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Hi guys. First post here. Some of you have seen me in my blue sea ark on the river the past few weeks. Today my son and I went back out for the fourth day in a row for perch. Around noon a boater wasn't aware that a barge was coming in his path at the mouth of the calumet river. He was unable to pull his anchor in time and he had to jump in the freezing water just before the barge struck his boat. Luckily i was 20 yards from him and my ten year old son drove my boat to him so I could grab ahold of this older gentleman. Another boater boarded my boat and we were able to pull him into my boat and give him dry clothes. All in all it was a good ending but it could've been much worse. Please be careful and mindful of ships/ barges coming down the river. When going out in this cold weather it would also be a good idea to keep a set of sweats and a towel on board your vessel in case you encounter a situation like this. Stay safe out there guys.

Wow, good job on the rescue. What were they thinking??
Next thing ya know, they'll shut that down to recreational boaters

Thats really unfortunate - have to watch out for the big boats. Glad to hear you got him and he was ok.

Great job on the rescue!

I've noticed that a lot of boats are slow to move out of the way for commercial traffic on the river. These freighters and tug/barge vessels are restricted in their ability to maneuver, especially in the narrow confines of the river.

A recreational fishing boat is pretty low on the food chain when it comes to right of way on the water.

From BoatUS Magazine:
There is a "pecking order" that can be used as a simplified memory aid to determine right of way for vessels of different types. Get very familiar with this list, as it is important to understand it thoroughly. The lower most vessel on the list is the give way vessel, and must stay out of the way of vessels that are higher on the list.

Overtaken vessel (top priority)
Vessels not under command
Vessels restricted in their ability to maneuver
Vessels constrained by draft
Fishing vessels engaged in fishing, with gear deployed
Sailing vessels
Power driven vessels

A vessel that is trolling or engaged in hook and line fishing is considered a power vessel, not a fishing vessel.

Be safe and courteous out there! A fish isn't worth your life!

That’s some scary stuff right there. It’s like playing in the train tracks fishing in there. Glad everyone came out all right.

Back in the late eighties and early nineties there was the Barnaby Tug Company(Yellow colored stacks with a big "B" on it) out of South Chicago and I swear they would aim for the fishing boats! We used to tie up to the Inland Steel break wall and 95 Street Pier and fish for perch in the summer and they would come in so close and make a huge wakes. You could be the only boat out fishing and they would come right at you. Happened to me south of 95th Street break wall while I was drifting for perch and was out of the shipping lane. Almost seen two senior citizens in a smaller boat get thrown in the drink cuz of them clowns. Thank god they went out of business. Back then the Hanna tug corporation were cool to the fisherman and did what they could to avoid the fisherman. And yes the tugs and big boats have the right-of -way. KK