How to prepare for a roll?

I've read several places that most will eventually tip their yaks. I'm new to this and want to hear what precautions the veteran yakers take. I'm most worried about losing rods, reels, and lures in case of a roll. I know to wear a good floatation device to keep from drowning. Do you leash all the rods you carry? Use rod floats? I'm paranoid about my Calcutta, Stradic, or Abu ending up at the bottom of the lake.

Wear a PFD and practice re entry in a lake you know well on a calm day.
Know your limitations and your kayak's limitations
Stay at least 25% under the kayak's weight capacity.
Check the forecast and don't go out in high wind conditions.
If you get surprised by high winds, find a protected cove
Fish with a buddy
Stay centered on your kayak and avoid precarious positions (leaning back and to the side turning around to grab something behind you is not a good position in choppy water)
My guess is that anchoring issues and anchoring mishaps are the #1 source of tipping over inshore. Have a quick release system.



As far as leashing, etc I designed my PVC rod holders with zipties running through the middle of the pvc. These keep my rods in the holders (sometimes too well) My paddle is leashed also.

Different strokes for different folks. Some folks leash everything, including rods. I don't like rod leashes, and rely on floats for conventional rods (which I seldom use). For the fly rods I have Scotty fly rod holders, and I have short lines (about 6"-8") with little carabiners on them tied to the rod holders. On the reel seat I have a short length of line tied between both ends of the reel foot with just enough slack to clip the carabiner to while the rod is in the holder. That will secure the rod if I turtle the boat, but isn't in my way when fishing. I use carabiner bungees to secure my fly bag, water & snack bag, and net to the boat. My paddle is leashed with a string; that doesn't make noise when I drag it on the hull the way most conventional paddle leashes do. Too many lines and leashes can tangle you up in a deep water turtle; be mindful of that. One thing I will do against the advice of the "experts" is bungee myself to the boat when kayaking alone in heavy winds, especially in winter. Having the boat blow away from you in cold water with no help around is not a good survival technique. And in winter, always stow a dry bag with a towel, dry clothing, and lighter (you'll want a fire) in the hull.

Always wear PFD. Secure all of your gear. I tried rod leashes but they tangled on everything and were more trouble than they were worth. I either use rod floats or just clip a carabiner to rods that I'm not holding.

Thanks all, for the input!

Collincountytx I guess I need to start my diet now! My Ascend is rated at max. capacity of 350lbs. At 225lbs that only leaves me a max. of 37lbs for water, gear, snacks, and any fish I catch to keep to stay 25% under capacity. I'm trying to prioritize what to rig and carry along. I also appreciate the advice regarding anchoring and staking out and getting tangled in leashes, I can see how that could get me in trouble.

I'm hoping the rain stops and I can go out to Inks lake tomorrow to practice turtling it and getting back on. My first trips will be with minimal tackle as I practice standing, moving around in the yak, and paddling.

Thanks again.

When ever your not using it get a good habit to put it back, lock it in, clip it, stow it away, strap it down or u will lose it.
Another method some use Is rigging it to float. My paddle, lure, box, cooler, gaff and anchor line all float. Everything else is stowed, locked In, straped or bungeed down.

My tackle tray is velcroed to the bottom of the kayak. The cooler is tied to a thwart with a rope, extra rods and my paddle each have a leash.

FishZoMbiE, what did you do to make your paddle float. I have a snap together I was thinking of filling it with expandable foam so it would float.

I like the idea of velcro for tackle tray.

There's a good chance your paddle already floats. Have you checked? You want to keep it as light as possible; don't foam it if you don't need to.

OK, I'm going to go against some great opinions, ideas and advice. Keep in mind this is just and only my Opinion.
I start out with a very stable Kayak. When I'm fishing I don't and won't take time for or hassle with straps, floats, bungee's etc. The only thing that I always, always put a float on, is me, I never leave shore without my PFD. I try to be very cautious on the water and if I somehow get the wrong side pointing up and loose a bunch or all of my gear I'm willing to take that chance for convenience and enjoyment while I'm on the water.
I may also just be Lazy!

Thats pretty much My mode. I have never tipped but you never know. I carry a good deal of camera gear too. I could lock the camera way in a pelican box but when the shot comes I won't have it available. So its up to you. Know your yak, know what you are prepared to lose and under what conditions and decide if you can accept that.

If you can't stand to lose anything then strap it all down and float it. Its a freedom vs security thing. Seems those two things are always fighting against each other.

This is me too. Leashes and floats will protect your gear but the only thing I prepare is me. PFD, the right kayak, watching the weather, and having the right kayak for when the weather turns which it does here in Texas are key to keeping safe.

For you I would protect your gear until you feel confident on the water. I hated leashes and floats for my rods but feel leashes did better. You only deal with them while pulling them out or putting them in the holders. Floats are always on your rods and I just didn't like it. They are good for the times you let one fall over the side that you are using. Done it but a good slab with treble hooks got I back. I would try both to see which you can deal with. Tackle you can add a lid to your crate. The BlackPac by YakAttack is a great crate and already has a lid. Leash your paddle. It will float at least for a while but it can get blown from your lap and you'll just watch it float away. You'll get lazy after a while when you spend months on the water and your kayak become an extension of you rather than a bobbling boat under you. You can prepare all you like but when or if it happens you won't be completely prepared. Just make sure you never get lazy on keeping yourself prepared. That's the only thing that is priceless. Good luck and welcome to the addiction!

I did notice yesterday when Deric was cast netting for shad he had a empty kayak. Once he got his shad he went to shore and got his gear.

I had a friend who wouldn't leash or put floats on his rods. He never turtled, but he has lost several rods that hung up in overhanging branches and got pulled out of the rod holders. I know one guy who lost a rod when he hooked it and jerked it out of the rod holder while casting another rod. You can lose a rod without turtling.

My son was fishing with a friend out in Cali, first time out in the kayak for the friend. The friend hooked a fish, then set his rod down for some reason. Of course, the fish then swam away with the rod. And it was my son's rod.

Yep, it happens!

For going in and out of the surf I use floats and leashes on my rods. Once I get anchored up, I ditch the leashes.

For fresh water I just use floats. Whichever rod I'm casting with gets the float rmoved.

I'm a long way from getting in the surf or standing and throwing a cast net! I'm sure once I get the feel of the kayak I'll not be as paranoid about loosing gear. As it is I've spent hours trying to figure out the best way to store and rig everything. I'm sure much of that will change once I've been out on it a few times. What is really hard is trying to decide what not to take. Do any of you use bait buckets or live wells. I'm guessing shifting water could be tricky to deal with.

I use a small cooler with ice to keep fresh shad in when I'm fishing for whisker fish, but I never try and keep live bait.
It's best to put your shad in a big zip lock bag, IMO.

If fishing with live bait, I'll take along a flow troll and let it hang off the side of the yak. Pick it up and set in my lap or tank well if moving a good distance.

I put shad in a container and that container in a cooler with ice..

All my paddles float.
Most paddles float without additional floatation because they hold enough air inside.
I havent always used a paddle leash but got tired of having to bungee or clip it down when not being used. I eventually learned to feather It and either keep It In my lap & got a few decent paddle leashes. Then I made myself use them.. Now I throw it in the water when I need it out of my way quick or slide it in the forward bungee and still have the option to bungee it down to the gunnel.
Expandable foam is an option but id try a leash 1st and maybe ad some pieces of Styrofoam inside the shaft instead of expandable foam so it doesnt hold/trap water.

Hey TxSundance I can tell you the Ascend is very stable , I have practiced several times getting in and out of the kayak in deep water and it barely rocks . I have also practiced standing in it and if your balance is good you can do it even in mildly rough water.

Having been dumped out of my Cuda 12 a few times I have moved back to the Wilderness Ride 115. The Cuda 12 is a great kayak and has some features I like but I never have felt it was as stable as my Ride 115. Being dumped out of the kayak gave me a new appreciation for how fast and unpredictable things can happen. You find out quickly what floats and what doesn't . I have floats on most of my rods, I have water proof cameras and floats on them. I use the Plano tackle boxes that seal up and float. I always use a paddle leash on my paddles and I have an extra paddle inside my kayak. I don't ever want to be up the creek without a paddle. I put my PFD on as I am unloading my kayak and take if off when as I am loading my kayak back in my truck. You will always see me wearing my PFD when I get out of my kayak to wade fish. When I was a teenage a family we knew when to the Brazos for a picnic one Sunday after church. The mother and her three small children walked in to the river to wade and stepped off in a hole all drowned. So I am paranoid when it comes to wading.
The best advise is to plan for the day when the kayak dumps you out. It is not "if it happens but when it happens". Stay safe and alway wear your PFD!

I went to Academy today to pickup a paddle leash, whistle, and kayak cart. I'm anxious to get my yak out on the water for a maiden voyage, but I didn't like the leashes in stock so I'm ordering one from Amazon. I need to make a modification to my trailer, finish my diy stake out pole, and mount my transducer and I hope to get her on the water by weeks end for a little while. All of the advice has been great and much appreciated! Any of y'all in the Austin area?

Next time your there check out the float well. I picked one up I doubt I will ever use it for bait but I think it would be cool to use to keep my catch alive especially if I plan to return it to the water after weighing. I saw the same one out in Port Isabel and they wanted $29.00 dollars for it , got it at academy for $19.00 . I envy you living in the Hill Country they have some incredible streams out there and not far from the coast . I would really love to share idea for modding out the Ascend FS12T . I just bought my first fish finder and I'm trying to find the best way to mount it now.

Aquiles, thanks for the heads up on the float well. I've seen someone post a picture of a laundry basket with pool noodles zip tied to it as a float basket. There are a number of river areas not accessible by boat that are around here. I can't wait to explore by yak. I grew up north of Dallas, but came to school here in 79 and knew this is where I had to live.

In terms of the fish finder I'm either going to mount the transducer in the hull where I won't get water temperature or try to rig a scupper mount. I have a Sonar Phone fish finder that I connect to the fish finder unit with a WiFi signal on my phone or tablet for the screen.

I see that a number of you have photos or slide shows in your signature line. I can't seem to find instructions on how to do this if you could point me in the right direction. Do the photos need to be stored in the cloud with a link to them?

"mount the transducer in the hull where I won't get water temperature"
You will get accurate temperature readings with the transducer mounted in the hull. I have two mounted like that and my temp readings mirror those of the guys with scupper mounts. It just takes a little time for the hull to warm or cool to the water temperature. Depending on the difference between the air and water temps, it can be anywhere from five to twenty minutes, in my experience.

Jim,
Thanks for that input! I was leaning towards mounting it in the hull since I wanted the battery below deck. That is the way I'm going for sure now.

Ocean Kayak makes a battery bag that mounts under the deck in the bow, just ahead of your hatch. You might want to look at that.