fortunately they were close enough to the dock to paddle the rest of the way. Dad was still cussing at his son as I fired up my motor and left the area. I wonder if the kid will ever enjoy fishing.

Second rescue

Don and I decided to fish Shabbona Lake in northern Illinois. The lake is famous for muskies and crappies. The lake has a 10 hp limit. We took my boat and headed north.

Because it was summer, the lake was quite busy. It is a very small lake and one side is quite shallow. In the shallow area there are numerous tree stumps. Many are just under the surface.

As we moved into that area we saw a family of about 6 people sitting on one of those stumps. The large group could not get off the stump.  The oldest member of the group, probably the grandfather, was revving the motor to try and push off. The 10 hp motor simply was not powerful enough to push the heavy load over the stump. The stump was under the boat so there was no place to get purchase and push.

Since my boat has a 25 hp motor, as well as a 9.9, Don and I offered to help. We had the teenage boy in the front throw us a rope. Don stayed in the back and tied the rope to a cleat. I fired up the 25 hp and Don watched the stuck  group.

With a roar of the motor we were able to pull them off. Don threw back the rope and we waved as we slowly continued to fish around the stumps. We figured they were heading in.

About twenty minutes later we started to move to another area. As we were ready to leave the stump area, we saw the same family again. They were stuck again on another stump. We pulled up, had the same kid throw Don the same rope and pulled them off again. This time they headed for the boat ramp.

We caught one crappie that day. 

Our biggest catch was the stuck family.