Hard Learning... - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

walrus · 07-15-2013, 08:01 AM

Thanks for the safety lessons, sorry you had learned the hard way, making it easy for the rest of us.

I heard of three incidents since June first where having a knife accessible has saved the day. All three incidents also involved using braid. I'm moving my knife from the PFD pocket to an easier to reach in a hurry place...today!

Thanks again, and truly sorry for your misfortune.

roby · 07-15-2013, 08:14 AM

First off, I’m glad everything worked out and I’m glad Jim posted so others can learn from the experience…

It was about 11:45 when you got hit. I was so excited I first looked at my fish finder to see if there were any WSB marks. In the corner of my eye I saw Jim slide off his kayak and then I looked at his fishing line and saw it surfacing to a big splash 50 feet away. It was definitely a seal. In the next moment, his kayak flipped over and about 6-8 seals started to splash around us. I’m not sure if the seals were being aggressive or not. The scene of Jim in the water, his kayak flipped and the seals jumping with just my head lamp on us made for a surreal moment. In my mind I was thinking, “This could get ugly real fast.” In a few minutes I saw the seals heading towards the squid boats.

Jim tells me right after the flip, “My braid is wrapped around my leg.” I immediately tell him if he needs my knife so he could cut the braid.

Like the true angler that Jim is, he says, “I think the fish is still on.”

Fortunately, there was nothing at the end of his line and we proceeded to get Jim back on his kayak. He was tangled up real bad. Not only was the braid around his legs but it was wrapped around his kayak. Jim tried to flip the kayak but it seemed the braid and his filled up waders were not allowing the kayak to get flipped easily. Braid has great properties for fishing, but at this time it was working against us.

I remember one thing Jim told me that night that stood out in my mind. He said with his waders filled up with water he really couldn't move. Any effort he put towards swimming/treading was not effective (it was suggested later that he take his waders off).

Eventually when the kayak was righted we could tell his kayak had a substantial amount of water in it. It wasn’t filled but there was enough water to make it tippy. I had to hold his kayak while he got back on, but he did it with much effort since his waders were filled. Jim pumped out his kayak and assessed what was lost and started to re-rig his rods; I pedaled around and picked up a couple items I saw floating around.

Jim was in the water for a decent amount of time. We were lucky there was hardly a breeze and that it was virtually a lake out there that night. Jim’s a die-hard kayak angler and he handled everything in a calm, cool way.

Overall, it was a great learning experience.

Raskal311 · 07-15-2013, 08:21 AM

Time to get a small vest knife...

PE.rider · 07-15-2013, 10:50 AM

Glad to see you make it safely back to tell your tale. It was good that you had your PFD on and that you had a buddy with you.

Aside from the points you made about needing a vest knife and other stuff, I wanted to add that it really helps to have a hand bilge pump to help bail the water out of your yak afterwards.

Also, I've always been wary of yakking with waders, since I've had previous experiences myself when water got into even a full wader outfit... belt worn and all. This is why I stick to board shorts in the daytime, and a wetsuit or non-cotton pants in the night.

We often see the checklist of stuff that Yak Anglers need to bring with them, but it takes events such as yours to realize just how important they are.

Thanks for sharing your experience and lessons learned.

07-15-2013, 08:21 AM	#3
Raskal311 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Santa Ana/Westminster Posts: 1,258	Time to get a small vest knife... __________________ Kevin Yellow PA12

07-15-2013, 08:01 AM	#1
walrus Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Baja fish camp Posts: 478	Thanks for the safety lessons, sorry you had learned the hard way, making it easy for the rest of us. I heard of three incidents since June first where having a knife accessible has saved the day. All three incidents also involved using braid. I'm moving my knife from the PFD pocket to an easier to reach in a hurry place...today! Thanks again, and truly sorry for your misfortune.

07-15-2013, 08:14 AM	#2
roby CEO of Team Roby Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 905	First off, I’m glad everything worked out and I’m glad Jim posted so others can learn from the experience… It was about 11:45 when you got hit. I was so excited I first looked at my fish finder to see if there were any WSB marks. In the corner of my eye I saw Jim slide off his kayak and then I looked at his fishing line and saw it surfacing to a big splash 50 feet away. It was definitely a seal. In the next moment, his kayak flipped over and about 6-8 seals started to splash around us. I’m not sure if the seals were being aggressive or not. The scene of Jim in the water, his kayak flipped and the seals jumping with just my head lamp on us made for a surreal moment. In my mind I was thinking, “This could get ugly real fast.” In a few minutes I saw the seals heading towards the squid boats. Jim tells me right after the flip, “My braid is wrapped around my leg.” I immediately tell him if he needs my knife so he could cut the braid. Like the true angler that Jim is, he says, “I think the fish is still on.” Fortunately, there was nothing at the end of his line and we proceeded to get Jim back on his kayak. He was tangled up real bad. Not only was the braid around his legs but it was wrapped around his kayak. Jim tried to flip the kayak but it seemed the braid and his filled up waders were not allowing the kayak to get flipped easily. Braid has great properties for fishing, but at this time it was working against us. I remember one thing Jim told me that night that stood out in my mind. He said with his waders filled up with water he really couldn't move. Any effort he put towards swimming/treading was not effective (it was suggested later that he take his waders off). Eventually when the kayak was righted we could tell his kayak had a substantial amount of water in it. It wasn’t filled but there was enough water to make it tippy. I had to hold his kayak while he got back on, but he did it with much effort since his waders were filled. Jim pumped out his kayak and assessed what was lost and started to re-rig his rods; I pedaled around and picked up a couple items I saw floating around. Jim was in the water for a decent amount of time. We were lucky there was hardly a breeze and that it was virtually a lake out there that night. Jim’s a die-hard kayak angler and he handled everything in a calm, cool way. Overall, it was a great learning experience.

07-15-2013, 10:50 AM	#4
PE.rider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: OC, CA Posts: 234	Glad to see you make it safely back to tell your tale. It was good that you had your PFD on and that you had a buddy with you. Aside from the points you made about needing a vest knife and other stuff, I wanted to add that it really helps to have a hand bilge pump to help bail the water out of your yak afterwards. Also, I've always been wary of yakking with waders, since I've had previous experiences myself when water got into even a full wader outfit... belt worn and all. This is why I stick to board shorts in the daytime, and a wetsuit or non-cotton pants in the night. We often see the checklist of stuff that Yak Anglers need to bring with them, but it takes events such as yours to realize just how important they are. Thanks for sharing your experience and lessons learned.