Fly Shop Employee Drowns in San Luis Reservoir

We hesitated to report this story when we first learned of it last week, hoping that there might some unexpected good news. But it now seems certain that Mark Harrup, an employee of the San Jose Fly Shop, drowned last Wednesday after the boat he was fishing in capsized in California’s San Luis Reservoir. Apparently the bilge pump in the fifteen-foot craft he and fishing partner Jeff Kettelson were using failed, and their boat filled with water before they knew they were in danger. Tom Malech, owner of the San Jose Fly Shop, reported most of the details on Dan Blanton’s board on Thursday.
Having witnessed other boating accidents that occurred because of failed bilge pumps, we can only emphasize the importance of being sure your bilge pump is operational before leaving shore. And putting on high-quality personal floatation devices before one gets in to trouble almost goes without saying. Not only do many unexpected conditions prevent anglers from reaching safety devices, there are many circumstances that cannot be foreseen. For example, having personally tried to retrieve Type I PFD’s from beneath a capsized boat, I can tell you that it is almost impossible to do.
Please be safe.