Dude you should get your own TV show, like The Wild Within, or Man vs Wild. You definately sounds more prepared than most. Although most probably don't realize the potential danger of the situation.

Dan

Quote Originally Posted by 1flyfisher View Post
This individual who ended up on Anaho island, How was he rescued? Your friend who went for a ride was fortunate he did not end up in the water. He surely would have died fast.

You have to have your wits about you on this lake or any big water and be ready for a survival situation especially with winter boating and icy water temperatures. That goes for any water craft no matter the size. If you don't you can die easily. I go out in a 24' North River Deep V and an 11 foot kayak. We have had to beat back from Hells Kitchen against 60+ mph SW gusts in the Big Boat. Not fun but the boat can handle everything the lake throws at it. Swells never get very big on Pyramid but the wind comes up quick and when it blows hard with the chop on an angle,,,,if you are one of the 99% of idiots out there in boats with zero boating skills or even a coast guard boating safety class under your belt you can get into trouble fast. But that is the case for most large bodies of water. On Pyramid there are 4-5 foot white caps/chop which are not easy to deal with IF you do not know how. I am always prepared to swim. On my buddies boat I bring a bag with my dive suit, hood, booties and gloves, life jacket, dry bag with survival gear. If you are out there in a boat, and capsize you are done fast if you can't extract yourself (which you won't) from the frigid water. Hypothermia will kill you fast. So you better be ready to swim in it and have the necessary wet or dry suit to stave off hypothermia.

In the kayak I wear a Stohlquist Dry Suit with plenty of extra fleece under neath, Stohlquist Life Jacket, I have a wetsuit neoprene dive hood, neoprene dive booties and neoprene dive gloves handy on the deck in easy reach, I have float bags in the front and rear of my kayak so it won't sink, a bilge pump, I have a surf board shock cord that I can quickly attach myself to my boat, a paddle leash, I carry a survival dry bag(which also adds flotation) with the necessary gear(bivy, sleeping bag, water purifier, stove, food/water, clothes etc) to keep keep me alive for days. I am prepared to swim and survive. I also recreationally swim the lake regularly throughout the winter to acclimate myself to being in the cold water so that when an emergency situation arises I am prepared to swim for hours. And to just test out my dry suit on a regular basis to make sure none of the gaskets have any leaks.

If you tube or pontoon stay close to shore, you are better off in a tube, less wind resistance. Pontoons in 20-30 mph out there.....you got problems.