Boat Spins Out Of Control On Sacramento River After Tossing Fisherman Aside

SACRAMENTO RIVER (CBS13) — A fisherman had to be fished out of the very waters where he was trying to catch salmon after his boat started spinning out of control.

Bob Rackley's boat was left turning in circles at full throttle with no one at the helm.

Witnesses say they saw him fall overboard, leaving the 13-foot fishing boat spinning in circles.

A police boat surveyed the scene, as a Sacramento County Sheriff's helicopter hovered above.

People on shore watched as the Yolo County Sheriff repeatedly rammed it, trying anything to get it to stop. But to no avail—the boat would not yield.

In the meantime, Rackley was stranded in the Sacramento River.

"I guess my seat came loose, I lost my balance," he said. "I made a sharp left turn with the motor, just enough to flip me out, that was it, I was in the water just like that."

Luckily, he was able to be rescued by another boater.

The boat was finally wrangled into submission after it ran ashore.

Rackley got a warning from the sheriff's department, since he wasn't wearing a life jacket. They say he was luck, because he could have been hit by the boat, and without a life jacket, the story would likely have a very different ending.

He caught no salmon today, but he'll have a fisherman's tale that will be hard to top.