# Close call on the LMR :(



## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

Well this story is going to suck to write. I'll start off by saying that I did not "almost die" but I very easily "could have died" after flipping my kayak in some really nasty water this weekend. Here's what happened...

I was paddling my kayak upstream and I was hugging the outside of a really fast moving riffle when I decided to see how deep the water was by sticking the nose of my kayak out into the rapids. Bad idea. My second bad decision was not wearing my life jacket. I was actually sitting on it as a cushion and to make matters worse, I had my leg out of the kayak with my foot holding onto a rock for balance. I had my paddle in my lap and a fishing rod in my hand when I stuck the nose of the kayak out. In the blink of an eye, the raging water sucked my kayak around in a 180* spin, launching me in a back-flip over the other side. I never stood a chance. 

The next 60 seconds were pretty dicey. I never hit bottom and when I tried to stand up or push off the bottom there was nothing there. I knew big rocks were coming, though, and as I flew downstream, my feet started banging into them one by one. Every time I hit one, it would trip me and pull my head underwater again. I finally started trying to swim after getting my orientation back, and right after I caught up to my kayak, one last snag grabbed my left foot and pulled me back under. I knew I was in trouble after yanking on my foot and it didn't budge. I was lucky enough to have a good hold on my kayak though, and using that for leverage, I was able to rip my foot free, tearing a hole in my boot. I think I had snagged a fishing lure or hook under a rock that had me trapped. 

Man that sucked...

To make matters worse, my kayak had flipped and everything inside was either missing or soaked. I lost a nice rod/reel combo, a Plano case with some favorite lures, a head lamp, and a ton of other stuff, but on the bright side, I didn't die. SmittyFisher was with me and saved the day by helping me salvage my paddle, life jacket, and a lot of other stuff that I surely would have also lost. He even snagged my missing fishing rod 30 minutes later which saved me at least a hundred bucks. Thanks again Smitty for saving the day.

I've been paddling for a few years now, and have gone down class 3's as well as paddle down the Ohio River in 20 degree weather, but a freaking tiny LMR riffle almost took my life. I hope no one has to experience what happened to me this weekend. Please wear your life vests out there and make smart decisions. Life's too short...

-House

PS: Here's the only picture from the trip that survived:


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## Murky&deep (Aug 28, 2013)

Another of life's adventures that shatters complacency and adjusts focus. Glad that you are still among us. Now get out there and catch something big.


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## trailbreaker (Oct 11, 2008)

house your nick name should be dare devil


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## deltaoscar (Apr 4, 2009)

Scary stuff. I'm glad we got to hear about it from you.


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

Good PSA - wear the vest!

Glad you are OK.


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## Smittyfisher (Dec 11, 2012)

A brush with death makes that next fish on the line a little more special. Always a fun adventure hanging with you house.


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## kingofamberley (Jul 11, 2012)

Good to hear you will still be out there catching all my hybrids


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## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

glad to hear youre ok.. i went down once in the scioto while wading all alone.. scary enough i havent gone again alone and got in that same area of the water. be careful out there everyone this waters going to start getting chilly.


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## MIKE*A (Apr 12, 2009)

Glad your ok man!

Mike


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## GMR_Guy (Apr 10, 2004)

Thanks for sharing your story. I fish out of my kayak and I always wear my life jacket. 

I had the brother of a friend drown in water that was less than neck deep. Nobody knows why he drowned.

Many years ago, a man and his son went on a fishing trip to a lake in Minnesota. (One of them worked at my large employer, but I did not know him). They found both of them dead in calm lake waters. The livewell contained some nice fish. Again, the exact circumstances are unknown, but the father had a heart attack and probably fell into the water. It is guessed that the son died trying to save him.

Please wear your life jacket.


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## Matulemj (May 29, 2012)

Ready to buy a dry suit for our stupid crazy kayak trips in weather colder then 20*F this winter? I am!


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## RJohnson442 (May 14, 2013)

Rule No1 never try and put your feet down after capsizing in a river or current. Always no matter what swim for your life! Glad you made it out alive and bet you'll never make that mistake again. At least your butt was safe with the vest


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## co-angler (Jan 3, 2010)

The most valuable words ever said to me when we went Whitewater rafting... 

Apply, re-apply

In the water? Get on your back and looking at your feet

Breathe when your head is above water.
-------------------------
You are really not at all lucky are you?
Note to self:
When fishing with House, do the exact opposite so's to live!


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

I had heard that youd flipped but I didnt hear any other details, Im glad youre ok.
Sheesh House, need to watch it out there.



Matulemj said:


> Ready to buy a dry suit for our stupid crazy kayak trips in weather colder then 20*F this winter? I am!


I found this on http://www.canoeingthenew.com, Id read it somewhere else first but this is what I mentioned @ OSGs swap meet.



> Follow the Golden Rule of air and water temperature. If the combined air and water temperature is below 100 a wet suit is a must, and if the two are below 120 degrees a wet or dry suit is recommended. Wet suit booties under oversized tennis shoes can be handy whatever the temp.


Kayaking when the AIR temp is 20º F, thatd put the combined temperature a little above 52º F I dont know, might want to wear two dry suits


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

Man thats crazy. It sounds like one of those moments where you look back and think to yourself, what the heck was I thinking? Glad you made it out ok.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## Bazzin05 (Feb 2, 2011)

Glad to hear you are okay. I've been using an auto inflating life jacket for the cold months in the boat. You don't even realize you have it on.


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## Nubes (Dec 3, 2012)

crazy...good thing your ok!


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

It is crazy how fast things can go from good to really bad on the water. I had a similar experience early in the spring wading a section of the lmr that I have waded many times. But I got arrogant and ended up under water and going downstream in heavy current. That experience definitely put me in my place and made me much more careful. It's pretty scary to think of a cop having to show up at your front door to tell your family they found you dead in the river. Glad to see your ok.


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## Just Fishin' (Nov 27, 2012)

I dislike wearing a life jacket while kayaking, but stories like this remind me why I should. Things can happen in the blink of an eye.

Glad you're ok!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

montagc said:


> *Pucker factor 10*.


-You captured my story perfectly in those 3 words, lol!

Thanks to everyone for the kind wishes and support. I got back out on the water this week and it was a bit nerve wracking going through even the tiniest of riffles. I'm definitely going to get a wet suit before I go out on the Ohio again, that or get one of Mike's fuzzy hats. That should keep me afloat. 

I forgot one other horrible detail: When I got to shore, my fishfinder started making horrible noises so I unplugged it. I noticed water pouring out of it and when I looked at the side of the unit, the rubber seal was defective and the thing had filled completely with water! I had just got the darn thing and now it's toast. Check out this picture and see if you can make any sense of how the heck this happened? I think it may have been defective since I got it and I didn't notice, or perhaps the plastic behind the leak was weak and caved in with the water pressure. I only had the unit out on the water 3 times. When it was mounted on my kayak, there wasn't anything that could have hit it in such a spot to knock the rubber seal in. Is there any way the water pressure from the rapids could have imploded it? That's the only way I think it could have happened. I have to send it in for repair, so maybe they'll be able to find out when they open it up. There aren't any scratches where it happened, so I really don't think it got pushed in by anything other than the water. 
Any ideas?


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## E_Lin (Jun 30, 2011)

As intelligent as we are, and as creative humans can be to find ways to entertain ourselves and stay safe while doing so, nature can and does still show us sometimes who is really in charge. How easy it is for any of us to forget that.

I'm glad to see you are OK House.


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## backlashed (Mar 19, 2011)

I'm really glad it turned out OK.

Your second paragraph sound like it could have started with 'hold my beer'.


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## hogtrman (May 13, 2012)

Glad your able to tell your story. I was fighting a pike in my canoe at the boundary waters in Canada. I was in the water before I knew it. It happened so fast and I didn't know which way was up. I had on my life vest, so I calmed down and let the vest take me to the surface. I always wear one now.


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## backlashed (Mar 19, 2011)

Saw this on the CBSNews last night House.


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## LittleMiamiJeff (Oct 1, 2005)

Glad you had a safe ending, better to live to tell the story than be the story. 
I fell in last Memorial Day, got in yak and just kept going over. No jacket, EVERYTHING on the bottom of very slow moving COLD trout water. Got everything back but my pride....... 
LMJ


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

House, try these out next time . . I think they could save your life plus with you being super into fashion and all they look great on you.


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## fishingful (Apr 5, 2004)

What you experienced was a foot entrapment. That very easily could have taken your life even with a life jacket on. Moving water is a whole different thing than a normal lake. I wear my life jacket at all times in a kayak. I have a really comphy astral jacket (the one I am wearing I'm my avatar). Its expensive but I have decided to buy top quality safety equipment because my life is worth the price. 

If your in moving water the "nose and toes" rule applies. Nose and toes to the sky and pointed down river. That way you can use your feet to deflect off rocks until you can get in slack water and swim river right or left. Priorities in a capsize are person first.....then boat paddle and gear. Don't ever try to stand up or you may have a foot entrapment and the current will pull your body under and down river.

And that's my american canoe association instructor speech of the week.

Lol

Glad it worked out and you made it home.


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

SMBHooker said:


> House, try these out next time . . I think they could save your life plus with you being super into fashion and all they look great on you.


You will not be getting a Christmas card this year, SMB...


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

House..glad youre still with us and able to post your story...be careful out there man..we enjoy reading your posts!


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