What are your biggest concerns while fishing offshore?

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by tak100

The most persistent worry is wakes from larger boats.

The largest would be not being able to fight the wind/waves/weather to get back home.

The scariest day on the water I ever had was when a fog rolled in late morning. I could hear boats all around me and couldn't see any of them. Quite the pucker factor.

I share those concerns... If the wind is blowing off the land, I limit myself to 1 mile maximum offshore. Getting blow out to sea would be a nightmare.

Fog is eerie stuff. I have spent a week at anchor in thick soup fog on a big ship waiting for it to clear sufficient to go up the Houston ship channel.

If you think you might be getting in fog, carry an air horn. If the fog socks in, I would use the whistle signal for a vessel restricted in ability to maneuver. Which is to sound, at intervals of not more than 2 minutes, three blasts in succession, namely, one prolonged followed by two short blasts. A prolong blast is 4 to 6 seconds.