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Fishermen thankful for rescue

I have really never appreciated the men of the Department of Natural Resources as they patrol and protect us while we fish and hunt in southwest Georgia. That is until Sunday afternoon when my fishing buddy Pink Whelchel and I were fishing out of Sportsman Club landing.

Because of the many boats running up and down the Flint River, we decided to fish in the stumpy backwater pond adjacent to the landing. Everything went well for about 45 minutes until the wind came up and we decided to move across the pond where the wind appeared to be still.

We slowly, at idle speed, started through the many stumps to get to where we wanted to fish. Suddenly, we ran up on a hidden stump and were stranded and taking on water at the rear of the boat.

Unable to get off of the stump, I phoned 911 and asked for help. Meanwhile two fishermen nearby in a pontoon boat came to our assistance. We were not able to get off of the stump and Pink fell out of the boat and got water into his lungs.

His automatic life preserver inflated and he was able to get onto the pontoon boat. I, meanwhile, tied a line to the front of our boat, got onto the pontoon boat and we were able to pull it free.

The DNR rangers arrived, took Pink on board and took him to a waiting ambulance and to the emergency room. They then came back, took the tow line and towed the boat to the landing, where they helped me load the water-filled boat on its trailer.

We both are eternally thankful for the two fishermen on the pontoon boat and to the two DNR agents for their help in saving us from what was a life-threatening situation.

PAUL A. JONES
Albany

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