# PM River claims a life



## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

Thursday a friend called to see if I wanted to fish an area we walk into but I was combining wheat and couldn't make it. He went by himself and, after fishing upstream, walked about a mile downstream to an area we often fish. When he got to a hole that is about 12 feet deep he saw a tackle box and some various stuff in a logjam. Thinking he was going to retrieve the tackle he walked out on a log over the deep water but when he looked down he saw a kayak under the water and a headlight shining under the water. Naturally he called 911 and the state police came and saw the scene and he called in the troops. I was kind of surprised that the person was recovered wearing a life jacket. I know from personal experience that getting out of a kayak, while in waders, if something goes wrong can be tough.
http://www.masoncountypress.com/2020/07/31/body-of-kayaker-recovered-in-pm-river/


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## Ojh (Sep 4, 2019)

Thats awful, poor bastard, nasty way to go. Damn!


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## mdj (Oct 1, 2005)

sad


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Very sad, be safe out there gents. Life is to short and precious!


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

That's terrible. Unfortunately, a PFD won't save you from a logjam. Something similar happened to me 6 or 7 years back but I made it out. If you get hung up it can be a very difficult ordeal. Thankfully I was caught by my shirt and managed to rip it free, then I was able to work my way around the logjam and float to shallow water where I could get out. The guys I was with thought I was done for. Be safe out there guys.


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## stickbow shooter (Dec 19, 2010)

Hell of a way to go. Poor guy, RIP.


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## kaplan (Dec 26, 2011)

Not much can go right when you are under water in a log jam. Bad stuff.


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## Nostromo (Feb 14, 2012)

Heart attack maybe.


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## june bugger (Oct 28, 2015)

Nostromo said:


> Heart attack maybe.


probably for the guy that found him, WOW


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## MEL (Jul 17, 2005)

Rip dude, rip.


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## Boardman Brookies (Dec 20, 2007)

Once your waders fill up you sink like a stone. Same deal with a kayak. That is horrible. 


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

Boardman Brookies said:


> Once your waders fill up you sink like a stone. Same deal with a kayak. That is horrible.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Yep. If you hit a logjam sideways, the kayak tips then takes on water and down you go. It happens so fast. When I went down it only took a matter of seconds. Kayak filled up, I went down, kayak was sucked out from me scraping my legs pretty bad, next thing I'm under water with my shirt hung up in the wood. If I was hung up by my PFD, I wouldn't be typing out this message right now. I don't think I'd ever experienced anything more unnerving. That experience kept me out of a kayak for a few years.


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## meatfishhunter (Jan 6, 2015)

I was there fishing early kings when I saw the dnr. Loose a boat off a trailer above where motors are permitted. I wentvand helped them get her back on and by the time we pulle the boat out they got the call thst he was found. People dont realize the strength of the current of the pm and how dangerous she can really be. Its sad for sure. I have learned to respect her the hard way myself. Be careful out there guys and girls


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## jmaddog8807 (Oct 6, 2009)

Sad news for sure. Things can happen fast and sometimes, so randomly. Prayers to the family.


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## Big Skip (Sep 1, 2010)

Unfortunate. That river has become more dangerous since the tornadoes a couple years ago

Sent from my SM-A205U using Tapatalk


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## shotgun12 (Jul 19, 2005)

poor chap.R.I.P


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## riverman (Jan 9, 2002)

Until all the dead ash fall along the river edge the river is littered with wood and probably will be for another few years have seen canoes, kayaks and drift boats under logs and jams in that river Always a uncomfortable feeling


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## Ojh (Sep 4, 2019)

Things can happen too quick, a good buddy was motorin along close to shore, looking over at the other shore evaluating fishing spots, turned back just in time to see he had motored under a tree limb that swept him right out of the boat! Luckily other than dignity - there was even another boat just upstream to witness the fiasco - being hurt no real harm done. Everything is all happy on the river and a millisecond later it isn't.


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## Sparky23 (Aug 15, 2007)

Boardman Brookies said:


> Once your waders fill up you sink like a stone. Same deal with a kayak. That is horrible.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Actually although you would think so but you don't. We tried it for safety sake. You float. To bad life jacket didn't help this person. SD


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

The only way that you will float is by putting a belt of some sort around the top of the waders to keep the water out of them. I have filled mine with water a few times while trapping beaver with out a belt. They filled with water pushing the air out. Luckily I only filled them with water by going over the top of them where I could stand up.


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## Botiz (Oct 21, 2010)

I’ve jumped in pools, lakes and rivers while wearing waders to see if you sink. I found that you don’t. Swimming isn’t easy, climbing out isn’t easy, but I didn’t sink. 

Sad story, I’ve had a bud get knocked clean out of a boat on that river. Can happen quick.


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## MoJoRisin' (Jan 30, 2004)

Tell that to the guy on Frankfort pier last year that got swept off w waders on last weekend of August and was lost.


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## sullyxlh (Oct 28, 2004)

Botiz said:


> I’ve jumped in pools, lakes and rivers while wearing waders to see if you sink. I found that you don’t. Swimming isn’t easy, climbing out isn’t easy, but I didn’t sink.


They will fill and in a river they act like a parachute in the current they suck you down and you go where they go.
You're not doing your testing properly in the right area...


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## riverbob (Jan 11, 2011)

sullyxlh said:


> They will fill and in a river they act like a parachute in the current they suck you down and you go where they go.
> You're not doing your testing properly in the right area...


go with the current, bend your knees (trap air) n dog paddle, u can go a long ways that way, if cold water, n shock don't get ya


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## PACRAT (Feb 23, 2006)

headlight on?
kayaking after dark solo?


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## snortwheeze (Jul 31, 2012)

tincanary said:


> That's terrible. Unfortunately, a PFD won't save you from a logjam. Something similar happened to me 6 or 7 years back but I made it out. If you get hung up it can be a very difficult ordeal. Thankfully I was caught by my shirt and managed to rip it free, then I was able to work my way around the logjam and float to shallow water where I could get out. The guys I was with thought I was done for. Be safe out there guys.


"Guy's you were with thought you were done" 

Sure hope they were in the water trying to make sure that didn't happen ! 
This same thing happened to myself and 2 uncles on the Ausable. Log jam sideways in canoe. We were going down, was bad. My uncle (paralyzed too) was worried about his F'ING LEGS THAT DON'T WORK getting hurt!!! I screamed at my uncle, first time in my life and told him who gives a F about your legs need your help !!!! Was scary and could see how some could get into trouble


Rip to the person who lost their life. Sad. Real sad.


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

snortwheeze said:


> Sure hope they were in the water trying to make sure that didn't happen !


They were definitely in the water. I was at the back of the pack of us and they were a bit ahead of me. They got back up on shore and ran upstream to where I went down with rope and a lifesaver. I got banged up pretty good. Lots of scrapes and bruises to my arms, legs, and a couple on my face.


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## riverbob (Jan 11, 2011)

in deep water, chest waders with rope/belt should go together like peanut butter n jelly


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## 6thMichCav (Nov 8, 2007)

Having seen both kayak situations and a wader incident on my own, I follow two rules: 

1). I don’t kayak moving rivers alone unless they are wide open. Anything with jams or overhead limbs, I fish with a partner (makes portaging a lot easier, too).

2) Both wading and kayaking, always wear a PFF. I was wading a “shallow” lake back in 1993 when a stump I was standing on broke away and dropped me into the drop off. There was NO time to capture air, float around or think about alternatives. Fortunately, I was wearing a PFD, which kept my nose above water until I could half-swim, half-tip-toe back to shore. The irony is, it was a hot day and I had considered leaving the PFD in the car after lunch.


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## riverman (Jan 9, 2002)

High side a drifter on sweeper in fast water in March will get your adrenaline running on that river especially when your fishing partner didn't understand my yelling to lean to the high side


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

Years ago a few of my city friends wanted me to canoe the the PM one week end. since I had years of canoeing experience and knowing how much rain the PM had gotten I refused to go. They ended up losing one canoe to a log jam and had to pay for it. Actually the liveries should have not been renting canoes knowing how dangerous it was.

The last time I floated it, I was the lead canoe. when I got to where we were going to pull out there was no where to pull out due to the number of canoes in the way. I went down a ways and found a place to pull out. I went back to the pull out. I piled all of the rental canoes and life preservers in separate pile not bothering to sort them. About the time I got done some one from one of the rental came up. He bitched me about not sorting them. I told him to inform his rental people to not block the pull out or have some one there to take care of there stuff.

That was the last time I floated the PM. I can not imagine how bad it is now especially with all of the kayaks


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## 22 Chuck (Feb 2, 2006)

Something similar happened to grandsons scout master a few yrs ago. I guess boots and boats/kayaks dont always mix.

I recall a time trapping that I stepped in the water to check a couple traps and Im still glad I had my hands on the gunwale cause I was going down and dont know when Id stopped. Water was just over knee deep, I thought--no bottom.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

riverbob said:


> go with the current, bend your knees (trap air) n dog paddle, u can go a long ways that way, if cold water, n shock don't get ya


trapping air in the legs of waders will make you float - upside down. Neoprene waders float real well. Rubber waders don't float. They fill with water, and sink you. I haven't floated in breathables yet, and am not going to try it just to see what happens. I am a proficient swimmer, but I've gotten caught on a logjam underwater before, too - just snorkeling around. 

Prayers for the poor drowning victim, and his family. There is no such thing as being too careful when boating.


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## riverbob (Jan 11, 2011)

Fishndude said:


> trapping air in the legs of waders will make you float - upside down. Neoprene waders float real well. Rubber waders don't float. They fill with water, and sink you. I haven't floated in breathables yet, and am not going to try it just to see what happens. I am a proficient swimmer, but I've gotten caught on a logjam underwater before, too - just snorkeling around.
> 
> Prayers for the poor drowning victim, and his family. There is no such thing as being too careful when boating.


 i disagree,,, i'm here typing as proof, that what i say is true, i won the grand rapids city park swimming contest, 12 n under in the 50's so i can swim also, fishdude , it's a bad thing when someone pass's, but it makes it a bit easer on the family/friends when it happens doing what they injoyed,,,,,,,,,,,,, many years ago (late 60's_) i was fishing/snagging on the muskegon riv,,,high banks/roll aways i think, they had a trolley track that came down the bank/hill, it was deep water, naway i was wearing waders because i was launching the boat, for my older captain, i never took them off, we were setup hooking fish after fish, (we had a 2 man limit that weighted about 300lbs ) we were getting ready to leave n had a bunch of tree limbs/river rubble on the anchor line,, captain/father inlaw said, clear the line , so i went to the bow/front of the boat, to do as the captain said,,, oop's/**** i went in, face first, (no belt/rope on my waders) popped up reached for the boat,, missed,,,the captain pushed his fishing pole in my face as i passed by, i grabbed it,,, took the tip section with me as headed down stream... i did what i was taught , by the man that pushed me in reeds lake, the year (late 50's) that i bought my first pair of chest waders,, i bent my legs, n started dog paddling downstream,,, 50 ft. later i climbed out of the river, to the cheers/hell ya's, from my fellow fishermen,, so i 'm not sure how bending your knees would make u turn up side down,,, un less u didn't use your arms to right yourself ,,,,, i've had a few close calls,to davys locker, in my time,,,,use your head,,,,adrenaline a good thing don't waste it in a panic


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## GobyOneGnoby (Aug 18, 2010)

riverbob said:


> in deep water, chest waders with rope/belt should go together like peanut butter n jelly


And always have a sharp knife at your ready.


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## Ballyhoo (Sep 26, 2016)

Simply sad. Horrible actually. Sometimes it does not matter what you have in your toolbox. You could hit your head and it's lights out. We need to be extra cautious when wearing waders and super cautious when fishing alone in waders. 
https://www.masoncountypress.com/2020/07/31/body-of-kayaker-recovered-in-pm-river/


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## BMARKS (Nov 6, 2017)

Fishndude said:


> I haven't floated in breathables yet, and am not going to try it just to see what happens.


I have! and actually, the pressure of the water clings them to you pretty well. i walked too far down river in a spot and the current was too strong to walk back so i had to just commit and swim across to the bank. when i got out i had only taken in at most a gallon of water. probably more like half a gallon.


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