A couple of years ago I went fishing in early January on a small stream that feeds into Clinton Lake. I'd heard crappie were hitting hard there and wanted to try my luck. I had a 14' narrow beam aluminum boat with a 9.8 Merc on it. The seats were the type that clamp on the benches, that on this boat would set you up higher than the gunwhales. I'd fished most of the morning, did I say it was very cold then, below 20 degrees. I had some luck and was ready to head in. I pulled the trolling motor up while I was drifting downstream at a fair clip, and went to the back of the boat to start the Merc. After ten minutes of pulling I was fairly certain it wasn't going to start, but I did notice I was starting to drift into some trees that were near the bank of this stream. I thought I'd just tie off to one of these trees and work on the motor, so I reached out and grabbed one of them, I was off balance anyway and in I went. Did I mention I wasn't wearing a PFD? I was wearing several layers of clothes topped off with a heavy pair of boots, insulated coveralls, and a carhart coat. When I went in I sank fast, man was that water cold, felt like I'd been hit by lightening or something. I ended up on the bottom of this stream thinking this is it when I felt this tree. It was so dark and cold I didn't know up from down, but I grabbed that tree and started climbing for what seemed forever, it truly was a life or death struggle. When I broke through I saw my boat had run agroung on the shore about 20 yds from where I was. There wasn't anyone else stupid enough to be out there, so I knew there wasnt going to be anyone to come along and help. I swam/sank from tree to tree until I got to shore. I laid on the bank of the stream for a few minutes and collected my thoughts and realized I was really hypothermic and needed to get somewhere warm fast. I pulled out my cell phone, dead from water consumption. I went over to my boat which was the only way I was getting out of there, I was over a mile away from the ramp I had come in on. I looked at the motor and realized the kill switch lanyard was laying in the floor, just made my day. Hooked it up and was out of there. I ran the boat ashore next to the ramp, got in my truck turned the heater on full, stripped to my skivvies, then drove to the nearest house to call for help to get the boat loaded.<br />That was the closest to dying I care to come for a long time. I still think I froze something off that day. I'll never go fishing when below freezing, no PFD, and too small a boat again. <br /><br />Devon
