Kayak Fishing Clothing

[kdubracing]

Just curious what type of clothing you guys wear while kayak fishing. Especially when the water and weather is colder. And shoes as well. Do you wear any type of waterproof shoes? How do you stay dry enough to keep the water from making you cold?

[kayaking_kev]

I have a sit-in kayak, so I only get a few drips here and there from my paddle and just layer up. If I had a sit-on-top, I would have waterproof everything if the water and air were cold. I've used them before and there's no avoiding getting wet.

 

There's a good thread around here somewhere about the best method and material for layering and staying warm and dry, try a couple search terms if you're interested.

[Djohn]

I've fished in a kayak in cold weather for years. I wear a frog togg wader pants and a pair of shimano wader shoes. This is the only way I can stay dry launching my kayak. Be careful when selecting a jacket making sure that it's made of something that won't absorb to much water just in case you flip. This happened to me once in about 2 feet of water while getting in my kayak. I was wearing an insulated hoodie and I could barely stand up because of the weight of the water.

[Dens228]

Merino wool long underwear, NRS boots.  What goes over the top of the underwear depends on the weather. 

[GTN-NY]

I’ve been doing lots of searching on this as it’s my 1st year of kayak fishing and I didn’t want to put it away Nov 1 but with help I made it out until a couple days before Christmas. 
Here’s a couple great videos. 

 

 

[Alex from GA]

Hip boots with a couple pair of socks for the bottom.  Large wind proof jacket with lots of layers on top.  Good PFD.  

[kdubracing]

Thanks for the ideas.

[Tizi]

For winter I wear layers:  marino wool underwear, Kuhl pants, fleece top/hoodie, and good rain gear (this stops wind too).  I also wear Columbia waterproof boots and neoprene gloves.

[Harold Scoggins]

I have the older version of the NRS Boundary Boots/Shoes that I use to launch in the cooler waters during March and April. I found out today how good they were in the snow when I had to drive into town to get (rescue) my wife. I only wore wool socks inside the boots and my feet stayed dry and toasty. They are worth the coin!

[Jonas Staggs]

On 2/1/2020 at 11:36 PM, kayaking_kev said:

I have a sit-in kayak, so I only get a few drips here and there from my paddle and just layer up. If I had a sit-on-top, I would have waterproof everything if the water and air were cold. I've used them before and there's no avoiding getting wet.

 

There's a good thread around here somewhere about the best method and material for layering and staying warm and dry, try a couple search terms if you're interested.

 

Everything i have read and been told regarding fishing kayaks, is that the SOT are the way to go..........the only thing I was wondering about was exactly this question.....as all the SOT have scupper holes, and they pretty much always have water in them at some point. I know you can use scupper plugs, but it seems that with the SOT, its also easier to get watter into the cockpit? This has me leaning towards a SIS as 1) i dont want to get wet 2) i would like to still use it in the winter. If you have any input or advice that would be great. as of now I think im going for the SIS

[Tizi]

With a SOT, if you are dressed right, you won't get wet.  The only place would be your feet.  Wear waterproof shoes/boots.

[flyfisher]

2 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

 

Everything i have read and been told regarding fishing kayaks, is that the SOT are the way to go..........the only thing I was wondering about was exactly this question.....as all the SOT have scupper holes, and they pretty much always have water in them at some point. I know you can use scupper plugs, but it seems that with the SOT, its also easier to get watter into the cockpit? This has me leaning towards a SIS as 1) i dont want to get wet 2) i would like to still use it in the winter. If you have any input or advice that would be great. as of now I think im going for the SIS

You will not always have water in your boat at some point in a SOT unless it is poorly designed or you are a pretty heavy person in a boat not designed for the capacity.   And if you do get water in it, well that is what the scupper holes are for, to drain it away.  If you get water in a SINK it has nowhere to go but slosh around.  SOT is safer in colder water for this reason alone.

As far as clothing goes, it kind of depends on the water you are fishing.  If i was big into river fishing where the probability of going in the water in cold weather was higher I would get a dry suit and be done with it as nothing is safer.  I am not a big river fisherman in winter so I go with synthetic base layers adjusted for the temperature of the water and air with a pair of waterproof breathable waders and the jacket of my choice for the day.  I have tested this set up out to see how much water would get inside should i flip or something along those lines and with a PFD on you don't get much as the pressure of the water pushes the waders tight to your body.  The only time I got water in more than a few drops was when I intentionally jumped in and tried to go over the point of where the top of my chest waders were.  Still didn't get much and i also realized how difficult it actually was to get down that deep as the waders also provide flotation.  

Big thing is to be prepared for the water temperature and not the air.  You see stories every year of people going ot on one of those balmy 60 degree early spring days, or around here even winter, and people don't think about the water still being 45 degrees.  

One thing to look for if you go the wader route is ones that are comfortable to wear sitting down.  Many of the cheaper waders don't have good ergonomics as far as movement goes which can make sitting uncomfortable or getting in and out a pain as well.

I personally enjoy fishing in winter and have done pretty well doing it as well.  It is worth the time and effort to get the right gear.

[kayaking_kev]

3 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

 

Everything i have read and been told regarding fishing kayaks, is that the SOT are the way to go..........the only thing I was wondering about was exactly this question.....as all the SOT have scupper holes, and they pretty much always have water in them at some point. I know you can use scupper plugs, but it seems that with the SOT, its also easier to get watter into the cockpit? This has me leaning towards a SIS as 1) i dont want to get wet 2) i would like to still use it in the winter. If you have any input or advice that would be great. as of now I think im going for the SIS

I only have a sit-in because I bought it before I started fishing just to take on recreational trips. My next kayak will most likely be a SOT, mainly because if you flip it, you can just flip it back over and get back on. With mine if it gets flipped, you have no chance of emptying out the water and flipping back around, you would have to get it to the bank somehow and get the water out before you can flip it back over. You won't be able to stand in a Sit-In either and a lot of the seats on SOT's are raised so that helps with hook sets and sight fishing.

 

My experience with a SOT has been on rivers that will have occasional rifts and rapids that will come over the side of the kayak. On warm days or if you're wearing good waterproof gear, this shouldn't be problem. I've also never used a SOT that had a raised seat, so maybe those would keep you out of the water, the ones I've used had the built in molded seats.

 

The Sit-Ins have some advantages like blocking wind and keeping rapids and big waves from coming in so easily, but overall I would agree that SOT is the way to go. I just make due with what I got right now. You could always get a spray skirt for sit-ins and stay completely dry, but it probably still wouldn't help much if you flip out in the middle of a lake. That's my biggest worry with sit-ins.

 

I almost bought a new Native Slayer a few months ago, but I have a bad foot from a brain surgery I had years ago and I'm unsure if I can even use a pedal kayak, so I spent my money on new rods instead. I'm waiting to find someone around me with one so I can try it first.