A few weeks ago I was talking with my Mother and I mentioned a lake in Virginia I remembered from when I was about 12 years old. My father, his friend, my brother and I would go there once or twice a month and spend the day on a boat fishing. Those were great times. Not only because the fishing was amazing, but my father was still alive. Fast forward 50 years from that day. My Father passed away in 1999 and other chapters of my life have opened and closed.
Anyway, we planned a trip to the lake so I could go fishing and bring back the old memories. My Mother and I just got back from there today. The reservations were made, the planning was done, and everything was set for us to take a couple days ago on our way there. We arrived midday on Friday. We couldn't check in until 3pm so we decided to go check the park. To my surprise the bait shop and marina were closed. Their operating hours had been adjusted to weekends only, but just Saturday and Sunday. I decided to chill and plan my fishing day for Saturday. The lake had a good variety of fish to include Bluegill, Yellow and White Perch, small and largemouth Bass, Black and White Crappie, Channel and Blue Catfish, Muskellunge, Walleye, and now Northern Snakeheads. Although at this point is seems like it was fished pretty extensively. I asked others about their day while I was out, and they caught very few also, and they were small.
I got there early enough to enjoy the views and wait for the shops to open so I could get my permit and a boat. I loaded everything onto the boat, and off I went. Being property of the lake and the park service, life vests were required at all times, so I had to keep it on. It was a bit bulky and took some getting used to with all the casting and moving around. They do send boats to patrol the lake and make sure the rules are enforced. On this lake only trolling motors are allowed. No outboard engines. So getting anywhere takes more time. It was fun motoring around the lake and doing some casting and looking. I found out pretty fast the the wind and lake currents moved the boat around at a brisk pace. I spent half of my time steering the boat, and the other half trying to fish. As the day progressed, it got hotter and hotter. Around noon it was already 90 degrees, and the wind was very light at times. So it stayed very humid, and along with the sun reflecting off of the water, it was getting pretty hot. With the combination of the reflective heating and the life vest, I started to get a headache from the heat. I pulled up to the bank and ate a sandwich while drinking an electrolyte drink and a bottle of water. When I got up to grab something from the cooler, I stumbled a little and sat back down. After I ate I got up and sat on the uncovered seat in the middle of the boat to untangle 2 poles. I found out quickly that the front seats and boat rails were so hot that I could have cooked a steak on them. Far to hot to touch. My ass was burning from the hot metal as I hurried to untangle the hooks, so I quickly got back onto my seat cushion. I looked for a few spots where I could drift fish and cool down a bit. I was sweating and my sinuses decided to open up. There's nothing like a runny nose on a hot day while you're trying to fish lol. At that point I was so hot and uncomfortable that I decided enough was enough. I determined in this situation I could either steer the boat, or fish, but not both. There was no anchor with the boat so it drifted (and spun) all over the place when the motor was off.
After another half hour of fishing I decided I had enough. I was on the edge of heat exhaustion/stroke. I was getting a bit weak and dizzy. I was alone on the water, and since there would have been no one there to help me, I couldn't take the chance by staying out, as I would have drifted aimlessly until I was found. And as hot as the metal in the boat got, there could have also been 2nd degree burns from laying down or passing out. I'm glad that didn't happen.
By the time I got back to the marina, I could feel my strength draining away. I barely had enough strength to gather up my gear. I got everything in hand and started walking back to the car with both arms loaded with poles, cooler, tackle box, net, and trash (while still getting my land legs back). Someone stopped me asking to see all the fish I caught. I was so out of breath I could barely talk. It was only a 100 yard walk to the car, but half way to the car I was panting like I just ran a mile. I kept walking, and about 10 feet away from the car, my tackle box detached from its' handle and landed upright on the asphalt. So happy it didn't pop open. I didn't have the energy to pick up hooks and lures in a hot parking lot in the sun. I got everything back in the trunk and started the car as soon as I could so I could get the A/C going. I just sat there with the air on full for about 20 minutes until I could feel my core temp dropping. I drank another bottle of ice water while I waited. When I cooled down enough, I drove back to the hotel. After a cool shower I was ready to relax the rest of the day. My hair was also a knotted mess from getting tangled in my life vest and the chin rope of my jungle hat. I was also wearing a long sleeve shirt and full length pants to keep the sun off. Wearing that along with the life vest was like wearing an overcoat as well. I had stopped sweating which usually precedes the 'cold chills' effect. The body pulls all of its' blood closer to the heart to protect it, similar to the effect seen by hypothermia.
I only caught one fish which was far less than I hoped, but I was happy anyway. I was able to bring the memory of my father, back to the lake we had the most fun on.
I had originally planned on going back for a bit of night fishing, but after the heat nearly done me in, I didn't want to take the chance. I also ate a spicy shrimp ramen for dinner, which had more salt. My Mother ended up not fishing at all due to the heat. So we will plan a day trip for some bank fishing in the near future.
On a side note, I'm sure I had enough salt. I had a 10" pepperoni pizza the night before, and an Italian sub while I was out. My condition was caused by 5 hour exposure to direct heat, humidity, sunlight, and conductive heating from the aluminum boat, which begins to heat up the brain. When your brain reaches a certain temperature, it begins to shut down, similar to running a very high fever. At that point your body is already trying to extract water from the circulatory system to avoid dehydration of vital organs. Electrolytes, water, and light clothing are the best bet, but sometimes the causative conditions go deeper than that. The moral of the story is, if you get too hot, find a place to cool down. It's not always just about sweating and drinking water. Take care of yourselves. In my case, there was nobody nearby to check on me, so following good advice is always a plus.
