So the weather report was extremely inaccurate for this past Saturday. The wind was only supposed to be 7-8 mph after 8pm but it got up to at the very least 15-18 mph, AFTER I was already on the water. The waves started getting big. I decided to wait it out hoping it would die back down (partially because I was catching fish) but it never did.

While I was reeling in a blue cat and not paying attention a very large rogue wave came out of nowhere and flipped me over. Yes, I was wearing my pfd; I then flipped the yak back over, saved what gear I could (my dry bag most importantly), and got back on board. Dry bag had my wallet, keys and cell phone. Called the DPD and they sent out a boat to pick me up; they had to have a helicopter come find me first so the boat could find me. I am very grateful for their help.

I learned a lot from this experience. I will now tether my paddle (when I buy a replacement) to the kayak along with my battery powered 360 light. I also will not trust the weather forecast nearly as much. I also will not try and wait out the wind if I get stuck in a similar situation. I would have made it back fine if I had left when the wind first picked up; it would have just been a tiring mile and a half back to my launch site against the strong wind.

All in all, it was an experience I wont forget. I did end up with a nice stringer of blues, biggest going 10 lbs.

Total Casualties:

1x Kayak Paddle
2x Fishing Rod n Reel
1x Battery powered 360 light
1x Tackle box with about $30-$40 worth of tackle
1x Digital Scale
1x Headlamp
1x Hat
1x Can of Pringles (Cheddar)
1x Pair of socks n shoes
1x Towel

P.S. I did manage to save my brand new $300 yeti cooler. Its by far the most expensive single item on the yak.

Ouch!

Glad you are OK. Good rule is if the chop makes you uncomfortable, get off the water

You shoulda saved the Pringles! Priorities

Mmmm...Cheddar Pringles!!!


In all seriousness...glad you are ok.

Man, glad you are okay. Many people don't take the wind forcast lightly. Depending on what lake you get on a 10mph wind can make a tough day on one lake and a deadly day on another.

Man that stinks, glad you made it through and learned from it though. Pretty scary situation especially in the dark...thanks for sharing

Thanks. I did consider leaving, but I kept checking the forecast and it was for 7-8 mph wind so I kept thinking it would die back down. It just never did. If I'm gonna flip over I would rather do it while anchored (like what happened) rather than flipping while paddling.

Guessing your were out on Hubbard? It sure doesn't take much of a south wind to get pretty crazy on large parts of that lake.

I assume you were on Ray Hubbard since you called DPD.
Just know that Ray Hubbard, Lewisville, and Ray Roberts are notorious for having pop up storms and wind.
I also recommend never going out (especially at night) by yourself.
Those fish will still be there when the weather get nice.

Also something else to mention... Where I was positioned on the lake was way up where the main creek feeds the lake. The current was pretty strong and pushing me the opposite direction from the wind. So the current was pushing me south and the wind was pushing me north (coming from the south). If there wasn't a current, the anchor probably would have kept me from flipping. The wave just would've crashed over the top of my yak, which would have been a lot less disastrous.

Yes I was on hubbard.

99% of the time I don't have any other option than going alone. Hardly anyone I know fishes and the ones that do don't have yaks. I usually post an open invite on here most times that I go but that's always hit or miss. I'm not going to skip a fishing trip to wait for someone to come with me. I'm too addicted.

And the fact that it was at night was irrelevant to the problem. It would have happened during the day too. It would have been easier for them to find me during the day but that's it.

Wind was much higher than forecast Friday morning as well on Arlington. They called for 5-7 MPH and i was drifting at 1.5 MPH while dragging two 4oz weights on my catfish rigs

It had to be 15 MPH+, and was white capping even before the sun came up. I eventually gave up and moved into a little cove to block most of the wind. Was frustrating

I don't ever trust the wind from the weather. When I hear a report that the winds are only going to be 5-10, I'm guessing really they will be 15-20. I always add 5 to the min/max and that what usually is about right. I got out on the water friday morning and knew there was going to be 10-15 MPH wind, but it really was higher than that. There was several times where my 2.5 pound anchor wouldn't hold me unless it caught something underwater like grass. I've been in 25 MPH wind with gusts higher than that... I will never do that again.

You're Blessed bud...glad you made it out safely!!!

Glad you made it out okay.