FLW FOUNDATION
UPDATE
It Has Been a Rough
Start to 2018
O
n Jan. 4 we lost 38-year-old Nik Kayler of Apopka, Fla.,
when the boat he was in, driven by pro Bill Kisiah of
Slidell, La., encountered rough water, struck a wave
and Kayler was swept overboard during the Costa FLW Series
season opener on Lake Okeechobee. Adding to the heart-
break, Kayler’s body was not recovered until six days later following an exhaustive search. It is
a tragedy without equal in the history of our sport.
On Jan. 25, at the FLW Tour season opener on Lake Okeechobee, the boats driven by Andy
Young of Mound, Minn., (accompanied by co-angler James Bianchi of Rush, N.Y.) and William
Campbell of Middlesboro, Ky., (accompanied by co-angler Lee Frye of Brooksville, Fla.) collided
at the end of a boat lane near Moonshine Bay. Young and Bianchi were ejected from their
boat but were able to return to it after Young’s mandatory ignition-shutoff device disengaged
the engine. Both boats returned under their own power, and only Young required medical
attention upon his return to the ramp. It could have been much worse.
Then, on March 2, two boats at the Costa FLW Series on Lake Seminole were involved in
a low-speed collision that sent co-angler Jim Topmiller of Orlando, Fla., to the hospital with
serious injuries. Pro Adam Slupczynski of Marietta, Ga., was in the boat with Topmiller. The
other boat was operated by pro Frank Clark of Port Saint Joe, Fla., accompanied by co-angler
Anthony Hunt of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Conditions were clear with a 12-mph wind.
Our sport is not inherently dangerous, and the statistics bear that out with relatively few
on-the-water accidents despite m ore than 53,000 competitors spending nearly half a million
hours combined in FLW competition each year. Kayler’s death was the first in FLW competi-
tion since 2010 when Freddy McCrory of Eupora, Miss., was killed after the boat he was in,
driven by David Young of Mayfield, Ky., was struck by another boat from a different tourna-
ment during a BFL Regional on Lake Barkley.
Still, any injury or fatality is unacceptable.
Tournament directors monitor weather and water conditions to ensure safety. Anglers
are required to wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal floatation devices anytime their
combustion engine is running, and drivers must have an emergency ignition-shutoff device
securely attached to their body. Safe boating must be observed at all times, and boat oper-
ation in an unsafe or unsportsmanlike manner is grounds for disqualification. But tourna-
ment rules and tournament directors can only ensure on-the-water safety to a point. Safety
is ultimately the individual and collective responsibility of every competitor on the water. It
has to be the top priority. No bass is worth injury to yourself or anyone else.
While the majority of states require completion of a boating safety course for some seg-
ment of the boating community, almost all offer exemptions based on age or nonresident
status. Safety, however, should not be optional. I encourage every FLW angler to complete a
state-approved boating safety course. The BoatUS Foundation offers free courses at boa-
tus.org. It’s a simple step that could save your life.
Know your limitations, and the limitations of your equipment. Modern boat and engine
construction combined with new advanced electronics should make boating safer than ever.
Just because you know your exact location, have every contour line at your fingertips and
your boat can withstand immense punishment, does not mean that you are invincible. Don’t
tempt fate by putting yourself and your co-angler in unnecessary danger. Your boat is a
shield to protect you from the unexpected, not a chariot designed to carry you into battle
with the elements.
Don’t drive distracted. Multiple 16-inch monitors might help you navigate and find fish,
but they won’t help you avoid a collision with another boat. Only diligent observation of your
surroundings will keep you safe. You would never text while driving an automobile. Don’t let
your electronics be a distraction when driving a boat.
Safety is our top priority. It should be yours, too. Please honor Nik Kayler’s memory every
time you go on the water by ensuring your safe return to the FLW family.
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Sincerely,
8
Kathy Fennel
President, Operations Division
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FLWFISHING.COM I aprIL 2018