Life vest recommendation for fishing off a pontoon boat.

[Alberto]

After a close call by a friend (almost got hit by a motor boat while fishing from his kayak this past summer) I think it is best if I start wearing a life vest while I fish from my float tube. I was hoping to get some recommendations from this board.

I'm basically looking for something that wont be cumbersome while fishing from my pontoon boat.

Thanks

Alberto

[sagefisher]

Alberto,

One thing we all will agree on, make sure you have a PFD (Personal Floatation Device) with you or on you when you are out on the water in a pontoon type boat.
Then we all split based on our personal choices. Non are totally right, non are totally wrong.

I prefer a manual inflatable PFD where I have to pull the rip cord. Others prefer the auto-inflatable PFD's where it will inflate once you are in the water. Others prefer a fixed PFD type vest which has the floatation material built into the vest. All types have strong points and all have weak points. Again it is a matter of personal choice.

Just make sure you do have one and not stuffed in a storage unit behind you, have it on. When things go wrong in a pontoon boat, they go wrong really fast.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[melk]

My suggestion is that when you get one, if you can, dive in with it on. I did that, by accident looooong story, but I felt very comfortable in it. Having that "Done there, been that" made me feel very safe. I know, if I go in, my head will remain above water and I'll be comfortable. Of course if you get an auto inflate, you would "waste" a charge. Mine is a Stearns regular old vest type, I looked at others, but it is comfortable for me.
Mike

[jimp]

I've got two of these "Cabela's Essential 2500 Manual Inflatable PFD", to wear in my 13' fiberglass boat I got, and it is very comfortable. The 1st time I wore it I had on my chest waders with a couple layers under/inside the waders including a polar tec top, and it fit well, within 5 minutes after putting it on, I forgot I even had it on, and did not think about it again until I noticed it when I was walking back to the truck to back the trailer down the ramp. Very comfy and I wear it, instead of it laying in the floor of a small boat taking up valuable floor space and creating a trip hazard.

[jimsnarocks]

I have owned a Mustang PFD for a number of years. Never have had to inflate it but won't be caught on my 'toon without it. I also wear it while wading. Jim

[DaleW]

Also have a Stearns vest type that's inflatable by either pulling the CO-2 rip cord or can be inflated by use of a mouth piece, i.e., the huff & puff method - which I have given a trial and works well, but have never inflated using the CO-2.

Vest fits well and has some very useful fishing gear pockets, but on a real warm day, as with any fishing type vest, you'll know you have it on! I use it exclusively when fishing the deeper, fast moving water and especially waters new to me. When fishing the local warm water ponds from the canoe, just have one of those cushion type preservers.

[Uncle Jesse]

I concur with the recommendations above. The only comment I will add as new information is, the couple of times I have found myself using my float tubes incorrectly in that I was under them, I did remember I was wearing a manually inflatable PFD although I did not inflate it. After the second time I added a fob of woven cord to the rip cord so it would be easier to find by feel.

[idlerick]

As noted above, there are basically three types: A fixed, rigid Kapok-type; manually inflatable, and auto-inflating (both CO2). Your requirement not to be cumbersome eliminates the first.
Of the other two, check the regs where you fish. Some states/rivers require an auto-inflate (Type II?)and the pull-cord types (Type IV? I can't remember) are not legal. If you go with an auto-inflate, don't skimp. Some of the BPS and Cabelas models are famous for going off on a humid day in the garage. Mustangs have a great reputation, Stearns just so-so, depending on the model. Check user feedback.

Most important, buy a CO2 re-charge kit with the PFD and TEST IT OUT! I wore a Simms/Stearns manual belt unit for 4 years before I found out the CO2 cartridge wasn't even screwed onto the trigger (a shipping safety requirement). Once I fixed that I tested it and found the neck opening wouldn't go over my head. So don't assume anything -- verify under actual conditions.

[vicrider]

rick is right. Test it out. Some years back I had a fiasco when I tipped over my 12' boat coming into a landing at a small local lake. Stearns self-inflate vest didn't. Pulled the cord, nothing. Like a dummy I forgot there was an inflate tube and ended up using the boat as my preserver and kicking myself to shore. I found one winter would cause the CO2 cylinder to empty and you were without inflation. Happened next year when I tested it again. Now I don't trust them and wear a mesh shouldered buckled vest. I should tell you the rest of the story.

When I tipped the boat over it was because I lost balance trying to clean the weeds from the trolling motor in the dense milfoil at the landing. A Park Ranger saw this and put out the call for help for an old guy drowning. About the time I'd kicked the boat in to where I could stand the cavalry had arrived and two guys in full survival gear grabbed me and put a life ring around me and another pulled me to shore while they took over the boat, which was floating with about 6" of water in it. By the time I got to shore there was a fire truck, an ambulance, two police cars, the fire station rescue truck pulling an inflatable boat, and about 25 people from around the park all spectating. The landing I'd fallen in was a soup of slop and by the time I got out I was hanging from top to bottom with green snot and weeds and looked like the swamp monster from a horror movie with a long green beard. The nice part was the healthy young rescue guys dumped the boat, carried it up to my trailer and tied it down, and the guys in the ambulance wouldn't let me leave until my blood pressure and heart rate were within their required "safe" range. When I got home (only a few blocks from Golden Pond) my wife took one look at me and said, "Yep, we were just talking about hearing all the sirens by the lake and wondered if it involved you. It looks like it did."

By the next day, even tho I immediately showered very thoroughly, I had about a thousand red spots all over my legs. I'd been wearing shorts and kicking in all that slop and something left me looking like I had measles. Fortunately, with all that mess on my legs, it didn't itch at all, thank God for that. When I went into work the next Monday a guy at our break table worked for a local Volunteer Rescue Squad and was laughing about the story going around about the old gray beard they had to pull out of Golden Pond and what a mess he was. I had to push him to see how much the story had grown, and of course by this time I was half dead when they got me instead of just about pushing the boat in by myself but sure got the super razz when I 'fessed up to being the "old gray beard" they rescued. I did have a couple of nice bass and a big northern on the stringer and enjoyed eating them even more than I normally would have.

[DaleW]

Vicrider ... enjoyed your story, as the old saying goes, "you never know". Managed to tip my canoe over this last season, hadn't done that in a long time. Fortunately for me I didn't have all the fanfare you had, it was a local pond (all alone) and in the warm time of the year, and like you I side stroked the overturned boat to shore, a very short distance of maybe 20 feet. What I had done was to try and look back from where I had been to sort of get my visual markings right to make sure I was going to pass a favorite spot just right. When I looked back over my left shoulder I attempted to place my left hand on the gunnel just behind me so I could sort of support my turning rear glance - what happened is that either my hand slipped off the gunnel or I missed it entirely. Anyway, I simply rolled down into the water taking the canoe over with me. Lost some gear, like my canvas creel, sun glasses, best fishing pliers I've ever owned and a bunch flies. Had a full bottle of water in the creel that made it go down like a submarine, but you'll be proud to know that I never ONCE let go of my fly rod! As I pushed/swam the overturned boat ashore I placed the fly rod on top of it, with still a grip on it however.
Now, I've managed to turn canoes over in years past but with all my experience I begin to think I was just about invincible with my canoe skills. Surprise - surprise - surprise
By the way, I never stand in the canoe, do all my fly casting sitting down. Think I learned another lesson somewhere back about that standing in a canoe and trying to fly cast.