Missing man's boat found at Percy Priest Lake
 

Be careful out there, guys. I've fished with this man before. My heart goes out to his family.



NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
Search crews have been at Percy Priest Lake looking for a boater who hasn't been seen or heard from since Wednesday.
Rescuers were searching throughout the night to find 49-year-old Troy Stafford, who is believed to have gotten in his boat around noon Wednesday.
Family members said he sent a text message around 4:30 p.m., and they have not heard from him since.
Authorities found Stafford's boat in the water and said his truck and trailer were found nearby.
Officials with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency have been searching near some of his favorite fishing spots.
As of 1 a.m. Thursday, the TWRA had two in the water looking for Stafford.
The search is expected to resume during the daylight hours on Thursday

Unexpected things happen on the water in a boat.

I try to remember to wear my PFD anytime I am fishing alone.

I hope he got to swim to an island and will be rescued.

That is very saddening. A good reminder to always wear your PDF. Thoughts and prayers go out to the Stafford family.

He fished the lower end a lot. Maybe he is on Bear or Pig island and his phone is dead from getting wet. It's tough to be optimistic in these situations.

Update
 

It's weird how things come full circle.

I went out to help with searching for the body this morning and with the help of 2 other fishermen from Ohio, we found his remains. He was at the first spot that he and I went bass fishing together.

The good news is that the family now has closure. Before I got in the boat, his wife told me that's all she wanted.

Deep down I knew that I'd be the one who would find him. Even with that mental preparation, it's tough to see your fishing buddy that way.

I say all that to say this.....be careful out there guys. And if you have an old fishing buddy that you haven't talked to in a while, call them and say hi.

Wow, that had to be tough. Prayers for the family.

~+~
god bless

Any chance on getting some details on the accident? Was he wearing a PFD
Will there be an autopsy to determine cause of death?
Any answers may keep someone else from suffering the same fate.
Cool water temps are here and people don't live too long in the water now. This story has caused my partner and I to wear our PFD's whenever we fish alone. I have put together a trunk of dry clothes to put on my boat in case of an accidental dunking. And that is something that can happen in an instant. A slip, trip, or stumble and you can be overboard in an instant.
It happened to me when a client lost his balance, fell into me and knocked me overboard.
Luckily it was shallow enough for me to stand up in the chest high water. Bad thing was, it had warmed up enough for me to remove my dry box of clothes from the boat. Had a very chilly trip for the next five hours.
I now keep a set of dry clothes in the truck. But as it is cooling down, I'll put the box back on the boat.
Lone fishermen, wear your PFD's.

http://wsmv.com/story/26886537/polic...missing-boater

It is on the channel 4 app.

Thoughts and prayer for his family/friends.

This is a good slogan to go by especially in winter fishing.. "If you're not always prepared, you're never prepared."

http://wsmv.images.worldnow.com/images/5369821_G.jpg Troy Stafford

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - TWRA confirms the body found in Percy Priest Lake today is that of missing boater, Troy Stafford.
A fisherman caught the attention of a TWRA officer after seeing something unusual while out on Percy Priest Lake.
Officers found Stafford's body not far from the back cove where his boat was.
Stafford, 49, hit the water around noon Wednesday.
TWRA officers think he may have fallen overboard while fishing, and they say Stafford was not wearing a life vest.
Stafford's family said he could not swim.


Read more: http://www.wsmv.com/story/26886537/p...#ixzz3HGiz2iqJ

I will post details tomorrow, because I really think that they will help save a life. He wasn't wearing a PFD and couldn't swim.

Today I will finish mourning and order that rearming kit for my PFD and building that 'dry bag' for the boat that I've been procrastinating on.

And also try to "unsee" what I saw.

Prayers for family sent.


I bought an inflatable I now wear all the time. And my kids are getting some for Christmas.

Prayers to you Thrillseeker. I am sure that must be a difficult vision to erase from your memory. I am sure the family is very appreciative of your work and helping to give them closure.
I think the lesson we can all take away is to use EXTREME caution when on the water. I know Alphahawk and I have made a pack to always wear a PFD regardless of temperature or depth of water. I know sometimes it can be uncomfortable but with the inflatables its not that bad. We just never know when that i slip up can happen.

Roy

You can't cheat death for long given those facts.