I had a very close call last night.. At about 9:15pm I had just finished reeling in all my rods, turned on my headlamp as it was just getting to dark to see, and started to pull in my kayak anchor. I was sitting in 30fow white bass fishing for the last few hours when it happened. The anchor hung some brush or trees and I couldn't free it. The wind had been howling pretty good and there were 3 to 4 foot white caps while I was fighting to free the little thing.. Right before I decided to cut it, I gave it one last pull and it freed itself. The sudden shift in weight, combined with a perfectly timed roller was all it took.
Before I knew it I was in the water with a flipped kayak, alone in the middle of the lake, with no pfd on, and I couldn't find any of my stuff -including my paddle. Something had banged me on the head pretty good during the flip and it had me a little disoriented. The first thing I found was my dry box which contained my keys, wallet, and phone. This was a start.. Then the paddle (my leash had broken somehow when I turtled). 10 yards away I see my pfd so I decide to leave my kayak and swim for it. I reach it finally, but when I grab for it I quickly realize my only rod that wasn't on the bottom of the lake was hung on it by the 1oz slab I had been fishing with. The barb buried deep into my hand and I couldn't get it out.
Time to swim back to the kayak. Somehow I manage to flip it over, I throw all I can that I see around me inside, and jump in. At this point I guess adrenaline took over and the next thing I know I am at the ramp. No one ever saw any of this..

Glad to hear you made it back OK.

This can be a learning experience and in the future, a great story.

Equipment can always be replaced

I always wear my PFD... spent some money and got one that was comfortable to wear all the time. I am glad it turned out for the best.

Yikes, Thanks for sharing this. I think there may be a lesson or two in this story. I'm glad you made it back.
Did you have trouble sleeping last night?

+1

Wow - glad you are ok. Always good to hear about these things although they can be a bit embarrassing at times - allows us all to re-think what can happen and how we would handle it.

A few of my thoughts - right or wrong. I want my phone/wallet/and keys on my person. My thought is at worst case I may make a swim for shore. I have come to an easy conclusion that all my stuff can be replaced but the most important thing is me getting to safety. And that safety may include being able to contact the necessary people and/or the ability to drive out. And having some cash and ID on you can only help. The extra minute or so to find your drybox may mean the difference of making it to shore or not.

PFD - admittedly, I have yakked the majority of my years without wearing one. However, at a minimum these days, when the conditions are bad or when I lose daylight, the vest is a necessity. Likewise (in any condition) the realization that you may lose conscious during a flip only reinforces a PFD-at-all-times mentality. In motorcycling, we call it AGATT (all-gear-all-the-time)....applies in kayaking as well. I know I am comitted to being more conscious when I hear these stories.

Additionally, I keep a whistle attached to the boat as well as to my PFD. However, if I don't have on the PFD and the boat is abandoned (unlikely but possible), then the whistles do no good. I always keep line clippers around my neck....maybe makes sense to keep a small whistle there as well. Same thoughts for a light as well....certainly when it gets dusk. I'm going to give this some more thought.

Lures. ALthough I often don't practice this, IMO it makes sense to hook your lures at the reel or eyelight closest to the reel. If you become hooked, you don't have the leverage of the full length of the rod working on you and you are more likely to be in reach of the reel to spool it and take some of the pressure off. Of course, clippers help. I can bite through most mono or fluoro but I can only cut braid, so having something readily on your person can assist in that.

I often carry a rod with a larger topwater like a pencil popper with me and realize it is only a go-to rod under the right and limited conditions - it is often never used but it is always an accident waiting to happen. I've pierced shirts and skin with such lures before just doing normal activities in the boat, so I sometimes do what is shown in the pic (this was this past week on Texoma). It looks goofy but better than driving to the ER with a pencil popper on my arm/hand/shoulder/face. (shiny thing on rod on left in the pic is aluminum foil wrapped around the pencil popper).






Your sig pic shows a SINK....is that what you were in at the time?

2 Things:

1. So glad it only turned out to be a close call. To each his own, but while occasionally I'll take off the vest to cool off when paddling with others, I just never do it while fishing alone. Sounds like you kept your wits and that really helped. A good lesson.

2.Your sig is one of the most impressive 'big bass in a kayak' pics I've ever seen. AWESOME!

The pic of the SINK was my previous yak. I currently cruise a 10ft pescador SOT.

Again, I cant thank my lucky stars enough. I want all of you to know that in my opinion what I was doing was just downright STUPID. You should never fish alone in the dark, in the wind, with no pfd on, in a 10ft kayak. Ohh ya, did I say alone.. I had just become so accustomed to doing it that I had the mentality that it could never happen to me. I was wrong. Be safe out there guys. Now I have to replace the $800 worth of equipment currently sitting in 30fow...

being in a kayak definately puts you in a poor position to horse a stuck anchor out. I dont know what type of anchor you have but using one of the fold up types with the zip tie method has really worked well for me. use the really small zip ties. But I have learned to cut off my anchor before yankin to hard.

Your life is worth more than your gear....as you know. But it is even better if you can save both. I usually tether everything - often the only thing not tethered (or connected in some way) may be a lure box or two and the rod I am using.

Glad you're ok. Would hate to read in the paper that Todd drowned. Hear is a good way to attach an anchor that could help in the future. You can also attach your rope to the bottom of the anchor and use a zip tie on the top. If it snags the zip tie will break easier and allow you to pull from the bottom of the anchor.

http://dizzybigfish.co.uk/anchoring-in-the-kayak-ultimate-guide/

Glad you made back to shore. It sucks you lost some gear but all that [censored] can get replaced. Be safe out there.

I did learn a valuable lesson. I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyways. [censored] move..