Corpusfishing.com

[Ol Sanch]

I wanted to see if some of you share your most dangerous situations in a boat. Bad weather, mechanical failure, physical incapacitation, ran out of beer, etc. I've been in some crappy situations but I've never really considered myself in danger. But some of you have spent a lifetime on the water and I think it would be interesting and possibly educational to hear your tale.

Ol Sanch
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Do you even fish, Bro?

[SaltyCuda]

Where to start!

Over the past 35 years here in our little wonderland.

Motor Failure = yes
Idiot encounter at Shamrock = yes
60 MPH Jet Ski aiming at my boat while my wife was aboard = yes
Storm rolled in while in Baffin = yes
Drunk aboard = yes
Dumped the same guy overboard (twice in the same day) = yes
Forgot the bilge plug = yes

[ironmanstan]

On a shrimp boat, nets out and hung up on the bottom, winch breaks, and we are watching a norther coming in, the leading edge has the sky black, then the enging dies. That means for the next 2 hours the stern is pointed into the wind not the bow. It was scary bad. Got the engine started and made a keyway for the winch out of a screwdriver. Still here to tell the story.
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I LIKE MINE FRIED.

[Prof. Salt]

We had an interesting trip one summer leaving Port Aransas. We were heading offshore to fish around Big Southern, and about 18 miles out we noticed that the boat was not able to maintain the normal speed. The diesels were running fine, but something wasn't right. When the bossman kicked the engines out of gear, the boat squatted down very low in the water. A peek beneath the floorboards brought panic and a realization that we had a LOT of water in the hull. The motors died before we could get going to try and get the boat higher in the water so we could bail it out. The bilge pumps worked, but couldn't keep up with the water flowing in. CG was called, and the mechanic on board donned a mask and went below deck to look for the hole.

Picture this surreal scene for a second: Beautiful summer morning, smooth seas, deep blue water, a sinking boat, and my friend in a mask bobbing in and out of the open hatch in the floor of the boat while the rest of us try to remain calm and organize a method to bail a lot of water quickly. Almost everything was perfect, just that water in the boat problem. It was difficult not to soil one's drawers.

The mechanic couldn't locate the leak in the darkness and tight quarters, so we frantically used 5-gallon buckets to assist the bilge pump. CG arrived with a heli and pump, but by the time they lowered it aboard, the hole had been located and plugged enough that the bilges were getting the water out. One diesel started after some tinkering and drying out of components, and we limped back in to the dock. On drydocking, they found that a coil of rope that was stored under the deck had broken loose and worked its way back to the stuffing box (seal where the prop shaft goes through the hull). The rope got wrapped around the shaft and totally destroyed the stuffing box (water seal) and it left a gaping hole for seawater to flood in.

The entire crew was scared and knew what was at stake, and all aboard new what had to be done to save the craft. Having a crew with experience and calm thinking (and enough muscle to bail half the gulf out of the boat) made the difference that day. It scared me so bad I didn't want to fish in the gulf for six days! (Was back out there in a different boat the next Saturday).

It's amazing what we'll go through for those big pelagics and their ability to make the reel scream for mercy!

[Central Scrutinizer]

Got caught in a really nasty spring storm that rolled though Aransas Bay. Rain came down in horizontal sheets, then the roar started! A waterspout passed within 25 yards of the stern. Luckily, we were in a fairly substantial Jefferson hull style shrimp-boat (25+ foot), and came through unscathed.

But at the time, I was not so sure.....

[tbugosh]

Beautiful mid-summer day out of P.A.... Three of us a few miles out in my 23' Bay Boat and see a storm developing to our south. Knowing that we need to head back in but push to the limit before turning back to the dock. Getting really wind chopped and the closer we get to the jetties the bigger the waves are becoming. By the time we reach the jetties we are 'surfing' a huge wave and cannot seem to back off the top. Right between the jetties the wave colapes and we take a nose dive swamping the boat and filling her with the sea. Needless to say, anything not strapped down was floating away and water was up to the couling of my outboard. She kept on running but the bilge discharge was under water so we were using a bucket as a bilge. We made it back to the docks but for about 20 minutes, I wasn't so sure as with all the water weight in the back of the boat I was sure we were gonna have to swim onto the rocks.

[Finsonpins]

Back when I was a kid my buddy and I were out in his little flatbottom and went through an area where we got stuck. I pulled from the front and he pushed from the back until we got to deeper water. At that point I hopped on the front of the boat and my buddy went to start the motor. Unfortunately the boat was in gear and when he pull started it the boat took off launching him off the back. Still sitting on the front I remember thinking he had been chopped up by the prop before realizing that I was cruising down the river with no one tending the motor. As I turned around I see land and turtle up on the front as the boat launched out of water onto land. Seemed like I was in the air forever, but I managed to land back in the boat. Took us a little while to push the boat back in the water, but afterwards we got a good laugh out of it and had a great day of fishing.

[FINS]

taking on more water than the pumps pumping out also about 18 miles out. Water was pouring out of the block somehow. finally the water stopped but the engine blew. luckily a boat came by however they were running on fumes and marked us on their GPS and called the coast guard when they got signal. We ended up drifting until we got signal and were able to get towed back in by seatow

[Chef Lefty]

Southern end of Baffin Bay in the ICW. 17 ft. boat with my 10 year old daughter. Motor problem and could not get the boat on top of the water, but was able to keep the bow up. Blue northern ahead of schedule hit with furry. By the time we got to safety on the north side, there was four foot swells. I think I was more scared than my little one.
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[Tyler]

Extreme Edge Kayaking tournament in Rockport. Severe storm rolls in accompanied by a cold front. 50 mph sustained winds, 60 degree temp and heavy rain. Fishing with David Sikes in kayaks. He turtles over, I shortly thereafter and then I barely could wade back to the island across from Palm Harbor. Sikes made it back. Then after a couple hours a TPW warden came and picked up a bunch of us in his Mowdy. As we made the turn and slowed down into the harbor the wake pitched three of us in the water with waders on. Not fun.

Then the Guides cup fishing with Kevin Shaw, Skipper and Art Morris, we went through a thunderstorm 70 mph winds reported in town, 2 foot seas in Nighthawk LOL. Later we found there were two waterspouts near us. Not too bad but kinda wild!
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[MASTERWADER]

I once hopped out of the boat to take a poo, expecting to land on soft sand, but was greeted with a foot splitting oyster reef.

Bad storm in Baffin produced a waterspout that cruised right by our boat. The cool thing was although it was storming, we were anchored and slaying some fat trout in the pouring rain, wind, and a present waterspout. I guess fish are more important that safety when you are catching every cast.

[lil-red-hunter14]

With a much anticipated trip offshore in Louisiana, we got on the water by 5 a.m. With an 85 mile run to our first spot, we began to fish with few signs of life. When the time came to go to another spot, the motor wouldn't even crank. We finally got it to start about 30 minutes later and then had to idle the boat allllll the way back in. ALL 85 MILES BACK IN IDLE WITH 3-6 ROLLERS... And the only fish caught was one sheepie shot by my cousin and a bermuda chub shot by me with the spear gun. I still had fun though.

[Oil Field Trash II]

we were on a three day trip down to the cabin in the landcut, and ran out of beer on the first night.

I don't even want to think about it anymore.

[Tyler]

[SaltyCuda]

I think we should give the award to OFT II.

I can't even imagine running out of Beer!