Upside down Kayak fishing

[rodgerole]

Well, I finally did it. Stupid me tried to unhook a fly that was hung on a lily pad and when it came loose I went bottom up. Thank God for the life jacket I always wear when paddling!!
I was in the middle of a patch of lily pads with some kind of clingy weeds growing in them. The weeds made it almost impossible to move when they wrapped around my leg, so I had quite a struggle. The water is several feet deep right up to the bank and the rushes that grow there. I managed to put my fly rod & boat paddle on top of the lily pads to retrieve after I got remounted. I got the kayak to the edge after a few minutes struggle, and discovered that I had to lay out and mash the tall rushes down in order to reach water shallow enough to stand. I finally got to some water that was only about chest deep, righted my kayak and pumped out the water. I managed to remount by reaching across the boat and pulling myself in using the rushes on the other side for handholds.
I lost one anchor and rope,three full fly boxes, and a fishing vest, so I'm rethinking my kayak fishing methods.
Must get floats to attach to anchor ropes.
Must keep fly boxes in something that floats and keep it closed.
Must not forget that kayaks can be flipped if you don't concentrate.
Must get float to use with my paddle to get back into kayak.
Most folks probably already follow those rules, but I had gotten complacent and mistakenly started thinking I could control my boat and keep it upright thru almost any problem. After all, it was a small lake with very little wind, and I've been out in some really rough water with no problems
It took me most of an hour of struggling to get back in the boat and gather my gear and take inventory. I was completely exhausted, but the dunking did cool me off. Matter-of-fact, I didn't get totally warmed up until I was home in bed about five hours later. Strange considering it was 95 degrees at the time.
Hope all of you read this and think twice about your safety when out paddling. This was far from a fun experience; although, I'll be better prepared should it happen again. Hopefully, I'll remember this trip and pay attention to what the heck I'm doing from now on.

rodgerole

[DarrinG]

Glad to hear you're OK and safe!
I have several years of experience on the oars of toons and catarafts, but not on a kayak.
I am about to be introduced to the world of kayak fishing very soon as I plan to buy my first kayak next week sometime. I've demo'd a few to get a feel for what I wanted and I can say it's a different world than fishing from a cataraft / drift boat, etc.
I cannot, just like you, stress the importance of a quality-made PFD. Spend the extra dollars on a good one and one that's comfortable. If you buy one that's really not comfortable, you're apt not to wear it as often, if at all. Buy a good PFD and wear that joker all the time.

Your story should remind all of us who enjoy combining our fishing with a boat to wear our PFD's.

[PanFisher]

Excellent example - I owe my life to a PFD as well. The importance of a Life Vest cannot be stressed enough.

[passlake]

how stable are kayaks for fishing? I was thinking of getting one but I am wondering what I will do with an angry 18lb pike beside my kayak.
Is it difficult landing big fish?

[Uncle Jesse]

Glad you are okay. I think it was last year when I went feet over head in my old float tube. I was lucky enough to have been in shallow enough water not to need to pull the rip cord on my inflatable PFD, thought about it once. A group of Boy Scout saved a float tuber on the Hooch last month, don't know the details but you are never too old, or too young, to have an accident.

Dry side up.

[w5cds]

how stable are kayaks for fishing? I was thinking of getting one but I am wondering what I will do with an angry 18lb pike beside my kayak.
Is it difficult landing big fish?

The folks on the BTB (Beyond The Breakers) Forum @ texaskayakfisherman.com pull in Big Uglies (saltwater black drum) over 30# quite often, so your "little" 18# pike should be no problem.

[modocdan]

Glad to hear you came out OK, rogerole..... Now it's just a learning experience...for us all..........ModocDan

[Thwack]

how stable are kayaks for fishing? I was thinking of getting one but I am wondering what I will do with an angry 18lb pike beside my kayak.
Is it difficult landing big fish?

Depends on which kayak you get. The ones designed for fishing tend to be pretty stable. They're wider (which makes them a bit slower) and some even advertise that you can cast standing up.

I have one of the early Hobie Outback models. I'm over 6' tall and heavy-set. I can crawl out of mine on the water...and back in...without tipping it over. It does take some care to do that but it's not difficult.

When I started fishing from a kayak, I found a local shop that hosted on-the-water classes in kayak safety. They taught paddle techniques as well as rescue...solo/self rescue and how to rescue somebody that's dumped their kayak without also dumping yours...

It was a great investment (half day of my time and $90-ish).

Test drive or rent the models you're considering and see if they have somebody that can at least show you how to do a self-rescue.

For the Outback, there's no need for a paddle-float to help with the rescue. The Outback is stable enough even a big guy like me can get back in it on the water without re-dumping himself. Touring kayaks can't make that claim (and you'd never get me to fish from one of those tippy things!).

There are outriggers available for pretty much any kayak that you want more stability out of. There are plans on the web for making your own outriggers and there are commercial setups available as well.

Wear (don't just bring) your life jacket any way. The newer ones are finally starting to include pockets so you don't have to try to put your fly fishing vest on top of your life jack...most of what would've been in your vest can go in a pouch behind the seat.

Depending on the type of water you'll be fishing, bring along a basic rescue kit as well...50' throw line (in case somebody has to tow you in or you need to tow them), small first aid kit, Fox-40 whistle (your voice won't carry far or last long if you can't get back in on the water), etc. Google around the kayak fishing sites and they should have readily available lists of recommended survival gear.

It's even more important on wide open water (ocean, large lakes, etc).

[Valhalla 1]

Thwack has it right. Depends on the model. I have an older OT Loon 138 that is broad and stable as a barge and just as fast. Recreational models are the way to go, both with sit-in and sit on top types. Whitewater boats need to be highly maneuverable and reactive, and are as stable as a two legged chihuahua on crack. Touring kayaks are designed for speed, not stability.

One thing to remember, especially in the spirit of the original post, that life jacket is a must, and it must be on your body securely. While a recreational kayak is harder to tip, it can be a bear to flip back once you have.

Here in PA a woman drowned last year when her kayak went over. She was experienced and had on her life jacket. What she missed was that the emergency loop to remove her sprayskirt was tucked inside the boat instead of sticking out where she could grab it, and she couldn't right the boat and couldn't get out of it.