In the coming days much will be said blaming FLW or the boat driver. My feels are towards the boat driver bearing most if any of the guilt. Fishing tournaments is different from pleasure fishing, in as much as you can't trailer near where you want to fish or just go home till you have better weather. Once they let you out it's up to you to chose to fish close or make the run. Common sense really isn't common today. I remember a tx on Millers Ferry. A huge rise had come down the river overnight. There was so much trash coming down river. You were constantly dodging whole trees washing down river. God only knows what sub-surface obstacles you face. With all that trash there were several that ran to Selma. pure insanity.
Rough water due to high winds and storms is the main thing most face. There are things that must be considered. In say 6 ft rollers, a shallow flat is no place to be. The trough between the waves can land you on bottom. In lakes with standing timber it can leave you in the top of a tree. The main thing I can say is that if you face rough water you must, keep the boats nose up, constantly adjust your speed and trim. I had a trim button on my steering wheel and a hotfoot. I believe a hotfoot should be required on any boat over 50hp just as a kill switch is a law now. With a trim button and a hotfoot you are able to keep both hands on the wheel. While those pro's may look cool jumping big waves on TV, it is a short path to drowning. Boats aren't built to take that abuse. You need to remember these guys have boat deals and can get another whereas you can't. The bottom line is to know your limitations. When I got my first high-performance boat I was fishing a tx on Livingston. I came around a bridge and speared a wave. My cousin is a big guy. It knocked him from the seat and up on the back deck. I idled back behind the bridge and pumped the boat out. He said I was going too slow, you guessed it we tried it again, with the same results. The third time I idled to the protected side of the lake and ran. This clearly was my inexperience and my fault. From that day on I always put two BIG bilge pumps in all my boats. I never speared another after that day, but I would have been capable to pump out and stay afloat if I had. KNOW YOUR ABILITIES AND LIMITATIONS! Just because you can buy a big fast boat doesn't mean the knowledge comes with it. Consider safety in all things you do and usually, you'll come out on top. I admit I always make a long run to get away from the crowd. I'd say 30% of most tournament guys never leave sight of the take-off point. If something does happen, don't panic! Keep your head and you will prevail!Hunt and Fish Safe!

Absoulutely. I do not care if im fishing for 100 bucks or 100k, if i do not feel 100% safe i dont blast off!

I have never nor will I ever fish tournaments like that BUT I respect the water. I think of it almost like lightning/high voltage as you'll likely only get one chance with it.

I'm buying 2 of the Mustang HIT series vests as soon as I can try them on and decide which ones I want.

I speared a wave on Kentucky Lake 60 miles from the ramp. Not fun.My 360V was well equipped with double pumps and the Mercury kept purring thank god. Hard lessons but part of it.

Boat driver 100%. All the other boats made it back. Bass boat has no business hauling ass in those conditions. If it's that important to fish down in that area, then take it slow. This kind of accident doesn't go down this way at lower speeds.

dude look this is the second time I've seen a post where you want to jump on the driver. I figure you have not looked at the info. The driver was took off the front deck with the trolling motor in the water. So speed not a factor. Co was washed out of the boat when they speared a wave. You can spear a wave at any speed fast or slow in 5+ft rollers. If the nose falls Gus what you just done.

I do concur. Many factors with weather that is not ideal. Driver experience or being a dumb arse will not overcome a bad decision. I have been 98mph on the water in a bass boat and did not once feel we were in danger. BECAUSE I knew driver and what the conditions were in front of us. Not may guys left that I would do that with.

Whatever, I've read every article and account so far. I'm a boat owner and operator. You can defend that boat driver all you want, but other boats turned around when getting to the south end and seeing how rough it was. A guy is likely dead b/c the pro decided to risk the conditions. You don't get thrown out of a boat when you are riding along as a passenger in safe operating conditions and speeds. The guy on the bow, I get it, I've been there trying to pull up my trolling motor and boat wakes came by. But I've never thrown a passenger out of my boat before.

I have no idea how fast they were going, but I will say this. I've been in a lot of rough water and its almost impossible to drive "fast" in water that rough. I would bet a pay check that, at most, they were moving slower than most Bass Trackers will run. That may be fast to some, but its not.

Hit a wake/rogue wave once on Logan Martin @ about 65mph right at dusk one summer. Lake was like glass, don't know where that thing came from. Thank God I had my kill switch hooked up. I ended up in the floor.
The boat I have now has a 9.8 on the back.