Quote Originally Posted by DarkSkies View Post
Please, guys, hypothermia is no joke. Every year I push myself a little harder and end up with some stage of hyporthermia at least once. Learn to recognize the signs and pay attention.

Your lives, and your importance to your families, is more important than a fish.
I'm bumping this to the top. Discussing this with Shorelady and some kayakers I know, I realized many of us don't think about the implications of a lapse in safety precautions as much as we should.

I was out fishing some areas by foot the other night in the dense fog. Visibility about 30-50 feet in front of me. There were very few fish where I was, and they were scattered. It occurred to me I could have done better by trolling for them in a yak.

In this specific cove-like area I was in, that might have not been much of a safety issue.
In the Western Sound rocky areas I fish by yak, that might not have been a problem either as boats can't fish there because of the rockpiles all over.

If you're in a yak, you're in the least visible small craft out there. Doesn't matter if your yak is day-glo yellow or chartreuse and you have reflective tape all over, you're still invisible in the dark or fog and at risk for a collision with a boat every time you're out there. Of course, many of us wisely try to minimize that risk, but it still exists....

However, sometimes our eagerness to get a fish in a yak is not a good thing.
Remember, they're still looking for the body of that young kid that went missing after a Navesink River NJ kayak trip last fall in cold water. He probably froze in that cold water, and his body shut down, long before his lungs filled with water. It must have been a horrible death for him, and even more horrible as his family re-lives his last moments and won't have closure until his body is found...


If some of you think the above images suggested by my words are too graphic, too bad. My only sympathies are for the family, who may not really have closed this chapter in their lives until he is found. I really feel for that family, and think of how I would feel if it were me or someone in my family that happened to.

My point: even though the above example was tragic, we should look to that when we think it's ok to push our limits. I admit I've pushed things at times, but also try to think of my family and loved ones at home when I'm out there. What will happen to them if I don't make it back from this trip because of a careless decision in my eagerness to get into fish?

I'd like anyone who reads this, to think of that too...how precious is the life you have, not only to you but to others who depend on you...can you afford to risk that on the water?....safety requires not only constant vigilance, but also preparation, studying techniques, and reading up on safety and safety gear long before you head out there. ....please try to be safe, folks, and thanks for reading.