Kayakers Wear Your PFD

[Harold Scoggins]

The best PFD is the one you wear while paddling.

[Darren.]

Never hit the water without it strapped on!

 

Can't save you if it's tucked away in your hatch and you're

thrown out of the yak.

[Shawk63]

Great advice! I always have mine on.

[haggard]

Nothing to do with how well you can swim, and all to do with how it keeps you on the surface when you're unconscious, fatigued or medically incapacitated. Always on.

 

Last Saturday early evening on the local lake I'm yak fishing just a short ways off shore and a ski boat passed behind me, not even going that fast. Couple minutes later I hear a churning sound coming at me from behind, swore it was another boat slowly overtaking, so I prepared to give it some room. I turned around and see a massive wake bubbling, churning and spilling over itself rolling towards the stern, with white caps. Never seen anything like this on the lake. Fishing line was still in the water, left it there and grabbed the paddle, thought I might get swamped, but managed to ride out the waves. If the PFD wasn't on, there was clearly no time to break it out and put it on. Knowing I already had it on allowed me to focus on managing the waves.

 

It was also a reminder that on a pedal drive yak, have the paddle ready to quickly deploy - not broken down into 2 pieces that you have to put together when you need it. Paddle is a safety device that you can use to make quick turns and use as outriggers for stability. 

 

[12poundbass]

Two yakers rescued last week by the Coast Guard on the east shore of lake Michigan. They had their PFD's but not on. Waves kicked up and swamped both of them. From the news report they almost didn't survive. 

[YoTone]

im guilty of not wearing mine. next time i will.

[Harold Scoggins]

8 hours ago, YoTone said:

im guilty of not wearing mine. next time i will.

I use to not wear mine, considered myself a strong swimmer. The wife finally convinced me to start wearing it. Ten years ago, I was swamped by a motor boat in very cold water and I'm glad I was wearing it. Cold water can drain your strength fast.

[Fishing Rhino]

PFDs are not only "life savers".  They are also "body finders".

[moguy1973]

I wear mine every time I'm out in my kayak.  My fishing buddy always laughs at me when it's hot as the suns surface out and I'm in my vest.  He tells me that you can stand up in this water why do you have that silly thing on.  I told him you never know when you are going to possibly flip the thing and end up knocking your head on a rock or swept into a tree.  Yet I'm the one that has never dumped his kayak and he's done it 4 times that I know of.

[DogBone_384]

I always wear mine .... keeps wife happy and the pockets hold more ‘stuff’ ....

[J Francho]

I typically always have mine on, though I take it off briefly to air out.  I use an inflatable, so it isn't really bulky or hot.

[kenmitch]

I always put mine on before I even get into my yak. Mine is self inflating so as a added bonus it makes me more alert and aware of my surroundings.....Those darn rearm kits can be costly if you don't catch them on sale. 

 

Went with the auto just in case I get hit or sideswiped by some boater not paying attention to his/her surroundings. I wanted to go with the standard pull to inflate model but figured it's not something a person could do if one is knocked out or even dazed and confused.

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, kenmitch said:

Those darn rearm kits can be costly if you don't catch them on sale. 

Tell me about it

 

[Bluebasser86]

I always wear mine. When I flipped my yak a couple years ago the water was in the high 40's/low 50's. I'm a good swimmer and trained in survival, but when you're suddenly in water that cold, your brain stops working for a moment. It was a calm day on a small lake when it happened to me, so I was able to flip my yak back over and hop back in without even inflating it and recover what gear I could that was floating around me before heading to the ramp, but it was reassuring when I was in the water to know that I had it on if I wasn't able to get back in or if the cold water started sucking the mobility out of me like I know it was going to if I had to stay in it very long.

[thinkingredneck]

I wear an auto inflatable. Never think about it, it is a habit..  I àlways check the color to make sure it is okay.  I keep some of my gear fastened to it so I need it to fish.

[volzfan59]

Poor guy drowned on Chickamauga Lake near Chattanooga, TN today. Witnesses said that he flipped kayak and never resurfaced. Wasn't wearing his pfd.

[flyfisher]

I wear mine 95% of the time.  The only times i don't is when i am in a a few of the slow moving swampy areas around here where the water is super shallow for the most part and nothing bigger than a kayak can be out there. On lakes, I always wear it and i go with a self inflating as well.  

[ApacheGuns515]

I agree, PFD should always be born regardless of water temp or swimming ability or "stable" your kayak is. 

 

Most folks who kayak aren't folks who can't already swim....People don't drown because they don't know how to swim, most drowning victims are folks with the mentality that since they can swim they don't need a PFD.....

 

Plus being an excellent swimmer will do you no good if you fall over and crack your head open on something in the shallow water that you weren't worried about because you can stand up in it if you fall out.

[kayl.]

I'm a 100% pfd wearer when kayaking. I highly recommend the NRS Chinook; it's fantastic.

[MassYak85]

I use to be guilty of not wearing mine except when the water entered that "death from hypothermia" range in the Fall/early Spring. This season I decided it was time to do the safe thing and went out and bought one that fit well and was comfortable (Stolquist EBB) and have worn it every time out. TBH I can barely notice I am wearing it even on hot days. Much more comfortable than the old cheap ski vest I had been tucking behind my seat. 

[Harold Scoggins]

I do a lot of night fishing this time of year to beat the heat. (getting ready to launch by 3 am this morning) When fishing during hours of darkness I secure an automatic strobe to my PFD.

[DogBone_384]

On 7/29/2018 at 9:03 PM, volzfan59 said:

Poor guy drowned on Chickamauga Lake near Chattanooga, TN today. Witnesses said that he flipped kayak and never resurfaced. Wasn't wearing his pfd.

We had a similar incident up here: 

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.necn.com/news/new-england/Officials-Work-to-Identify-Body-of-Man-Who-Was-Recovered-in-Canton-Pond-489857891.html%3Famp%3Dy

[looking45]

This post should be for ALL boaters, not just those of you who fish from a kayak. I always wear mine when fishing from my bass boat. If you fall out of the boat, there's always the chance you can hit your head on the side or break an arm or leg.  I always hook up my kill switch when the I move too, even if it might only be a short way. One of the rules of my boat is any passenger must wear his/her life jacket when the outboard is running. It's their choice to wear it or take it off when we stop to fish. You never know what can happen, and if it does, it will happen when you aren't prepared. 

[northlander73]

I always wear mine when fishing with my son, I'm not going to rely on a 13yr old to save me.  I usually wear with another adult unless we're fishing in shallow water.  Always have it on when I'm by myself.   A life jacket is probably the cheapest life insurance you can buy.

[TOXIC]

Sad story on how I came to purchase my Ranger.  When I finished my 2 year assignment in Florida and was ready to move back to Virginia where my wife and daughter were, I sold my old guide boat that I had taken with me (929 NITRO).  I got all moved back and began the search for a new to me boat.  Looked at a few used boats but none were "blowing my skirt up" as a fishing friend always said.  Then my tournament partner called me and said there was a nice Ranger on Craigs List.  Normally I don't buy anything from that site.  Too many scams.  I decided to go ahead and email the poster.  Come to find out a lady was hosting the ad for a friend who was a blue water Captain in the Outer Banks and he had a home and lawn service business here in Virginia.  He was too busy to take calls so she was helping him out.  I got his number and set up a time to go look at the boat.  When I got there, the boat was sitting outside with a tattered cover and it was literally full of mold and gunk.  I had a good friend with me that is a good mechanic and while I talked to the guy, he crawled all over inside and out on the boat.  We had a little sidebar discussion and he told me the boat was solid, just neglected and we came up with a fair number.  We thought.  When I offered, the guy turned me down flat, wouldn't budge so I wished him good luck and we left.  2 weeks later the ad pops back up on craigs list.  I let it run for another week and I give him a call and ask him if he's ready to make a deal.  We met 1/2 way on price and I went to water test and bring it home.  As I was hoking it up, I noticed he was all emotional.  I asked him what the deal was.  Come to find out his brother retired from the Gas company and bought a place on the Potomac in Pohick Bay on the water and bought his dream boat from an FLW pro (the Ranger).  Hadn't had the boat 6 months when he decided to buy a cheap kayak from wal mart.  Went out, turtled the yak, got caught in the weeds and drowned.  Brother got the boat in his will and couldn't part with it.  I told him it wasn't doing anyone any good rotting next to his machine shed.  And that's how I got my boat from a guy who didn't wear a PFD.  Sad, sad, story.