At approximately 7:00 am, on March 11, 2023, vessel 1 a 17 foot 8 inches aluminum Triton with remote steering was operated on Toledo Bend by Operator.  Operator and his passenger were fishing a tournament and were cruising the large island near Blue Lake.  Vessel 1 was equipped with three type II, three type III and one type IV PFS’s, all were accessible but not worn.  The engine kill lanyard was worn and the throttle was in the forward position just above idle. 
     As Operator traveled south with the bow headed into the on-coming waves and turned vessel 1 to the east, a large wave came over the Starboard side and flooded vessel 1.  Operator attempted to turn the bow of vessel 1 back south but the waves flooded vessel 1 and pushed it to shallow water, grounding vessel 1.  
     The men entered the water attempting to free the vessel, but were unsuccessful.  Operator contacted 911 by cell phone.  911 operator then contacted LDWF agent who responded with an Enforcement vessel.  LDWF agent retrieved both men from the water and transported them to Blue Lake Launch in the Enforcement vessel were medical personnel assessed them for hypothermia.  Both men were cleared by medical personnel and refused transport to the hospital.  
     Vessel 1 was left in the flooded and grounded due to high winds and waves making recovery unsafe.   At approximately 3:00 pm, the men and a friend went back to vessel 1 and recovered it, and towed vessel 1 back to Blue Lake Launch.
    At the time of the accident, the wind was blowing approximately 25 MPH causing rough waves.  Contributing factors include, operator inattention (not aware of weather) and weather (High winds and waves).  Alcohol nor drugs are suspected to be factors in this accident.  The type of incident is flooding/grounding.  
     After speaking to the owner of vessel 1, she stated that vessel 1 was insured and would be turned over to them for damage assessment due to the electronics and engine being submerged.
Toledo Bend
Zwolle                        