Do you wear a life jacket while fishing

[Greencoachdog]

I never fish alone but if I was older, fished alone on a boat and near dams. I too would wear a pfd all the time.

 

 

Older?... what the heck do you mean by older???

 

 

Is that some kind of crack?... you little whipper snapper!!!

[Twocoda]

i only wear mine in the spring derbys....full floater suit ....this way they will find my dead frozen carcass adirft with the fishes....when i was a kid i used to be a life gaurd so im quite familiar with water survival...but if the water is too cold there is nothing i can do about hypothermia ...i walways wear my neprene floater when seadooing or water skiing though ...

[kickingfrog]

Now life jackets? The government is always getting in my way of fun.

 

Seat belts

stopping for school buses

motorcycle helmets

speed limits

crumple zones in cars

asbestos in our buildings

traffic laws

criminal code

building codes

 

I am tired of it. Why don't they just go back to something they're good at... wasting our tax dollars?

[John Bacon]

They should definitely not be mandatory. At least not for adults.

 

If it is a nice hot sunny day I don't want to be wearing a life jacket all day. I think I can make that decision for myself.

[Rattletrap2]

I wear mine whenever the boat is moving under power or if wind/water conditions warrant it. I do take it off when I am fishing though. These same rules go for whoever is in the boat with me.

[Jonny]

Mandatory? Definitely not!

 

I can judge the conditions for me and my passengers by myself, thank you very much.

 

I only wear mine when under power at high speed (not trolling), or in rough conditions. Kids in my boat always have to wear them.

[Sinker]

I wear mine when I"m alone.....usually. In the fall duck hunting I wear a full floater suit, as well as in the spring........but that's mainly because its cold out, and I like to be warm.

 

My kids wear thiers all the time, and if they're in the boat, I wear mine........usually.

 

Its all about common sense. My grandfather spent 60 years on the north atlantic. Couldn't swim to save his life, and has never had a PFD on. He's still alive and well for some reason?

 

You can't legislate common sense. Stuff happens, life goes on. Stupid people do stupid things. Its a shame sometimes, but, people get whats coming to them.

 

S.

[Lunatic]

I'm from a city i'm sorry that all my kind are rude "cocky" people

 

didnt say all were "rude and cocky"

i said the urban families who go out and become cocky. not all who buy a boat or whatever are cocky.

 

but hey if you get cocky,see ya on the news

[Lunatic]

I was young once.

most people listen to tunes, we listened to music untill the cut off time as well, it just wasnt crazy loud dance beats like it was a rave.

 

i just gotta start camping up further away from anything toronto.

[Jonny]

With a handle like "Sinker" maybe you should wear one all the time!

[Sinker]

With a handle like "Sinker" maybe you should wear one all the time!

 

Ha.......haven't sunk yet!!

[TC1OZ]

How am I supposed to keep my figure for the ladies with that life jacket on?

[Fish4Eyes]

They should make it mandatory that people who boat need to know how to swim. The only exception being seniors or disabled and they should be forced to wear a life jacket at all times. It is beyond me how somebody does not know how to swim

[Garnet]

I were a hydrostadic inflatable when fishing alone. Very comfortable.

 

Garnet

[Fisherman]

They should make it mandatory that people who boat need to know how to swim.

Good logic, I suppose all that board airplanes must take mandatory flying lessons, just in case

[Headhunter]

Manditory wearing of PFD's will amount to nothing more than yet another government tax grab.

I can see it now, your trolling around on Quinte in the fall and get "pulled over" for the 3rd time that day, because the OPP spotted someone on the boat that didn't have their PFD on. Now, this will happen, shortly after the first and 2nd pullover; checking licenses and then checking saftey equipment.

And don't try and tell me that law enforcement isn't above hiding in the weeds, waiting for you to take your PFD off and nailing you for a $100.00 plus fine.

This is typical knee jerk reaction to some rather unfortunate incidents that have taken place this summer... but really, is this much different than any other summer?

If you HAVE to legislate, why not make it a requirement that anyone under the age of 16 must wear a PFD when on a vessle? At 16, many can't even spell common sense! That would appease, for the time being, those calling for legislation... until next summer when the whole thing is regretfully, repeated.

Less government, more common sense is the answer if you ask me... and those without common sense, well they'll either get it or pay the price for having not taken an interest in their surroundings. It aint all a bowl of cherries, now is it!

HH

[POLLIWOGG]

I think your going to see it for canoes for sure and smaller craft with a cut of point at bigger boats just guessing around 20' or 24'.

[Radnine]

I bought an auto-inflatable at the boat show in the winter ($160 for a mustang auto = sweet deal) and wear it all of the time now. It has become as natural as putting on a hat (can't fish without a hat).

The gov't perhaps should not mandate it, but if I owned an insurance company I might think about adding a stipulation about it. I would have to think that most drowning deaths could have been avoided with a PFD.

Jim

[friarfish]

I'm sure the same argument was made about seatbelts before they were made mandatory. Now I wear mine without thinking about it - No big deal.

 

I wonder how many people would even carry a lifejacket in the boat if it wasn't law?

 

Accidents happen and they don't happen the way you'd expect them to. If you fall out of the boat and knock your head on something, you're toast. A life jacket might improve your odds of surviving - I say make it mandatory.

[Jonny]

They should make it mandatory that people who boat need to know how to swim.

 

Did you mean to say, "They should make it mandatory that people who boat need to know how to swim, or else must wear a lifejacket" ?

 

What about children?

 

Even so, I think you would want to re-think that. How would you ever enforce it?

 

It would be just one more useless, intrusive piece of regulation, IMO.

 

I can just imagine an enforcement officer stopping a boat... "OK, you, you and you with no lifejacket on... jump in and I'll see if you can tread water."

[Flappn]

I never wear my life jacket and I do not want anyone telling me I have to...I have had enough of the Government ruling my life.

 

My daughter wears her life jacket every time she is in the boat under power or not. It's all about double standards, my dad did it to me

he never wore one and I always had to. My daughter is in swimming lessons and can swim better than most her age. Any person who

decides to venture on the water should know how to swim. Accidents happen wear swimming won't help but car accidents happen as well...that's

why we call it an accident.

 

Accidents happen, people have to stop and think. Is it wise not to wear my life jacket maybe..but it's my choice. I get Claustrophobic

and do not like to be in tight spots or wear tight fitting items. I have the same issue with seat belts in my vehicle.

[Jonny]

Accidents happen and they don't happen the way you'd expect them to. If you fall out of the boat and knock your head on something, you're toast. A life jacket might improve your odds of surviving - I say make it mandatory.

 

While we're at it, why don't we make it mandatory that swimmers (whether on supervised beaches or elsewhere) have to wear lifejackets? I think more people drown while swimming than boating.

[Bob]

Sure let's legislate it. In the same bill we should outlaw sky-diving because no one with a lick of sense would jump out of a perfectly good airplane for sport. Let's also legislate the wearing of leathers for all motorcyclists regardless of temperature, to save them from roadrash if they're dumb enough to drop it. While we're at it let's restrict all boats to 30 mph, it's a fairly safe speed and you could still water ski. Hang-gliding? Mountain climbing?

 

Sorry, I'm with TJ on this one. Too much legislation already.

[Jonny]

And let's legislate that all outboard motors have to have a kill switch. At one stroke we could "outlaw" countless thousands of outboards.

[craigdritchie]

Like many others who have already replied, I wear one some of the time - it depends on the boat and the season. In a small boat or a canoe, it's always on. In a bass boat, I wear it when underway, and usually slip it off to fish. On a big-water boat trolling for salmon, I generally don't wear one at all. Regardless of the boat, I always wear a survival suit early and late in the season.

 

Common sense, really.

 

The inflatable models are really comfortable, and totally worth the additional cost.

Edited August 11, 2009 by Craig_Ritchie