Clothing advice - Cold water kayak fishing

[Fritch]

Hey all -

 

Looking to purchase clothing for the colder months in the NE  (Jersey lakes and Raritan Bay).  I would have went out today if I had the gear.

 

I was looking at buying these dry pants but then started telling myself there's no way to block out the water without a drysuit if I turtle the yak: 

https://www.austinkayak.com/NRS-Freefall-Dry-Pants-Men/ACK16809P.html

 

What do you all suggest?  Is dry suit with layering the only way to truly be protected?   Can't believe the prices on those things...

[MassYak85]

Cold water kayak fishing is about risk mitigation, although to be fair doing it to begin with can somewhat risky. I'll venture out when there's still ice on the lake. I don't usually wear waterproof stuff or a drysuit or anything...but that's because I am in a sit-IN kayak which helps shield me from splashes, as well as the fact that I use outriggers in cold water (all but eliminates any risk of dumping myself). I also try and fish smaller lakes and ponds in cold water cause in the unlikely scenario I do end up in the water I should be able to get to shore. 

 

So my mitigation is ensuring I don't get too wet to begin with and I wear warm clothing but it's not waterproof unless I'm expecting rain. If your worried about tipping, a dry suit or something might be your best option.

 

And WEAR YOUR PFD!!! It's a fairly risky game going out when the water is this cold, you just gotta make sure you're prepared and have a plan if your day goes south. 

 

 

[Nbest11]

you don’t need a drysuit unless your not confident in your kayak skills. Some people like drysuits while some people don’t. It’s a preference thing. But I’ll tell you that you should definitely invest in yourself by purchasing a carhartt jacket. Find one that you like. Trust me it’s perfect for colder weather and it is water resistant even if you are getting heavily splashed. But most importantly you get that carhartt durability. You could put that thing through a meat grinder and it would be fine. Lol. 

[Scott F]

There are several YouTube videos showing how guys gear up for cold weather kayaking.

[Craig P]

Before I bought my boat, I had a Hobie and I fished Raritan Bay in it for several years.  Water temps right now are about 49-50 degrees.  IMO, a dry suit is a MUST!  Most people go by the 110 degree rule, air + water temp. If under 110, dry suit.

 

I’ve flipped my kayak in 50 degree water while wearing guide pants and a waterproof top in my local river.  I am in pretty good shape but that water took my breath away quickly!  My PFD took the panic away but I was beat and not able to flip my kayak until I got to shallow water.  My only course from there was to get back to the truck and get some dry clothes and get warm over the next few hours.

 

After that incident, I bought a dry suit and practiced in 38 degree water.  It is amazing how much they protect you. You can literally take a dunk, not die! and still fish the rest of the day as you’ll remain dry and warm.

 

FWIW, the traffic on Raritan bay was insane yesterday with the amount of boats and kayaks.  With this virus, more people have time so they’re going fishing. Ironic....in the worst time possible to be around people is also the reason there is more people.

 

Another FWIW, the boaters hate the kayakers because they don’t use flags and can’t see them, especially when they’re not experienced and they go in front of their path as the boats are trolling. This leads to some mischievous boaters to purposely throw wakes at kayakers, not safe, especially in cold temps.

 

To summarize, do everything you possibly can to protect yourself. It’s not about you, it’s about the lives you are going affect after you’re gone. 

[JediAmoeba]

I went out yesterday in NE Pa in shorts and a long sleeve tshirt.  I didn't know 50 was cold.  

[NHBull]

I have never done it but was a white water kayak instructor yers ago.

Last week I saw 2 guys in their yaks .  water temp was 43 degrees and the air was only slightly warmer.

both had dry bottoms and booties and were also wearing a thin wetsuit short sleeve wet top under winter jackets.

they had a short tether to their boats and poggies on their paddles.

Super prepared!  I suspect it is the only time of the year we will see them that geared up

[michaelb]

I don't wear a dry suit and I am not sure that is needed for fishing off a stand on top kayak unless you are off shore. You should be able to self rescue within a minute, if you managed to go over. My kayak tends to stay upright even if I fall/jump off it, so that makes it easier, but otherwise you absolutely must practice righting it under adverse conditions like waves. But I take cold water paddling very seriously. So I stay near shore most or all of the time, hopefully shallow enough that I could walk in, and never do open water crossings measured in miles. I sit more and stand less or not at all.

 

For clothing, I wear breathable nylon pants (so not waterproof) and usually a soft-shell jacket, so powershield. I have waded into the lake in April in what I wear, so at least have practical experience in swimming in what I fish in when the water temps are the 40s.

 

The major limitation for me are my hands. I wear fishing/paddling gloves but they are not full fingered. I maybe should try those. But if the water is really cold it is hard to be on the water for more than an hour or two, and sometimes even much less than that. I bring some form of overmitts, but haven't tried paddling with them.

[Fritch]

13 hours ago, Craig P said:

Before I bought my boat, I had a Hobie and I fished Raritan Bay in it for several years.  Water temps right now are about 49-50 degrees.  IMO, a dry suit is a MUST!  Most people go by the 110 degree rule, air + water temp. If under 110, dry suit.

 

I’ve flipped my kayak in 50 degree water while wearing guide pants and a waterproof top in my local river.  I am in pretty good shape but that water took my breath away quickly!  My PFD took the panic away but I was beat and not able to flip my kayak until I got to shallow water.  My only course from there was to get back to the truck and get some dry clothes and get warm over the next few hours.

 

After that incident, I bought a dry suit and practiced in 38 degree water.  It is amazing how much they protect you. You can literally take a dunk, not die! and still fish the rest of the day as you’ll remain dry and warm.

 

FWIW, the traffic on Raritan bay was insane yesterday with the amount of boats and kayaks.  With this virus, more people have time so they’re going fishing. Ironic....in the worst time possible to be around people is also the reason there is more people.

 

Another FWIW, the boaters hate the kayakers because they don’t use flags and can’t see them, especially when they’re not experienced and they go in front of their path as the boats are trolling. This leads to some mischievous boaters to purposely throw wakes at kayakers, not safe, especially in cold temps.

 

To summarize, do everything you possibly can to protect yourself. It’s not about you, it’s about the lives you are going affect after you’re gone. 

Thanks for all the thoughts on this thread.  Personally for me I am now considering how different cold water lakes versus Raritan Bay would be for my circumstances.  I like the tips about staying close to shore and don't really see a lot of risk in flipping so I feel the pants I was considering and a shoft shell top with layering is adequate. 

 

I appreciate these tips about the bay and have decided I won't go out without a dry suit.  I've already seen my eyes flash before my eyes a few times in the bay between crazy weather and terrible boaters and that was on a 23ft Sea Swirl - I can't imagine flipping in April.  Last summer I did some fluking and have plenty of warm weather gear to stock up on (buying the yak safety flag tonight) so I'll skip at least the cold spring season until I'm ready to splurge on a dry suit.  Anyway thanks all.

[NJBasstard]

If your fishing the Raritan Bay and bigger lakes here in NJ like Hopatcong or Round Valley where your not always a few minute paddle from shore then I strongly suggest a dry suit. The post suggesting it's not needed if your confident in your abilities is some of the worst advice I've seen on this site to date. Nobody plans on going in & accidents happen all the time. When water temps at 40° it can take as little as 20 minutes for hypothermia to kick in. 

 

Set a budget and buy the best dry suit your can and wear it. Carrying a first aid kit & pair of clothes in a dry bag isn't a bad idea either.

[A-Jay]

10 hours ago, michaelb said:

I don't wear a dry suit and I am not sure that is needed for fishing off a stand on top kayak unless you are off shore. You should be able to self rescue within a minute, if you managed to go over. My kayak tends to stay upright even if I fall/jump off it, so that makes it easier, but otherwise you absolutely must practice righting it under adverse conditions like waves. But I take cold water paddling very seriously. So I stay near shore most or all of the time, hopefully shallow enough that I could walk in, and never do open water crossings measured in miles. I sit more and stand less or not at all.

 

For clothing, I wear breathable nylon pants (so not waterproof) and usually a soft-shell jacket, so powershield. I have waded into the lake in April in what I wear, so at least have practical experience in swimming in what I fish in when the water temps are the 40s.

 

The major limitation for me are my hands. I wear fishing/paddling gloves but they are not full fingered. I maybe should try those. But if the water is really cold it is hard to be on the water for more than an hour or two, and sometimes even much less than that. I bring some form of overmitts, but haven't tried paddling with them.

Define very seriously ~ 

A-Jay

[michaelb]

2 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Define very seriously ~ 

A-Jay

First, I won't often won't go, and certainly not if there is any issue with the weather. I may go 50 feet off my beach in 5 feet of water. I may paddle a half mile along the shore. So I try to not take any risks, or if I take risks try to reduce them as much as possible. I have done week long canoe trips in the north woods with water temps in the mid to high 50s, and that does sometimes involve crossing lakes with a loaded canoe (so i do understand that is some risk).

 

I don't really have an issue with your chart; its good general advice. But it applies to sea kayaks on open water (and canoes, and sit in kayaks), in which self rescue is very difficult or impossible and involves other boats in a canoe over canoe rescue or a bilge pump and float bags and in either case, limited chance of success. I have jumped off and climbed back on sit on top kayaks at least 500 times in all water conditions including at times in strong waves; I do this for fun, so I am reasonably confident that I could get back on the boat in something like 15-30 secs.

 

But if your point is that folks should not be paddling kayaks with water temps below 60 I pretty much agree (whether or not they have a dry suit doesn't make a big difference to me for that situation; if they don't have a clear plan for self rescue it may not really help).

 

[flyfisher]

Dry suit is the best way to go and the safest without question.  That being said, like has been mentioned previously, it is about risk mitigation.  I personally wear chest waders and boots with a dry top and have zero worries about being submerged in a lake type situation.  I tested out this combination multiple times and very little water if any gets inside my waders.  On moving water the situation may be different.

 

I have caught some of my biggest fish in winter and I truly enjoy winter fishing, you just have to be smart about it and you will be fine.

[FishTank]

When I looked into finding something to keep me warm and safe on my kayak in cold weather, I decided it was not worth the trouble.  Rule of thumb for me 60 degrees is the coldest water temp, sealed dry clothes stored in my life jacket, no shoes that would cause me to sink, warm layers, and most importantly, minimum of 5 minutes from shore at all times.   

 

When I did ask about what gear I would need, the best recommendation I received was to look at Patagonia's website.  I came to the determination that I would need two dry suits, wet/dry shoes, and gloves> about $750 at least.  The O'Neil Psycho is what I told to get for extreme cold and the Patagonia Yulex Lite for everything else.  

 

I hoping this weekend will be warm enough to get out.

[Hawkeye21]

Whatever you do, make sure you have an extra set of clothes with you in case you do fall in.  Have some in a dry bag in the hatch of your kayak and have some in your vehicle.

 

I fell in a few weeks ago on a cold, windy day.  The surface temp was 42 and the air temp was also 42.  I was about 12 feet from shore so I tried pulling my kayak with me to shore.  I soon realized that I wasn't getting any closer to shore and thought it was the wind pushing me and the kayak away.  It didn't take long before I started losing movement in my legs.  I had to ditch my kayak to make sure I could get to shore.  Luckily I had my PFD on and I then floated on my back and did the backstroke towards the shore.  It felt like I just barely made it.

 

I quickly stripped off PFD, jacket, and sweatshirt and then laid on the shore for a bit to try and catch my breath and gain some composure.  I was on a small pond so I wasn't too far from my truck so I walked to it so I could strip off the rest of my clothes and get in my truck to dry off and warm up.  There I was, laying in the backseat of my truck in my underwear, still trying to catch my breath and feeling like I was going to throw up.

 

After I recovered some I looked out and say that my kayak was still in the same location on the water instead of blown up against the shore.  I thought I had some clothes in a dry bag in the hatch but that didn't do me any good with it out on the water yet.  It was a good thing that I usually have some clothing in my truck as well so I could put that on and then try to recover my kayak.

 

I found that my kayak was stuck on a submerged tree and that's why I was unable to pull it to shore with me.  All I could think about was how happy I was that I had my PFD on because I don't think I could've even made those 12 feet to shore in the shape I was after trying to pull my kayak with me.  It was the scariest moment I've ever had on the water.  I had early stages of hypothermia with loss of motion, hyperventilating, headache and nausea.  It took me a couple days to feel back to normal.  I've been back out on my kayak three times since then and I still feel shaky on it but I'm gaining more confidence back each time. 

 

Prepare for the worst case scenario because you can't predict when it's going to happen.