Swimming in Bulls Bay

Saltwater Shrimping
1

I’ve been shrimping for as long as I can remember. I’ve taken so many newbies shrimping that my family knew I would go swimming sooner or later. Well after about 20 years of shrimping and countless newbie drivers one finally put me in the drink today. It really was funny. I went today with my wife and 2 granddaughters. The granddaughters are to young to try and drive my john boat. Knowing that my wife was definitely a newbie I decided to 1 pole so there would be very little driving. We got set up and had been shrimping for about an hour when one of the front anchors started moving. I asked my wife to start the motor and move us back to the pole and I would reset the 2nd front anchor. She really doesn’t like driving the john boat.I guess she thought I could set it better if I was in the water. I’m not sure what her plan was but in I went. When I came up the wife was crying, one granddaughter was looking very worried, and the other granddaughter was belly laughing. My wife thought she had literally killed me right in front of the granddaughters. I was fine but I am 60 and don’t have a ladder on the john boat so getting back in was another story in itself. I finally got back in and everything was good. My wife had regained her composure a little and looks right at the 2 granddaughters and says" I wonder what the Russian judge would have given that move? I do love a woman with a sense of humor!
Mr Hardware

2

glad all is well. been goin and throwin between 2001 and 2009 and never fell in but came close maybe twice. my brother got a jon boat and i told him get a ladder and he got a collapsible one. i can’t swim but i have used my life jacket while foatin to take a net out of a prop. had to use another boat that had a platform on back to get in their boat. i wear my jacket 24/7 while shrimpin.

3

I have also gone swimming. While trying to stick poles on a hard botom in St Helena Sound a few years ago the pole broke through the hard layer on top and over I went. I couple weeks later I saw guy fall out of the boat and the lady with him almost never got the boat back to him. He was standing in waist deep water waving his hands over his head and shouting instructions to the lady boat driver. She either had very poor boating skills or she wanted to teach him a lesson. It was dead low tide with no current so he was in no danger. Very entertaining.

Rob
Triumph 17
Honda 75

4

Funny stories because they have happy endings.

SLIGHT RANT ON
But falling out of a powered boat is no joke. A good friend has suffered a lifetime of epilepsy after having his head split by a prop. Train your family members the basics of boat driving. Safety at all times. Etc.

Silverinlet…you can’t swim!!! I couldn’t swim until I was 10. Learned in about 30 seconds from a kid who was a good teacher. Take a Red Cross course and conquer that dragon. It’s easy in salt water, cause you float better!
~~ SLIGHT RANT OFF ~~

Tidewater 196DC
Yamaha F115

Pungo 120
5
quote:
Originally posted by JimIslander It's easy in salt water, cause you float better!

Tidewater 196DC
Yamaha F115

Pungo 120
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That is why I carry a lot of natural flotation on me at all times. When I fall out, I pop back up like a cork. Good ol' fried foods.

Hydra-Sports 22 Bay Sport
225 Rude
6

im 39 now i hear its all mental. yes conguer that dragon would be good.

7
quote:
Originally posted by silverinlet

im 39 now i hear its all mental. yes conguer that dragon would be good.

It’s probably 95% technique unless you are afraid of water. And it’s pretty simple technique to start with, to get you to the point where you can keep your head out of water, breath, and move a bit. A short course will kill that beast. :smiley:

Tidewater 196DC
Yamaha F115

Pungo 120
8

Glad to hear that all is well. This has made me make putting a ladder on my boat a priority.

“I fish therefore I lie”

2006 Mckee Craft 185 Bay Classic 150 Yamaha

9

I couple weeks later I saw guy fall out of the boat and the lady with him almost never got the boat back to him. He was standing in waist deep water waving his hands over his head and shouting instructions to the lady boat driver. She either had very poor boating skills or she wanted to teach him a lesson. It was dead low tide with no current so he was in no danger. Very entertaining

haha, that is funny, i woulda loved to see that

19’ cc Mako
150 yammy
Bottomz up

10

glad it all worked out, +1 on adding the ladder

11

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I’ll pass on my baptism experience in case you haven’t learned my lesson yet. I was shrimping from an aluminum John boat and we were about to quit, the wind and waves were annoying. I was standing with my back to one gunnell and my heels against it. the boat pitched while I was stooped over and I lost my ballance and flipped over backwards head first into the drink. I felt so helpless and embarrased. It scared my partner and it made me laugh. I later figured out the mechanics of this event that I guard against from then on. What caused the dunking was that when I lost my balance, I couldn’t step back to steady myself and I couldn’t grab anything in front of me. My lesson is-- never stand with your two heels against the gunnel.

Is this fun or what?

12

Shrimper since the 70’s and it is always funny as hang when you here that big ca…splash…yow. I watched partners fall in almost drowning from laughter including myself a time or two. I learned to swim the old fashioned way… thrown in by my dad… dog paddle babi. Chuckling just writing this what memories.

See ya on the water/19’ Neptune/115 Johnson.

13

My son went swimming last weekend in Bulls Bay too. Leaned way over and threw a leg out to keep his balance. I watched it in slow motion. Laughed about it for a long time that day. Just glad the water wasn’t colder. But we had planned for it and he had dry clothes and a towel in a bag in the console. Lol.

19’ Sea-Pro CC
“Swagger Wagon”
Yamaha 115 - 2 stroke
14’ CMF Skiff
25 Johnson - 2 stroke
14’ Heritage Redfish

“There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”
Ernest Hemingway

14

everyone gets their turn one time or another and long as they come up safe its funny every time. my turn in charleston was getting baptized in goose creek reservoir right after pointing out several large alligators to my friend, however watching people fall in a 50 degree maumee river during the spring walleye run taking out 2 or 3 more people like bowling pins along the way is one of my favorites!