COLUMBUS, OH - The ice is gone and inland waterways are now seeing the first boating activity of the year, according to the Ohio Department of Natural resources (ODNR).
Most of the early season boaters are anglers enjoying some new opportunities to catch a variety of gamefish such as crappies, bluegills, catfish, bass, saugeyes and walleyes. Water temperatures, however, remain very cold and pose a danger to anyone who falls unexpectedly into the water. Ohio already has recorded four boating fatalities in March.
Properly wearing a life jacket, dressing to protect against hypothermia and observing safe boating practices are crucial to the safe enjoyment of recreational boating any time of year, said Ken Alvey, chief of the ODNR Division of Watercraft.
Inexperience and boat operator inattention often are leading causes of boating accidents. Failure to properly wear a life jacket contributes to more than 80 percent of boating deaths each year. Information on boating education programs and boating safety tips is listed on the ODNR web page at ohiodnr.com
Boating safety tips include: