My involuntary swim in HMB 9-21-08

Yolo County...hmmm gets a little warm in those parts ehhh? 

Anyway, if we focus on the saltwater trips on the coast, it's cold, foggy or overcast a good portion of the time.  There have been days when the sun did generate enough heat for it to get toasty but then you straddle the yak and cool your feet in the water.

I used to just wear a farmer john and a paddling jacket but got tired of getting wet.  So I tried using the light breathable waders and they worked great unless I went for a swim.  Mine you, they're not the heavy rubber coated or neoprene waders, those would immobilize anyone.  You can find breathable waders on Ebay for $40 otherwise you can buy them for $200 at a fly fishing shop.

If you have a 3mm farmer john as opposed to a 5mm or 7mm then that will allow you to move around better but might not be good enough for diving or go for a swim.  Do we dress warm enough to go for a swim...yes, its better to err on the conservative side.  Do we wear enough gear to immobilize ourselves...no.  Do we overheat...no. 

I can testify that its possible to swim with waders on and you don't sink.  You actually can't even tell until you get on dry land then you feel like a water balloon.

If you take a poll there's a few dry butts around but there's lots more that just wear the wet suits.  Then there's the SAVAGE...Freddie's the man above all men (and women)...Savage love, all fish fear his presence but he's probably shaking sand out of his ears now, LOL

I think most guys use a 3mm farmer john and find that it keeps you plenty warm and toasty. In the fall/winter I throw on a fleece over that, then my paddle jacket. Sometimes I get too hot with the fleece. But its great for staying warm when the wind comes up. My closest call to tipping my Yak was when I got snagged as well. I have found that 99% of the time I get snagged If I paddle up hill of my drift and do the so called jackhammer technique with the rod you can get it free. You have to let your reel free spool a little while you paddle up hill the direction of the drift. Sometimes when you start reeling your line in, its already come free. Maybe it just luck?

I think most guys use a 3mm farmer john and find that it keeps you plenty warm and toasty. In the fall/winter I throw on a fleece over that, then my paddle jacket. Sometimes I get too hot with the fleece. But its great for staying warm when the wind comes up. My closest call to tipping my Yak was when I got snagged as well. I have found that 99% of the time I get snagged If I paddle up hill of my drift and do the so called jackhammer technique with the rod you can get it free. You have to let your reel free spool a little while you paddle up hill the direction of the drift. Sometimes when you start reeling your line in, its already come free. Maybe it just luck?

Very good suggestion. I stumbled upon this technique today while on the water and it worked very well.

You guys really need to learn the jackhammer, it works about 98% of the time for me with no lose of gear. I should make a video.

Hey Bill,  could you explain what that is? (or anyone else)

Most of the time when I'm kayak fishing, I'm sitting mostly still, already splashed with water and some wind blowing over me, which tends to make me cold, probably colder than most other yak anglers.  So I wear from inside out on the bottom: speedo, fleece pants, 3 mm farmer john (yeah, on top of the fleece - that way the fleece doesn't get soaked full of water and weigh me down, and I can wear the outfit while driving to the launch without getting wet from the inside, waterproof, breathable Kokatat pants. On the top: Mysterioso fleece rash guard, the farmer john, and, unless it looks like a warm day, a fleece sweater and almost always a heavy splash jacket, plus the life jacket.  If it gets really cold, I pull out my "squid lid" - neoprene surf head and neck covering, sometimes I can get warm enough just using it as a neck wrap.  That plus the boots and two pairs of socks is a lot of crap to rinse off later, but
I don't feel like a popsicle out on the water.

You guys really need to learn the jackhammer, it works about 98% of the time for me with no lose of gear. I should make a video.

Hey Bill,  could you explain what that is? (or anyone else)

I have a video of me doing the jackhammer, but my wife would kill me if it ever got out.  Wait...we're probably talking about something altogether different here, aren't we? 

You guys really need to learn the jackhammer, it works about 98% of the time for me with no lose of gear. I should make a video.

Hey Bill,  could you explain what that is? (or anyone else)

I have a video of me doing the jackhammer, but my wife would kill me if it ever got out.  Wait...we're probably talking about something altogether different here, aren't we? 

Lol! I double dog dare you!

I would definetly have a wetsuit on not only are they buoyant you can piss your pants without worrying. UMMMMM nice and warm too.

A little unpleasant on the yak. you can get a zipper added to the wetsuit pretty easily. I just just a horizontal fly into mine.

surfing, that's a different story. you get flushed out quickly.

John

I would definetly have a wetsuit on not only are they buoyant you can piss your pants without worrying. UMMMMM nice and warm too.

A little unpleasant on the yak. you can get a zipper added to the wetsuit pretty easily. I just just a horizontal fly into mine.

surfing, that's a different story. you get flushed out quickly.

John

I love my two way zipper. And thank god for those scupper holes. They do there job quite well.Just start paddleing and you empty the cockpit.