Tie it All Down !

[PerryC]

FS23,
Welcome to the forums

My first kayak had small hatches on it, so I didn't have the option to stow my rods below deck like I do now. What I used to do was remove the reels and put them below or in a dry bag. Then I would take a small piece of cord and tie the rods down to some deck loops I installed on the deck of the kayak. They're still exposed, but they are laying down instead of standing up at a 90 degree angle. Very good idea with the extra sunglasses. I always carry an extra pair also, but fishing partners have seemed to wear them more when they forget or lose theirs.

The guys are right on about playing in waves with your kayak or whatever watercraft one launches in the surf. It never hurts to have some practice. I took a kayak surf zones class from southwind kayaks down in Irvine,CA. I think they still offer them also if you're interested. It was "Good Stuff" as they say. TC&TL,
Perry

[markb]

I had an interesting mishap last weekend I dont want to repeat it but it made for a good story to friends. On my maiden fishing trip with my new kayak, I couldn't retrieve some tackle I wanted under my center hatch it had shifted to the stern. After trying some pelvic thrust type movements to coax the tackle box forward I decided land on the beach inside the bay I was fishing. Got lined up 90 degrees to the small 1 - 2 foot waves waited for the last wave of the set and paddled hard to the sand. when I went to pop out of my boat i found i had trapped my swim trunks in the center hatch. The few seconds it took to open the hatch and free myself I was hit by the next set. The first wave spun 45 degrees the next broke over and I got soaked. lesson learned !

[Tarpon guy]

Mark,

That's a great story and very funny, if you weren't the guy there!

Kayak fishing rule # 100: Always know where your shorts are!

[Robert]

You never know when you might flip over. I flipped my Tarpon in San Diego Bay
when the water was almost like glass. I hadn't flipped in years and got over confident. I didn't see any need to have leashes on my rods. After all nothing
could possibly happen on flat calm water with almost zero boat traffic, right?
Wrong! I lost 2 of my favorite spinning setups and a lot of tackle. I have leashes on all of my rods when I go out now. No matter where it is.

Robert

[Tarpon guy]

Robert,

I did the same thing a few months ago. It's the only time I flipped for no particular reason. I blamed myself, but now that I see it happened to you, I think it must be our Tarpons! Maybe we should check for a recall notice?

I guess for all of us, the movements we make in the boats become very deliberate and without thinking about it, you always maintain your center of gravity. Normally!

I was fishing the edge of the kelp beds. I swung my legs around to sit sideways. As I did, I leaned back like you would if you were swinging around on a park bench, or something like that. It all happened in a second. I was wearing a wet suit and sitting in a little water, so maybe it was easier to slide. Anyhow, As I swung around, I leaned back, slid over the gunnel, my feet hit the bottom of the boat and kicked it the rest of the way over.

On the bright side, it was the first time I really tested my PFD and wet suit. I was warm and bobbed back up like a cork. When I went to right the boat, it turned about half way and stopped. I thought, "Man, this is weird!" Then I looked to the stern and saw that one of my rods was hung in the kelp. I cleard the rod and it was very easy to flip the yak and get back on board. I lost one rod and reel. Happily, it was some of my less expensive gear, so I think it was a cheap lesson learned.

[fishslayer23]

I'm glad I started this thread. Thank's Hank for sharing Jim Sammons story. It would have saved me from flipping. When I was a kid going to Santa Monica rafting and boogie boarding (aging myself) I knew to always roll into the wave and stay down until the board passes. This saved my ass from getting hit by the Yak. Jim Sammons story is also in the latest edition of WON and I read it the day before I read your post. Perry C thanks for the input and if I had tied my rods down horizontal and not had them at 90 degrees they would be OK today. My Ocean Kayak Malibu 11 has one small hatch cover. From now on I'm taking the reels down and put them in dry bag. Crookies on glasses is always a good idea. I looked for mine that morning but could not find it. Now I'm paying for it. This is a great site and anxious to gain more insight from everyone.