Boat Nearly Collides With Kayak.....

[Tennessee Boy]

2 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Not sure who you're referring to specifically but I don't call this invisible:

Like I said earlier the kayaker in the video did everything right.     I encounter so many that seem like that are trying to hide.  It seems that the most popular color kayak is olive green.  That’s the same color as most of the water I fish.  Look at the OP’s photo as an example.  Olive green kayak and life jacket,  camo clothes and hat.  Why?

[Crow Horse]

5 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Look at the OP’s photo as an example.  Olive green kayak and life jacket,  camo clothes and hat.  Why?

I want to blend in and not be seen. I fish a very small body of water and there are no motorized vessels allowed. I don't want to advertise that I'm fishing this out of the way pond. I also get to see more wildlife.

 

More to point is why run full throttle when by the nature of the vessel, visibility is limited?

[gim]

@Susky River Rat I do agree that it’s by design on the wake boats. It’s like they don’t even know the damage they cause, or don’t care. Frankly, I don’t really give a rip which one it is.

 

@TnRiver46 in a tiller, passengers are not supposed to ride up front. I used one for many years and it added too much weight to the bow, making the v hull plow too much. Passengers are supposed to ride midship for both visibility purposes and weight distribution in a tiller.

 

I often have close encounters with kayakers (both fishing and recreation) while I’m fishing. They feel like because they are in a kayak, they can go past much closer. It’s not really a safety issue, it’s an ethics issue. Keep your distance from everyone whether your in a boat or kayak or whatever. If I can cast to you, you’re too close. I always give others a very wide berth whether moving or fishing.

[Fishingmickey]

     I had the thought that video might be a You-tuber ploy for sensationalism or increased hit's.  Due to the way the boat was being video-ed long before it got close.  Then I checked the number of subscribers and hits. Made me think it is legit close call and not staged. I do know about "lake lice" PWC that have the let me get close so you can look me while I wing-ding circles around you syndrome.

     I've been kayak fishing pretty religiously for over 10 years on a lot of lakes and some of them are very crowded at times. You get all the slices of humanity on the water. Some of them are less intelligent then other's in their boat driving habits. I feel I am the one ultimately responsible for my own safety and make my decisions accordingly.

FM

[Susky River Rat]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

They feel like because they are in a kayak, they can go past much closer.

I have had them bump into me while fishing on lakes. It was my fault because “I am powered I’m the giveaway” I said that is not the case when I am in the act of fishing. 

[MN Fisher]

15 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

I said that is not the case when I am in the act of fishing. 

If you're anchored (spot locked), you have the right-of-way....doesn't matter if you're on an SUP or in a 50' cruiser...'parked' boat has right-of-way

[Dwight Hottle]

21 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

If you're anchored (spot locked), you have the right-of-way....doesn't matter if you're on an SUP or in a 50' cruiser...'parked' boat has right-of-way

That's not the case if your anchored in a navigable channel.

[MN Fisher]

Just now, Dwight Hottle said:

That's not the case if your anchored in a navigable channel.

I was talking in general terms, Dwight....there are exceptions - such as you mentioned.

[Tennessee Boy]

2 hours ago, Crow Horse said:

I want to blend in and not be seen. I fish a very small body of water and there are no motorized vessels allowed. I don't want to advertise that I'm fishing this out of the way pond. I also get to see more wildlife.

 

More to point is why run full throttle when by the nature of the vessel, visibility is limited?

Thanks for answering my question.   I hope the question did not come across as judgmental.  I was fishing down a bank last year and made several cast around a kayak that was in some bushes before I saw it.  The guy was dressed like he was on a special opps mission.  The vast majority of kayaks I see are in water that I wouldn’t go more than 10 mph in so visibility is not important.   There are of course some guys that will run 60 mph in that same water.

[slowworm]

8 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Like I said earlier the kayaker in the video did everything right.     I encounter so many that seem like that are trying to hide.  It seems that the most popular color kayak is olive green.  That’s the same color as most of the water I fish.  Look at the OP’s photo as an example.  Olive green kayak and life jacket,  camo clothes and hat.  Why?

Because I also use my fishing kayak for wildlife photography. Not that I'm any good at that mind you, but I try!

 

In general, I don't kayak big waters where the boats are.  There is one lake I do share with boats, but I fish that exclusively in the no-wake channels and use the kayak to get past the junk into the backwaters where the boats cannot go.  There are some deeper areas protected by rocky shoals.  On that lake I take either boat or the yak depending on how I want to fish it.

 

Generally, if the boat can go there, I take the boat.

[BigAngus752]

On 4/18/2024 at 9:07 AM, Tennessee Boy said:

I worry about hitting kayaks.

^^^This is me constantly when I'm up on plane.  Constantly.^^^

I never have my front seat mounted in place, I keep my trim set so I can see as much in front of me as possible, I pay total attention and STILL have have had a couple of scares.  ANY kind of rough water and we struggle to see you guys regardless of color, flags, etc.  I'm not a kayaker.  I would hope that anyone who IS a kayaker is also an experienced boater so they know what they look like on the water. 

 

I got my first real motorcycle when I was 9 years old (I had a minibike before that) and I started racing at 12yrs.  My mom used to tell people that I came out on two wheels.  I tell people that EVERYONE should be REQUIRED to ride a motorcycle on the road before they are allowed to have a car or truck.  It's the best way to become a safe, defensive driver.  That mentality should apply here.  Any kayaker should have the you-know-what scared out of them as they are up on plane in a bass boat and a kayak appears "out of nowhere".  Maybe the accident is my fault but you're still dead.  Same as a motorcycle.  I get mad at a lot of car/truck drivers but I know that I'm a pile of gristle at the end of it, no matter whose fault it is.  Funny thing, most semi drivers are awesome.  It's been extremely rare to have an issue with a semi.  It's the Prius or the minivan that's going to do me in. 

 

 

[Crow Horse]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I hope the question did not come across as judgmental.

No offense taken. It was a valid question.

[FishTax]

I only fish small lakes, meaning 1k acres or less, about half of which is electric only. I had a boat come up on me in a cove, and we started chatting. There was a tournament and I hadn't been in danger but had been rocked by pretty hard wake several times in a row when totally unnecessary and I was irritated because it seemed pretty intentional. He told me he throws less wake wide open than going slow, so I shouldn't complain about people going 20 yards from me wide open because that's better. I didn't respond because I didn't know what to say to that, I think I just stared at him. 

[Bigbox99]

A private lake I fish limits kayaks to no wake zones only and this is something I practice there and on other bodies of water.  Stick close to shore in the main body and free roam in coves/bays in bodies of water that allow boats to get on plane.  If the whole lake is no wake then it's a free for all.  

[MN Fisher]

Just now, Bigbox99 said:

A private lake I fish limits kayaks to no wake zones only and this is something I practice there and on other bodies of water.  Stick close to shore in the main body and free roam in coves/bays in bodies of water that allow boats to get on plane.  If the whole lake is no wake then it's a free for all.

Doesn't always help. One time I was in the old canoe...inside the no-wake buoys on one bay...wake boat charges through at speed INSIDE the buoys, so in the no-wake zone.

[Bigbox99]

18 hours ago, FishTax said:

I only fish small lakes, meaning 1k acres or less, about half of which is electric only. I had a boat come up on me in a cove, and we started chatting. There was a tournament and I hadn't been in danger but had been rocked by pretty hard wake several times in a row when totally unnecessary and I was irritated because it seemed pretty intentional. He told me he throws less wake wide open than going slow, so I shouldn't complain about people going 20 yards from me wide open because that's better. I didn't respond because I didn't know what to say to that, I think I just stared at him. 

I had a drunk blow past me on plane in a pleasure boat within 6 feet of me and there wasn't even a wake to be felt.  I was about 3 feet off of a dock in a no wake zone too.  The lake police ended up getting him after watching him do laps drunkenly around the lake.

[Johnbt]

Approximately 9% of males have bad red-green color vision. Even the ones with a mild case of it - like me - only see red clearly in very good light. So please don't rely on your little pointy red flag hanging limp on the pole to get you noticed. 

 

 

"There are different degrees of color blindness. Some people with mild color deficiencies can see colors normally in good light but have difficulty in dim light. Others cannot distinguish certain colors in any light. The most severe form of color blindness, in which everything is seen in shades of gray, is uncommon."

 

I had a rich uncle on my mother's side who saw the world in blacks and whites and grays. We always joked that he could see green if it was the color of money.

 

[TnRiver46]

My brother is red/green color blind and my dad was completely color blind . I think I can see fine but I’m just guessing 

[Crow Horse]

8 hours ago, Johnbt said:

Approximately 9% of males have bad red-green color vision. Even the ones with a mild case of it - like me - only see red clearly in very good light. So please don't rely on your little pointy red flag hanging limp on the pole to get you noticed. 

This is a very good point. Maybe a high mounted strobe for waters that get a lot of traffic?

[pdxfisher]

I do my best to be visible. My kayak is bright yellow-green, I wear bright clothes and have a flag. I also have a whistle on my pdf right in front that I can grab and blow in about 2 seconds. I have been fortunate to not have had any accidental close calls but I keep my head on a swivel. I am not sure what else I can do.

[Koz]

I have a safety flag and nav lights on my kayak and a whistle clipped to my vest. But it can still be scary out there.

 

The lakes I fish now are dammed up rivers, so they are comprised of a twisty, narrow main channel and both big and small creek channels. What that means is tight traffic throughout most of the lake.

 

Where it gets scary is when I have to cut across the main channel to get where I need to go. I look for where it’s narrowest and make my way across at 3 mph keeping my head on a swivel at all times.

 

If a boat comes perpendicular to me, when it starts to get close I may turn parallel to its path. 

 

Because the lakes are so narrow the only time I fish the main channel is early in the morning. Once the pontoon boats and jet skis hit the water I’m staying in the narrow creek channels as much as possible. That’s too bad because that’s often where the fish are.

[J Francho]

I'm not sure I follow the logic of turning parallel to a boat approaching on your flank. There's a rules regarding that situation, and it doesn't make sense to make yourself appear smaller. I'd stay on my heading and not make any drastic changes to avoid confusion. It seems like if everything is going right (I know and even felt the opposite myself as a situation develops), why introduce new variables?  The tendency - and rule - would be for the approaching boat to turn right regardless of your position. What do you gain by getting parallel, or head on, with and approaching boat. You're not in a position to get out of the way should it actually go wrong. 

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

I'm not sure I follow the logic of turning parallel to a boat approaching on your flank. There's a rules regarding that situation, and it doesn't make sense to make yourself appear smaller. I'd stay on my heading and not make any drastic changes to avoid confusion. It seems like if everything is going right (I know and even felt the opposite myself as a situation develops), why introduce new variables?  The tendency - and rule - would be for the approaching boat to turn right regardless of your position. What do you gain by getting parallel, or head on, with and approaching boat. You're not in a position to get out of the way should it actually go wrong. 

 

I can understand his logic and use it some myself.  In theory, if there is a boat coming from my 10:00 and we are both angling for the same point and bound for a collision, then he has to turn to his left and parallel me or he has to turn hard right and go behind me.  I am the stand on boat and shouldn't have to alter my path.  However, given that most boaters don't know or don't abide by those rules, I'm not taking the change that he'll suddenly remember them when we are angling for a collision.  As much as I'm in the right, the number one rule of boating is don't get in a collision.  So in my example if I turn to the right 60 degrees or so we are now parallel and no longer going to intersect.  He's going a lot faster than me, so he'll run past me and I'll turn back those 60 degrees toward my destination.

 

In a similar situation (depending on distance on the boats speed) I'll also just throttle down/off so that he's through the intersection point long before I get there.

 

I love being right.  I also love being alive.

[JediAmoeba]

On 4/18/2024 at 9:25 AM, Bankc said:

That's happened to me several times.  And a couple of times, I'm pretty sure it was on purpose.  Sometimes those guys in the big bass boats don't like us kayakers fishing "their spots".  

I know boaters that purposely wash out kayakers when they are out on the lake...

[J Francho]

You may want to consult the coast guard rules of navigation. In no circumstances is pointing your bow toward a faster moving, oncoming vessel when you are underway correct. That is how I interpreted the response from Koz.