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By Christyn Allen
RIPLEY, NY (Erie News Now) – U.S. Coast Guard Captain and owner of Nemesis Sport Fishing, Joe Nemet, is still perplexed by how a boat captain in Ripley, NY, went overboard while on the waters of Lake Erie Thursday.
“This seems to be a freak accident. I know the way we operate our boats, there’s pretty much a zero chance of you falling in,” said Nemet.
Nemesis Sport Fishing picks up fishermen around Lake Erie and takes them on the water to catch fish. It’s been a busy season so far. “Our typical spread is 14 poles, so we’re going to run 14 poles simultaneously… The boat pulls about 2-3 miles per hour. We’re pulling 14 lures behind the boat,” he said.
Safety precautions play a huge role for any fishing company on Lake Erie. Perhaps the most important want, what to do should someone end up in the water.
“We have a throw-ring buoy if someone falls in. We tell everyone on the crew, if you see somebody fall in, you’re always keeping eye contact with that individual. Don’t turn around,” he said.
Nemet does see how quickly conditions can change on the water, but he still says charter fishing is a safe way to enjoy the outdoors. “I wouldn’t liken this to the Deadliest Catch. There’s definitely no life threatening events I’ve witnessed in the last several years. It’s a very safe platform,” he said.
As of 9:00pm Friday, the boater overboard near Ripley has still not been found. Search efforts continued into the weekend.
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