Last year, 61 boaters died on Texas waters — the highest number of boating deaths in more than a decade.

Unfortunately, Central Texas has already seen its share of boating accidents and tragedies this year. Accidents can happen to anybody, but putting in some time to prepare for the worst can pay off in lives saved.

Boating safety rules are well known but frequently neglected. Wear life jackets when the boat is in motion, designate a sober driver, have a plan in case of a fire on board, make sure all equipment is in working order, and maintain safe driving practices — including paying attention to which boat has the right-of-way.

As all Central Texans know, weather here can change rapidly and drastically, so keeping track of weather conditions is also a must. Racing a thunderstorm to shore is like racing a train to the crossing — three things can happen and two of them are bad. Thunderstorms can spring up suddenly, and their high winds, lightning and hail can cause serious problems to boaters caught on the water.

It’s also important to have a “boater overboard” plan. People fall out of boats and into the water surprisingly often. It’s funny on America’s Funniest Home Videos, but not so funny in person. Even in daylight, it can be hard to locate somebody who has fallen overboard, and a nighttime search can quickly turn tragic, especially for a person in the water without a life preserver. A high-intensity spot light is almost essential to dealing with nighttime boating emergencies.

And although beer and lake are happily linked in many boaters’ minds, driving a boat under the influence is just as illegal as driving a car while intoxicated.

But unlike law enforcement officers on the road, officers on the water don’t need probable cause to pull a driver over. Make sure somebody on board is legal and competent to operate the boat. As much as some dads wish this were true, 7-year-old kids don’t qualify.

Speaking of kids, it’s a law that they must wear life jackets at all times, no matter how much they gripe and complain. There must be floatation devices, too, for everybody on the boat.

When the lake gets crowded, it’s important to know who has the right of way. For example, just because you’ve got the biggest boat or you’ve had the most beer, you don’t necessarily have the right of way. A good place to learn about this and other boating topics can be found on the Centex Outdoors Web site. Click the “boating safety” button.

Bowfishing tourney

The Out House is hosting a bowfishing tournament on Saturday at a Central Texas lake — the name of which will be announced on Friday.

Entry fee is $45 per two- or three-man team with a 100 percent payback to the winners. Registration will take place from 8-9 on the night of the tournament. Competition begins at 9 p.m. with a shotgun start, and weigh-in will be at 1 a.m.

Qualifying fish are gar, carp and buffalo only. For more information, call 751-1044.

Check out Web photo

Visit the Centex Outdoors Web site to see the photo of Hunter January with a nice largemouth bass he caught out of Harris Creek near McGregor. Thanks to his dad, Joe, for the picture, and for teaching his kid a love for the outdoors.

Good fishing at marina

Brenda Wallen of Navarro Mills Lake Marina (254-578-1131) reports overall good fishing on the lake, with largemouth bass providing action on watermelon plastic worms, white and chartreuse spinnerbaits, and shallow-running crankbaits in 5-10 feet of water.

White bass are schooling on the surface and are good on slabs over humps; channel catfish are good on stinkbait in 4-5 feet of water; crappie are good on minnows and jigs off of the fishing docks. Very few keeper crappie are being caught.

Photo contest

Entries for the Centex Outdoors Game Cam Photo Contest will be accepted through Friday. To submit an entry, attach your picture to an email and send it to mail@centexoutdoors.com with “game cam contest” in the subject line. Include your full name, address and telephone number, along with the time, date and location the picture was taken.

Dr. Jim McGregor of Waco, Academy Sports & Outdoors and others are donating goods and services for the grand prize, and Tribune-Herald photographers will be among the contest judges.

www.centexoutdoors.com

717-8907