If you remember back in February I went to Ice Rescue Training at Lifesaving Resources in New Hampshire to shoot a new video for the Mustang Survival Ice Commander. The editing is now complete and we can share the video with you.

You can see other of our videos on our YouTube Channel. We’d love to hear your feedback on this or any of our other videos.

In their February issue, MotorBoating Magazine recognized the Mustang Survival Rescue Stick with their award for Best Safety Gear. The award was presented to Chris, our Regional Sales Manager for the east coast at the Miami International Boat Show last month. In this video you can see all the award winning products and some video showing the Rescue Stick in action. Thanks MotorBoating!

This ice rescue story was passed to us by Gerry Dworkin of Lifesaving Resources. Alexander Nicholas, a graduate of their Ice Rescue Train-the-Trainer Academy is a volunteer firefighter for the Village of Greenwood Lake who trains their team for incidents like these. He also took part in the rescue.

From Time-Herald Record:

Police rescued four men who were stranded ice fishing on Greenwood Lake yesterday afternoon, including two that fell through the ice.

Detective Sgt. John Hansen said the men had been ice fishing on the lake, about 200 feet from shore, in the morning and were trying to get back to shore as the ice softened during the day when one fell through the ice.

Greenwood Lake’s ice police rescue unit pulled the man from the water.

Another man fell through the ice trying to reach police and was pulled from the water. Hansen said the rescue operation took about 45 minutes.

The four men received medical attention at the scene, but refused to be taken to the hospital.

(Photos by Ed Bailey. Click on the photo to see more pictures.)

We got this email a while back from Gregg Keller in Ellabell, GA and want to share it with you!

Feb 16th I was fishing in a local tournament on the Savannah River. I was a co-angler (back seater) with another club member. The water temperature was about 52 degrees, and we were drifting with the current in the main river channel. At first light, the temperature had been about 40 degrees, and I had dressed accordingly in layers, as it was forecast to warm up to around 60. At about 11 a.m., I removed my Mustang Model 3087 vest and my heavy jacket. Just as I started to pick up my rod, I saw the vest laying beside my coat and stopped to put it back on.

Tournament rules require us to wear PFDs when the big motor is running, but not while fishing. I, however, cannot swim, so I generally have mine on. In fact, the reason I purchased the Mustang was due to it’s comfort level. As I compared it to a cheaper one the night I bought it, I commented,” Its much more comfortable, and I will probably not wear one that isn’t”, so I bought the Mustang. The current began picking up speed as we were approaching a railroad trestle. My partner’s boat was new and bought for lake fishing, and his trolling motor had too little thrust to deal with the river current. We too began picking up speed, to about 8-10 m.p.h. As I stood on the rear deck, we suddenly struck a submerged stump. The boat stopped, I did not.

I went head first into the swiftly moving dark water of the Savannah River. As I went down, the sound of the inflation of my vest was the first thing I was aware of. I felt myself being pulled to the surface, and realized the vest had deployed. When I broke the surface, my partner was screaming at me not to panic. As the vest righted me, I began to backstroke with my arms to try to get to the bank, but the current was far too swift. He finally reached me with the boat, and using his motor and trim, I was pulled into the boat safely by my partner.

As a non-swimmer, I can truthfully say this Mustang PFD saved my life. It performed flawlessly, and I was able to get dry, regroup, and we continued fishing the rest of the tournament. In fact, my partner took first place. Mustang took first place in my eyes! At the next meeting, I will most assuredly push for a rule to have PFDs required at all times, because you never plan to have an accident. Today, I bought a re-arming kit and its once again ready to go! You can bet I will never be on the water without one. Thank you Mustang, you saved my life!

© BASS Communications

Mustang Survival pro-staffer Mike McClelland staged an amazing come from behind win this past weekend at the Sunshine Showdown on the Harris Chain of Lakes, where his Bassmaster career started 20 years ago.

Brian Snowden almost won the first BassMaster Elite Series event of the season without catching a fish Sunday. Ten of the final 12 anglers had weighed in at the Harris Chain of Lakes, and Snowden’s 54-pound, three-day total remained unsurpassed. But when Mike put 15 pounds on the scales Sunday, he took a lead of just over 5 pounds!

With the win, Mike takes the top position in the 2008 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year standings, the season long chase that will determine the top 36 qualifiers for the 2009 Bassmaster Classic, with the AOY winning $250,000. The next stop on the Elite Series circuit is the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes out of Lake Wales, Fla., for the March 13-16 Citrus Slam presented by Longhorn.

You can watch Mike’s come-from-behind victory on ESPN2 Saturday, March 15, at 9 a.m. on The Bassmasters.

We received this email from Chuck Hart, in Salem Virginia that we wanted to share with everyone. We love getting these kinds of stories from our customers.

I wanted to take a moment to thank Mustang Survival for saving my life this past Saturday, February 16, 2008. I have owned an MD3183 inflatable vest for approximately two years. I am a tournament bass fisherman and continually fish in very wet conditions. I wanted an inflatable vest but was concerned about the old type technology which is prone to accidental inflation due to wet conditions. If I couldn’t wear the vest all the time, it would not do me any good. After doing a lot of research, I found the Mustang Survival HIT inflatable vests. Since these vests can only be activated by being submerged in water, they seemed the ideal solution. After buying my vest, I wore it at all times while on the water.

On February 16, I was on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia, breaking in a new outboard motor on my boat. While traveling up the lake, one of the hydraulic steering hoses detached which caused the boat to go out of control. I was thrown out of the boat into 45 degree water. As is my habit, I was wearing my MD3183 with the kill switch attached. Upon coming to the surface, my vest inflated which was a comforting feeling. My boat had drifted a good ways off and I start swimming towards it with not much success. Fortunately, there was one boat in the area and the two fisherman witnessed my accident. I looked up to see them coming towards me and as they got to me, pulled me into their boat. Fortunately, I was not injured in this incident.

I am very thankful to those two fisherman and to Mustang Survival for making such a great product. If I had not been wearing my life vest and kill switch, the outcome would likely have been much different. Since owning this vest, I have told many of my fellow anglers about it. One of the reasons I have been able to wear it all the time is due to it’s comfort. I will literally forget that I have it on. I can also wear it in all weather condition without fear of it accidentally inflating. Many members of my bass club are already talking about buying one of these vests because of what happened to me.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Gregg!

Mustang Survival pro-staffer and TV host Dave Mercer’s Facts of Fishing Tips Series has been airing for many years on OLN, TSN, ESPN Classic, WFN, Wild TV and The Weather Network in Canada. His one minute segments are fast-paced, fun, energetic, educational, and very entertaining!

His new half-hour program - Dave Mercer’s Facts of Fishing™ THE SHOW has been airing on WFN featuring what really happens on the water. Shot in real time over one day, you get to see how many casts, how long Dave’s been fishing, how many fish he has or hasn’t caught, and everything else that happens!

If you don’t have access to WFN on digital cable, the show is coming to The Score in April. Check it out!

I don’t know know about you, but I am a total Facebook addict. I can’t go onto my computer without checking what my friends are up to or seeing what new requests I have gotten.

A couple people have asked why we don’t have a page on Facebook for people to become fans. Well, good news. As of today we do. The next time you are on Facebook do a search and become a fan!