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troutbert
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What happened?
DomR
Active member
I took a header coming down a 3 foot bank, fell face 1st between two rocks, either of which could have knocked me out from the fall and I'd have drown in 4 inches of stream. As it was I broke 2 ribs landing on a 3 rock. Damn bank gave out on me.
6xAdams(Jones)
Well-known member
Yikes! I've only barked my shins but always thought "what if" about smacking my head on something. Lately, I can't even don or doff waders without falling over.
DomR
Active member
I have to admit that one scared me especially cause I was alone. It just happened fast and out of nowhere, I was walking across a meadow to the stream and all h#ll broke loose when I went to step down. Lack of concentration is all it takes.
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troutbert
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I've had some falls also, including a "face plant" last year. I'm still not quite sure what happened there. I was walking along, casual as could be, then BOOM, face first onto the rocks.
One of the scariest events for me was scrambling down a steep hillslope, in way too much of a hurry to get down to the stream, then hooking my ankle on a tree root, and going totally airborne, but somehow managed to land on my butt, then bounced along the rest of the way down the slope. Luckily I didn't rotate forward and go down that slope head first.
Yeah, be careful out there. There's an old saying: "Drink plenty of water and walk slowly."
It's pretty good advice.
salmo
Well-known member
These stories remind me of the guy who slipped heading down to Slate Run. Apparently he slid over a high rock to fall on the slate stream side. He laid there overnight with a broken thigh. When the found him he had begun to gather snails for food in case it took a while to find him. I might not have all of the facts correct as it was a long time ago and I heard the story from Tom Finkbiner. I'm lucky so far. I've fallen a few times on the stream but nothing damaged except for my pride and some wet skivvies. When I was out with Silent Ocelot I fell a bunch on a tiny stream.
tomgamber
Well-known member
I find bank mud scarier than bottom gravel or rocks.
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falcon
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Mud bank with wet leaves and felt soles ..... whoopie!
TimMurphy
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Dear Tom,
We are coming into that season too. A couple more turd floating rains and the sides of banks will be packed with silty mud. Three warm sunny days will make the bank look dry and stable too, but there is plenty of goo under that crust. It's pretty common on the Susquehanna around here. Lucky for me, no face plants, but there have been many butt plants.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
5footfenwick
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Might not be a popular technique, but I think it’s good practice to force yourself to get into some ice cold water several times a year. Getting used to that feeling and building up a small tolerance will completely eliminate the gasp from entering cold water. It also eliminates the panic. Same thing with flipping your canoe on purpose once a year. Practicing these survival situations goes a long way when things actually go wrong. You are much less likely to panic and have a much more clear and level headed thought process if you are facing adversity you have experienced and practiced and mentally prepared for.
tomgamber
Well-known member
Tim, as a professional klutz, my fear is more watching my feet instantaneously shoot above my head than having them sink into oblivion. The upside is the superstition that I have had, historically, some of my best fishing days following a comical tumble.Dear Tom,
We are coming into that season too. A couple more turd floating rains and the sides of banks will be packed with silty mud. Three warm sunny days will make the bank look dry and stable too, but there is plenty of goo under that crust. It's pretty common on the Susquehanna around here. Lucky for me, no face plants, but there have been many butt plants.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
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Nocktavius
Well-known member
Yes, this! And do it with waders on too !
So many on here act like falling in a river is a damn death sentence. If I were that poor of a swimmer I’d steer fully clear of fly fishing as a hobby. Good fishing requires aggressive wading, and aggressive wading requires not being afraid to fall in once in awhile (or in my case, a lot!). I just accept it as part of a day out.
The human body is remarkably buoyant and we’re not talking runoff season on the Madison here.
Swattie87
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I've had worse slips & falls fishing than I should have had because my instinct was to protect my fly rod from breaking instead of using my hand to break my fall. Strange survival instinct fail
From a pro at falling…Step 1…Toss the rod away from you as soon as you start to go down. Frees up your hand to brace your fall, and there’s a much less likely chance the rod breaks when you toss it away from you, than if you fall on it. And IMO reels look much cooler once they’re scuffed up a bit anyway. Added bonus to tossing.
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Mike
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I do that with rods too…much less chance of breaking the rod.
When I had the chance that’s often what I did with live electrodes too😉, except that when I was in a steep sided, narrow hollow on Laurel Rn between Phillipsburg and Port Matilda back in 1979 I took a fall that didn’t work out as planned.. I threw the electrode to my left, but it rolled right back down the embankment onto my left wrist. My arm tingled for an hour or so, but I was lucky as it could have been worse.
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Bamboozle
Well-known member
I've had worse slips & falls fishing than I should have had because my instinct was to protect my fly rod from breaking instead of using my hand to break my fall. Strange survival instinct fail
Been there, done that and still do because I have health insurance for me but not my rods...
However many moons ago I was convinced by a fishing buddy to carry a wading staff EVERYWHERE because it's probably easier to trip in a trickle because of overconfidence.
I also don't/won't wade deep or do other stupid stuff where the water CAN go over my head because in my world no fish, pool or pocket is worth the risk.
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Mike
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Funny that you say that…the electrode incident happened in less than a foot of water and my arm was in about 3” of water. The vast majority of my worst falling incidents when working, meaning when I got the most wet, occurred when wading downstream. Easier to trip over an underwater shin high rock that you don’t or can’t see; you tend to walk faster downstream; and if deep enough the current is giving you a bit of a push…enough to make it a bit more difficult to regain your balance from a forward trip or slip.
DomR
Active member
The aforementioned incident convinced me to always have my staff handy as well. And I've found it most useful descending banks getting to the stream in addition to its stated purpose of wading staff. So much so that I quoted the biblical verse "thy rod and thy staff bring me comfort" to my wife, told her I'd be catchy on my headstone.
6xAdams(Jones)
Well-known member
Etch "Psalm 23" onto the handle.The aforementioned incident convinced me to always have my staff handy as well. And I've found it most useful descending banks getting to the stream in addition to its stated purpose of wading staff. So much so that I quoted the biblical verse "thy rod and thy staff bring me comfort" to my wife, told her I'd be catchy on my headstone.
Bamboozle
Well-known member
I remember all too well falling and sliding on my a$$ on frozen mud as I approached Hickory Run one winter and another incident when I saw a guy literally vanish as he slipped down a wet grassy bank at a local stream.
Nobody was hurt in either situation but when I'm headed down to either stream my staff is IN USE.
