[Editor: this article first appeared on www.ronsfishingblog and may only be used by permission of Ron Speed]

Today let’s talk about wintertime fishing, cold water, wind chill, and the safety measures required to keep you safe to fish another day. Without a doubt, wintertime fishing presents some real dangers for the fisherman. Unlike the warm months, the cold water of winter can mean a really dangerous thing if you happen to enter the water unexpectedly. This can happen very quickly from being thrown from the boat by hitting a big wave wrong, to simply losing your balance and falling overboard.

When I started guiding on Toledo Bend Lake back in the late 60’s I had to go to a guide school in Port Arthur, Texas to be certified by the US Coast Guard to obtain a professional guide license. I attended several classes over a few weeks’ time. One of the main things I learned from that school was how quickly hypothermia sets in when the water temps are cold. The colder the water the more quickly the hypothermia sets in.

Of course the real danger–and the real killer–is hypothermia and the stages you go through as your body cools down and shock begins to take over your body until you can’t move, you can’t think, and finally you can’t hold on to the boat.

Here are a few things to remember if you are going to fish here in the cold states of the USA in wintertime.

1. Don’t go fishing in cold water by yourself; always take a buddy.
2. Always assume that your boat may break down. Take some matches or a lighter, some paper, a flair of some kind, a flashlight, and in today’s world a cell phone with a fully charged battery. If you have room, take a heavy blanket and take some snacks. You must assume that you will be stranded for several hours.
3. Depending upon your particular situation you should never leave the boat. Let’s say your outboard won’t start and your troller battery is dead, and you don’t have a paddle. At this point you are in pretty serious trouble, especially if you are alone and no cell phone. Whatever you do, don’t get in the water and try to swim to safety. STAY WITH THE BOAT UNTIL SOMEONE COMES LOOKING FOR YOU.
4.If you are thrown from the boat, or just fall overboard don’t leave the boat. Go to the back of the boat and try to climb back into the boat using the fins on the outboard for a foothold to get into the boat. If you can’t get into the boat, then be very very still and don’t wave you arms around like you would swimming. This is one time exercise is your enemy, not your friend. The more you move around the quicker you will lose body heat and hypothermia will set in. Whatever distance you think you can swim in this cold water you should divide that by 1/2. In this situation you probably are dependent upon someone finding you.
5. You should always tell someone where you are going to fish and what time you will return to home or at least to the boat ramp. ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!
6. Make sure and dress for the temps and weather conditions you will encounter while fishing. You actually can dress for the worst kinds of weather and stay warm. When I was fishing tournaments in all kinds of weather on the worst days with temps below freezing and strong north winds I would stay warm. Of course I put on long johns, then I would put on 3 layers of warm shirts. Sometime I used both top and bottom of a sweat suit. I bought one of the Alaska dog sled suits from Cabellas that served as both a transit and a blizzard suit. I bought the suit in solid red so I could be seen easier if I was in the water. Be prepared to pay about $500 for this suit. Next, I would put on a head covering used by firemen under their helmets for warmth. I used a very good insulated motorcycle helmet with a clear waterproof visor. I used the very best socks and boots made in those days using thinsolate. Probably better material now days. And last I wore very thick gloves that kept my hands warm as toast even running down the lake at 75 mph. When I stopped to fish I changed to a type of rubber gloves used by divers. Believe me, I stayed warm and comfortable regardless of the weather. DONT TRY THIS UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO FISH, FOR EXAMPLE IN A TOURNAMENT.

Lastly I would advise you to try and learn more about fishing safety in cold weather as there are people that know so much more than I do about this subject. Hopefully I have given you some ideas that may help you. Best advice is to wait until spring and warmer weather to fish or go with us to warm, sunny Mexico.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FISHING AND REMEMBER TO WEAR THAT LIFE JACKET!!

[Editor: this article first appeared on www.ronsfishingblog and may only be used by permission of Ron Speed]

Today we are going to talk about POOR OLE MEXICO. This just has not been Mexico’s best year. First came the travel advisory by the US State department which kept most Americans from travel to the resort areas. Now they have had the swine flu breakout in Mexico City and that is really hurting Mexico’s tourist business. Very understandable. So far we have been fortunate in our area of the lakes and Mazatlan and have not had any reported cases.

If you all remember a couple weeks ago I wrote in this blog how crazy and ridiculous the travel warning was for the whole country of Mexico. Well guess what our State Department in Washington said last week: “WE ARE NOT ADVISING PEOPLE NOT TO GO TO MEXICO,” says Heide Fulton, a State Department spokeswoman. She went on to say the only areas of concern are the cities along the border. That is exactly what I reported to you two weeks ago, but a lot of damage had already been done to the rest of the country. All the resort cities reported a 50% drop in reservations and travel all over the country is down by 50%.

This lack of credible information from the US State Department has dealt a terrible blow to the country of Mexico and it was so uncalled for as the only problem area was Juarez, and a couple other smaller border towns.

Mike Ackerman, a security expert and president of the highly-regarded Ackerman Group, says that tourists can safely travel to Mexico as long as they stay clear of the border cities. Also, the Mexican Tourist Board has launched a new site showing the trouble areas and it also has a video of Americans talking about their recent trips to Mexico. The site is mexico-update.com and I advise you all to pull it up and get the correct info on what is happening.

My brother Jere Speed lives in El Paso, across from Juarez and he told me a couple days ago that things were calming down in Juarez since the soldiers arrived. I feel like things will return to normal along the border as time goes by, so don’t fear about travel to Mexico because of the drug wars at the border.

HAVE FUN WITH YOUR FISHING AND WEAR THAT LIFE JACKET!