[Jim Eddie]

Condolences to the family

Another sad reminder of how dangerous our sport can be

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/anglers-warned-after-fisherman-drowns-1731034

[Iain Goolager]

Tragic Jim.

Serves to remind us just how powerful the river is.

[Ben Dixon]

Very sad.

Does anyone know anything about the condition of the river that day?  Not got long when the water is as cold as it is just now the Dee where I was fishing yesterday was about 1.5C at lunctime.


Cheers

Ben

[Jim Eddie]

Ben
Not sure about the tempetature, but the level is not high today, just 0.49m above low water level.

 

Jim

[Mike Barrio]

Very sorry to hear about this!

I think part of the problem this early in the season can also be that known gravel banks may have moved in the high water, there is always the danger of new deep holes that weren't there last year?

Best wishes
Mike

[Steven Sinclair]

If my Dad is reading this he will most definitely agree Mike!

Cheers,

Steven.

[Mark Zhang]

Very sad.

Agreed with Mike. I noticed the area I fished last year has changed a lot. Be careful when you are wading in the dirty water since you can't see the river bed.

Regards,

Mark

[Rob Brownfield]

This year I will not be wading without a wading stick!

I am also considering using an auto lifejacket, just in case.

[Eddie Sinclair]

If my Dad is reading this he will most definitely agree Mike!

Cheers,

Steven.

Steven, I am assuming you are referring to a March day several years ago on a lower Dee beat. The shingle bar that we normally waded down seemed to have shifted during winter spates and I asked you if it was still safe to wade ashore at the bottom of the bar which you confirmed that it was. However as you are about 6 inches taller than me, i got submeged in freezing water it is a good thing that the flow is very slow and that there are no rocks in that stretch but it certainly got my attention and made me realise the potential dangers of wading down even a familiar stretch for the first time in a season. I now use a wading stick at all times to gauge the depth ahead of me before i step forward and would advise others to do the same.

Eddie.

[Loxiafan]

Stay Frosty = Stay Alive...usually.

Never 'switch off' and never ever take life for granted, a lesson I learned only recently. Personally I find a wading staff as much a health hazard as a help at times so don't tend to use one on the Don, but then I am not an 'aggressive' wader and often don't wade at all when stalking brownies. If I was fishing unfamiliar water, or wading on a river like the Tay, Tummel or Spey I would have (and use) a wading staff and lifejacket for sure.

The river (or Loch) is a hostile environment and it potentially threatens life at all times. Very sad about the loss of life here and it should act as a reminder to start and finish the season safely.

Lindsay

[Ben Dixon]

Hi Lindsay,

You makea valid point there, staff should be attached on the downstream side to as to kee it from under your feet,  In some places, they can be a hinderance but there are times when I would not be without one.  I always have my pop up one with me but wll take a substantial one piece staff if going somewhere like the Spey, Tay, Tummel or basically anywhere I do not know or feel confident.  What does worry me with staffs is that some anglers stll insist on stringing them around their necks on a cord sometime even under a jacket.  I wouldn't have a staff attached to me that could not be removed very quickly and easily if I needed to.

Cheers

Ben

[Loxiafan]

Hi Ben,

Even with staff downstream it can be a pain in the ass ! I use a laynard but it is a quick release and will disengage with body weight against it. My main remit is that by not carrying a staff, or wearing a vest, I will not risk anything outwith my own limits in that situation. In most stretches of the Don, except narrow necks etc, I draw an imaginary line down the middle of the river, and fish rising on the other side of the line are the other banks ! Hook up and landing conversion for me is poor beyond the line anyway (though I will still try glory shots from time to time  ).

I am led to believe that many wading deaths are often perpetuated by the individual panicking when going in/under. How about a local (or national) scheme where we can go and deliberately submerge in full wading kit etc (after coaching) and safely attempt exiting the water under controlled conditions (boats/divers) ? Might mean a few less panickers and a life or two saved through 'experience'. Does anywhere do this ?

That said, I wouldn't want to be the person filling out the Risk Assessment for that !  

Lindsay

[Allan Liddle]

Sad news indeed. Thoughts go to family.
Keep safe guys, no-one should loose thier life doing the sport we all love, reminder how dangerous it can be.

[Euan Innes]

How about a local (or national) scheme where we can go and deliberately submerge in full wading kit etc (after coaching) and safely attempt exiting the water under controlled conditions (boats/divers) ?

Having done my offshore survival course recently (25 years on from my first one) the "dunker" might put anglers off ever going wading again. Deliberately going for a swim in full waders with a life jacket in cold water will scare the be-jesus out of most people.

I had a dunk in the Dee a few years back from a canoe and I can tell you it isn't pleasant. The cold sucks the breath from you and you become very disorientated, very quickly. Putting someone through that will more than likely just put them off fishing for good.

It would also be VERY expensive and a hard thing to organise. However, if angling clubs had talks by those in the know on the subject, like the Coastguard, then that might be a better attended event, in a friendlier more relaxed atmosphere.

Despite the fact that we spend a lot of time on and in the water most of use don't realise the danger it poses. Might be time we did something about that. Life jackets are cheap, lives aren't.

 

[Noel Kelly]

I always wear one of those snowbee wavehopper auto life vests when fishing the river. It's only a buoyancy aid but I'm hoping it will give me enough help if I ever get in trouble. At least I'm always wearing the thing and its not sitting in the boot of the car like I'm sure many of us have done with lifejacket's.

[Irvine Ross]

The cold sucks the breath from you and you become very disorientated, very quickly.

Quite right, at this time of year the cold water is the killer. The river is full of snow melt and colder than the North Sea.

I remember one canoe capsize incident where we got a healthy young lady in a half wet suit to a safe position on a shallow shingle bank while we dealt with someone else. She had had about two/three minutes immersion in the River Dee in March. When we checked on her again a couple of minutes later she still had not got the strength to stand up and walk out of the water unaided.

You have to experience it to understand the effect it can have on you. If the heating is off at Stonehaven swimming pool that might be a safe environment to try a dunk in full wading kit.

Irvine