In this week's Northwest Florida Fishing Report, host Joe Baya and co-host Butch Thierry step away from the usual bite breakdown to deliver a wintertime episode that can save lives on the water. They focus on boating safety, complacency, and the small gear decisions that matter most when something goes wrong fast.

On the safety side, they sit down with Capt. Larry Higgins, owner of KWiggler Lures, who shares a firsthand account of a low-light boating collision in a bayou that ended with him ejected from the boat and suffering multiple hip fractures. Larry explains how quickly the situation developed, why being close to the bank in shallow water likely kept the outcome from being far worse, and how an Apple Watch became a critical communication tool when phones were lost in the chaos.

They also dig into the biggest takeaway from the incident: you can be wearing a kill switch and still be wearing it wrong. Larry breaks down how his bungee-style lanyard looped around his wrist nearly failed to pull free, the importance of attaching the lanyard to a reliable point that will not rip out, and why testing your kill switch should be part of your routine. The episode closes with practical winter safety priorities—wearing a PFD you will actually keep on, keeping signaling gear accessible, and building habits that reduce risk no matter what other boaters do.

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