life vests

[Jonas Staggs]

So I decided to share my own stupidity with everyone, in the hopes that it may save a life if theres anyone else out there who may be as hard headed or have the same thought process as me. 

 

1) if you kayak, its not a question of if you will  flip. its a question of WHEN. keep that in mind.

 

I didnt like wearing my life vest because it was uncomfortable and got in the way of me fishing. No worries, ill just attach it to my kayak, and if I flip, ill just grab it and put it on and everything will be fine. No worries. I wouldnt doubt theres people out there that may have or had this same idea. What I did not take into consideration is if there is a current, the possiblity of my kayak being swept under, or swept away from me, and me not being able to get to my kayak to get my life vest. I shudder at the thought of the times I ocean kayak fished, and strong currents, rough waters, that I most likely would have died. Also if a idiot boater or jetski runs you over and knocks you out. Your not grabbing your life vest. This also makes me view the draw string life vests as inadequate. You wont pull that string if your KOd.

 

On cinco de mayo I flipped my kayak at lake perris in deep water, but relatively calm water. I wasnt wearing my life vest and it was attached to my kayak. I was more concerned about losing my things and was attempting to fix the kayak myself. I quickly tired out, said F my stuff and grabbed my life vest out of the kayak. It was very difficult to put it on, not as I had planned if this incident happened. I managed to get it on, but not correctly which made float weird and caused more struggle to put it on correctly. I eventually got it on right, and all was well as far as not drowning. I called for help and some boaters nearby came and helped me. They told me they could barely here me.

 

A few things I learned from this incident besides always earing your life vest, is that you should keep your valuables such as phone, keys, wallet on you. And having a fog horn or at least a whistle as well. 

 

I learned my lesson the hard way but it was a needed lesson and luckily I made it through. Its now got me to the point of wanting to wear a life vest when jetty fishing. Slip on a rock and get KO'd and you can drown in a inch of water. 

 

Prior to this I severely underestimated the dangers of the water.  

[Skunkmaster-k]

Glad you’re ok

[A-Jay]

58 minutes ago, Jonas Staggs said:

Prior to this I severely underestimated the dangers of the water.  

Glad you survived, many do not.

So here's my question to you @Jonas Staggs

You've been a member of the Forums here since Oct 2019.

Seems you've been relatively active, authoring several post topics as well as responding to several threads.  During those 20 months or so, there has been a number of threads where "Life Jackets" and Safety were The Main topic.

  What was it about these threads that was unable to motivate Or inspire you to consider the importance of wearing a life jacket and the inherent dangers of not doing so ?

I ask because I've penned several of them myself and would be very interested in hearing what caused me to miss the mark.

Thanks in advance and again, glad your OK.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

 

[BoatSquirrel]

Glad you are still with us Jonas.  Bunch of stuff to replace but its replaceable.  Took my vest off this weekend for a few minutes too but eventually put it back on.  Good lesson and thanks for being so candid.  Condescending much AJ?

[Bankbeater]

Thanks for sharing your story.  It's also a good idea to always wear a life jacket while wading.

[A-Jay]

28 minutes ago, BoatSquirrel said:

Glad you are still with us Jonas.  Bunch of stuff to replace but its replaceable.  Took my vest off this weekend for a few minutes too but eventually put it back on.  Good lesson and thanks for being so candid.  Condescending much AJ?

Really sorry ~ Totally not my intent. 

Just trying to learn how to be better at something I feel pretty strongly about.

Since I even jacked this question up,

clearly I have some work to do.

A-Jay

[TcRoc]

Glad your ok. I have a Whistle attached to my PFD and slid into one of the pockets. Safety safety safety… I don’t have the most comfortable Pfd but if you where it all the time u forget it’s on.. that’s me anyways. Again glad your ok.

[gim]

The quantity of people in yaks and on paddle boards without PFDs here is appalling. I know it says they only have to be accessible, but I don’t think you are going to hide or store a PFD on a paddle board or yak. I think it’s safe to say that if they aren’t wearing it, they don’t have it, which is definitely against state law here. The water patrol would have a hay day if they were ever out there in some capacity other than on Lake Minnetonka.

[Jonas Staggs]

2 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Glad you survived, many do not.

So here's my question to you @Jonas Staggs

You've been a member of the Forums here since Oct 2019.

Seems you've been relatively active, authoring several post topics as well as responding to several threads.  During those 20 months or so, there has been a number of threads where "Life Jackets" and Safety were The Main topic.

  What was it about these threads that was unable to motivate Or inspire you to consider the importance of wearing a life jacket and the inherent dangers of not doing so ?

I ask because I've penned several of them myself and would be very interested in hearing what caused me to miss the mark.

Thanks in advance and again, glad your OK.

Stay Safe

A-Jay

 

 

 

I read plenty of threads and received plenty of great advice on here. I took the advice initially. But after my first time out, and the life vest getting in the way when casting, I quickly took it off and came up with the genius idea of just grabbing it when I needed it. I didnt really take anything else into consideration. specifically current sweeping my kayak under or away from me. And I also didnt take into consideration tiring out. i also always figured I could swim to shore if I needed, as most the time, I was not too far away from some type of structure, even in the ocean. But never considered something like swimming against a current to that structure or fatigue. When I flipped at perris, I wasnt too far from some bouys and trees I could have used to prevent from drowning. Despite being tired, I think I would have been able to make it to them, but that is just stupid to put yourself in a situation like that, that is so easily avoidable. One thing that definitly helped, was I stuffed a few of those square life vest into my sit inside kayak to prevent it from sinking. At the end of the day, I would say the answer to your question would be stupidity, ignorance, hard headedness, comfort, and it wont happen to me thought process. I never took into consideration of not being able to "just grab my vest". I  never took into consideration getting run over by a boat or jetskier as I usually went out on the weekdays. It wasnt until I went on a weekend which was more crowded, and some guys on jet skis zipped by at 100 mph where I just was, luckily I was fishing under the dock when they went by. Its kinda like riding a motorocyle. You dont have to worry about yourself crashing, its all the other idiots on the road that are gonna run you over. There were just a bunch of other "ifs" I never took into consideration.

 

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

The quantity of people in yaks and on paddle boards without PFDs here is appalling. I know it says they only have to be accessible, but I don’t think you are going to hide or store a PFD on a paddle board or yak. I think it’s safe to say that if they aren’t wearing it, they don’t have it, which is definitely against state law here. The water patrol would have a hay day if they were ever out there in some capacity other than on Lake Minnetonka.

 

it freaks me out to see all the people that go out with their dogs. They have a vest on, but their dog does not. 

1 hour ago, TcRoc said:

Glad your ok. I have a Whistle attached to my PFD and slid into one of the pockets. Safety safety safety… I don’t have the most comfortable Pfd but if you where it all the time u forget it’s on.. that’s me anyways. Again glad your ok.

 

thanks man, yes, once I started wearing it, its not bad at all. just took some getting used to. Im not going back out on the water until I get a Sit On Top kayak though. Sit insides are just too dangerous, its a huge design flaw. the d**n things are so tippy and of course they sink when they flip. The only reason I got the sit inside is 2 of our local lakes require your kayak to be a sit inside as its no body contact drinking water supply reservoir. Oh well, I guess I wont be fishing there anymore. 

[BBox_]

I stumbled on this discussion today after having an incident of my own over the weekend. I just got my first bass boat this spring and have always been out fishing on kayaks. Iv always worn the life jacket on kayaks but decided I was ok not wearing it on the boat. All was fine Saturday evening and the top water bite was phenomenal. Two buddies and I were enjoying the calm water for 1 more pass before we headed in to beat a shower coming our way. Well by the time we decided to pack up and head for the boat ramp, that little shower completely blew up into a storm and it was bearing down on us. As it was getting dark, I started heading across the lake to leave when 60 mph winds with gusts even higher came from nowhere, quickly turning the smooth water into something my little bass boat was not meant to handle. There was no time to stop and grab the life jackets and safely put them on before the wind hit, because we were already driving and there was no way to stop at that point or we’d be pushed up into the dam. Long story short, we made it back to the boat dock, but just barely. We were extremely close to capsizing basically the whole trip, and couldn’t even keep the boat pointed in the direction I wanted to go at some points. And we made the trip without life jackets. Had the boat flipped we easily could have not made it. Lesson learned. Wear your life jackets!

[Bluebasser86]

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Really sorry ~ Totally not my intent. 

Just trying to learn how to be better at something I feel pretty strongly about.

Since I even jacked this question up,

clearly I have some work to do.

A-Jay

I didn't read it as condescending. I'm sure it's the same mentality that I share of wanting to protect people, even if it's from themselves at times, and a frustration when those attempts fail. 

 

I've also made the mistake of being young and invincible, so I can understand how the mistake was made. 

 

@Jonas Staggs you got lucky this time man, I'm sure you'll learn from it though. I flipped my last kayak in cold water in early March a few years ago. I'm a good swimmer and had my lifejacket on. The high 40/low 50 degree water still instantly took my breath away and it almost felt as though I blacked out for a second, breathing was the only thing I could think about until I caught my breath and got myself going. Had I not had my lifejacket on, I'm not positive what the outcome would have been as the cold water was quickly stiffening my joints and taking away my dexterity. 

 

I'd gone to an inflatable vest but recent rough rides had me second guessing even that decision. One of my Father's day gifts was a standard fishing lifejacket that I can wear and not worry about if it will inflate or not if it's needed. It's not quite as comfortable as the inflatable, but I'll sacrifice a little comfort for the piece of mind knowing that I'll float if I end up in the water. I'm also trying to get into the habit of having my whistle that I normally keep attached to the kayak, attached to my vest instead. 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Body-Glove-Adult-Fishing-Vest-Size-L-XL-Green/998905647?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=184&&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=42423897272&wl4=aud-1025716567856:pla-51320962143&wl5=9023835&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=998905647&veh=sem&gclid=CjwKCAjw8cCGBhB6EiwAgORey_OhFxJdlIIjI4ToGHAJT1zwumTHW9_jPqmxqlSlXjnjhX5R9DPexBoCcrEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[Koz]

I don't climb into my kayak without wearing my PFD. Mine also came with a whistle tethered to the inside of a zippered pocket.

 

I'm glad you're OK and learned a valuable lesson.

 

I bought the Onyx MoveVent Dynamic Life Vest. $60 well spent.

[Jonas Staggs]

after sharing this story with my cousin. I guess his wifes cousin or other family member, cannot recall exactly. Went kayak fishing with himself and the dog. Found the dog and kayak but not him.

[schplurg]

I saw a river I want to trout fish and it winds through a lot of rocks. There's a very big sign that says "People Drown Here". Thought maybe I'd wear a PFD if I ever go back. Auto inflate since the rocks can knock me out.

 

When I was a kid "nobody" wore lifejackets on the lakes unless they were being towed behind a boat. Even in the boats. My Dad built boats and I've been in them since I was born and rarely had a vest on. Well probably as a small child. I also sat in the back seat next to a big block V8 with my legs a foot or two from open headers sometimes, so - different times  

[Biglittle8]

9 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Really sorry ~ Totally not my intent. 

Just trying to learn how to be better at something I feel pretty strongly about.

Since I even jacked this question up,

clearly I have some work to do.

A-Jay

Knowing your background, I can see why you wrote your original post. It's threads like these that make people think.  Obviously, your passionate about this topic... As we all should be! I'm glad the original poster is ok.

[GaryH]

11 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Really sorry ~ Totally not my intent. 

Just trying to learn how to be better at something I feel pretty strongly about.

Since I even jacked this question up,

clearly I have some work to do.

A-Jay

There’s no need for apology as most know on this site that your safety advice is all giving with deep passion and concern for others.

I personally have changed one of my safety procedures because of your advice. I now wear my 100 mph vest while the big motor is running and my inflatable when trolling.

Thanks for your safety input it’s greatly appreciated.

[MN Fisher]

27 minutes ago, GaryH said:

There’s no need for apology as most know on this site that your safety advice is all giving with deep passion and concern for others.

I listen to @A-Jay just as I listened to my grand-uncle about water safety as they both are/were retired USCG. No better experience available than ex-Coasties...

 

Keep em floating, Andy.

[moguy1973]

I wear my kayak PFD 100% of the time no matter how hot it is, how deep the water is, or what body of water I'm fishing.  For one, it's a good lesson for my daughters to see their dad out there with a PFD on.  Two, you just never know what is going to happen.  A motor boater doesn't see you and hits you, you hit a rock and that rock hits your head when you flip, etc.  Dead is dead and a PFD can help prevent that.

 

I wear a Stolquist Fisherman kayak PFD.  Has a high back pad so it doesn't interfere with the kayak seat.  Has lots of pockets and compartments to keep things like a whistle (which reminds me, I took my whistle off and it's on my boat) and my phone in a waterproof case.  I don't recommend a self inflating PFD for a kayak as it's practically useless if it goes off accidently and you don't have a reset kit with you.

[Jigfishn10]

@Jonas Staggs, thanks for sharing and more importantly, glad you're ok! 

So easy to become complacent not just on the water but with any activity you do. Sometimes a little wake up call is needed. 

Good luck, be healthy and be safe my friend! ?

[Bankc]

I'm glad to hear you're okay.  I always wear my PFD, and I've never flipped my kayak.  However, unless it's a huge, bulky Type 1, it's not designed to keep your head above water if you get knocked unconscious.  Most of what we wear will be Type 3, which are really just designed to keep your body in a place where someone else can quickly retrieve it.  So it's wise to always go with someone else.  And be careful.  A PFD isn't a license to take risks in bad waters.  

 

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  I really wish they'd make professional anglers wear PFD's the whole time their in the boat, not just while the boat is moving.  It would send a strong message to everyone that safety is important, and contrary to what some may believe, you can fish just fine with a PFD on.  It would have saved Pete Lammons life at the FLW event at Sam Rayburn this year.  And he wasn't the first.

[Glenn]

I'm passionate about water safety too.  Here's what I do, and continue to advocate:

 

 

[Darth-Baiter]

I’m 100% PFD. I put it on and off at the truck. 
 

i tried to put it on in a swimming pool and it wasn’t easy. No thanks.  I’m not tethered to my kayak.  Separated, I’m dead. 
 

I won’t enjoy myself if I’m not feeling safe. So wear mine happily. Mine is cinched down snug and everything.  No good if it floats up over my head. 
 

im glad you are okay OP. Thanks for sobering story. 
 

i have a whistle.  It’s on a lanyard clipped to my vest. I tested it in the middle of a lake.  It’s freaky loud.  Made my ears ring a bit.  And I have a rust proof knife.  
 

ive often wondered about my friends that don’t wear vest.  I am not a strong enough swimmer to save them if they go over. Panicking I bet they can flip me over too. Not sure about my thoughts on the matter. 

[Glenn]

16 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I ask because I've penned several of them myself and would be very interested in hearing what caused me to miss the mark.

Definitely not condescending. It's a good question I've asked myself about several videos I've made, such as maintaining and re-arming inflatable vests.  Even the video above has relatively few views.

 

I made a video years ago about preventing spun hubs on props.  Nearly 100% of the comments are from people who just had it happen to them, and now they're looking for ways to prevent it from happening again.

 

Long-winded way of saying, @A-Jay, that it's not you or your posts. It's human nature to "prepare" or try to "prevent" something bad happening only after it's already happened to them.

 

Unfortunately, when it comes to water safety, there's often not a second chance.

[desmobob]

I can say that the safety videos and posts have had an effect on me.  Coupled with the boating safety course I just completed, it added up to enough motivation to change my habits.

 

I started wearing my PFD and using my kill switch lanyard religiously.   Thanks A-Jay and Glenn.

 

 

[CountryboyinDC]

Glad you figured out what was important and made it out okay.  If you believe in a higher power, give a little thanks.