(Arnolds Park)– The 42nd Annual Walleye Weekend kicks off at 12:01 am Saturday on the Iowa Great Lakes. Mike Hawkins, a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says for many anglers, this weekend will be the first time of the season they will have been out on the water. He’s urging everyone to do a few things ahead of time to get prepared…
”Make sure your boat’s in good operating condition, you’ve got all your safety equipment on board. Water temperatures are really cold. Personally I always have my PFD on when water temps are this cold, especially when I’m in the boat alone. You know just falling out of the boat, it can happen to anybody. Falling out of the boat with water temperatures the way they are it quickly zaps your strength for being able to get back in that boat or being rescued. We know if you’ve got a lifejacket on you’ve got a lot more time and the potential for rescue is very close to 100 percent. When you don’t have that lifejacket on, time is of the essence to get yourself out of that water.”
Hawkins adds you’ll need to exercise some patience at the boat ramps this weekend…
“You know, knocking off the cobwebs for backing your boat into the water. For some folks it takes a little more than that first trip. This will be the first time that a lot of anglers are hitting the water for the year and it just makes sense to get through your safety equipment and all of your boating equipment before you get to the boat ramp.”
He says doing that can eliminate a lot of frustration not only for you, but for those lined up behind you.
