Wetsuit vs. dry suit - which one?

I need a new wetsuit, but was thinking maybe going with dry suit.
Which is better?
I fish mostly from a 12-6 Cobra Fish n' Dive and 9-6 Hobie Mirage Sport.  I do not dive.
At times I bring fish onto my lap.  Does this ruin a dry suit?
I winter fish in Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake (NV) and fish SF Bay.  I want to stay warm and although I have never had to swim, I want to survive a cold water dunking or rough water washing/spray/rain/snow exposure.
Besides cost what are pros and cons.
Thanks for your thoughts.

I tried both wetsuit and drysuit and imo drysuit costs more but it worth every pennies.

I haven't worn a dry suit in like 15 years - they are just overkill for me.  But, that is me.  If I was fishing somewhere really cold, like winter fishing in the lakes like you mentioned, I would probably go with a dry suit. 

But, for me, down here in SF Bay and all the water within about 2 hours, I prefer a wetsuit.  I wear a 4mil farmer john wetsuit and either 3mil or 7mil booties, depending on how cold it is.  Layers up top - suns out guns out if it is warm, otherwise fleece top and/or light windbreaker. 

A dry suit is more maintenance, and if it gets a puncture somewhere, it will take on water and you will get wet if you go in.  I don't think a fish spine can puncture a dry suit, but hooks sure can.  I imagine fish smell can linger on a dry suit, but it does that with a wetsuit too, so meh.  On hot days, dry suits can be a sweat factory - they just seal it all in there.  The rubber seals can really strangle you and/or break if not trimmed properly.  I haven't used the semi-dry suits that a lot of folks here favor, with neoprene seals, but they sound a lot more comfortable than the rubber seals I used a long time ago. 

If you check with dive or surf shops, they might have a dry suit you can rent, to try out.  Might be hit or miss tho, and not sure if the rate justifies rent vs buy.  They all typically have wetsuits, if you want to try a different thickness than what you had before. 

https://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=101640.0#msg1137984

At times I bring fish onto my lap.  Does this ruin a dry suit?
I winter fish in Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake (NV) and fish SF Bay.  I want to stay warm and although I have never had to swim, I want to survive a cold water dunking or rough water washing/spray/rain/snow exposure.

Kayak fishing dry suits have an extra layer layer for bringing fish into your lap. From kokotat “It features strategically placed 330D Hydrus Tough reinforcements on lap, seat, knees and elbows, to withstand the demands of kayak fishing.” I’ve never had an issue with fish in my lap.

For really cold water fishing (I fish Tahoe in the winter as well) a dry suit with warm layers under is the way to go.

You could do with a wetsuit, but you will be happier with a drysuit fishing in the cold. 

I like and use both, I think the dry suit is better for colder weather and it is easier to have a pee solution, either use a pee zipper or pee valve, the wet suit is a little harder with a back zipper, so depends on what you like, Ron.

I like and use both, I think the dry suit is better for colder weather and it is easier to have a pee solution, either use a pee zipper or pee valve, the wet suit is a little harder with a back zipper, so depends on what you like, Ron.

There are wetsuits with release Zipper.

I have an older one, no pee zipper, still works, so maybe I'll get a new one soon but for now, thanks for the info, R.

Without very well planned underlayering, you can easily get hypothermia in a drysuit - I'm surprised that wasn't mentioned by one advocate here who has ended up in that situation.

I wore a wetsuit under my drysuit for years.  It takes diligence to keep a drysuit in good condition through lots of kayak fishing - mine are both toast, and Kokatat wouldn't extend any warrantee coverage for delamination of one suit.  Becoming fully immersed while wearing a drysuit, I think it's unlikely that most people will stay dry under the suit for very long.

I've been wearing dry pants and dry top over a 3 mil FJ and 1 mil liner for the past few years - with big synthetic socks and warm neoprene boots.

The ocean hits the high 40's in the spring and early summer up here when the upwelling winds do their thing.  Even when it's in the mid 50's, hypothermia is no joke and is likely our most threatening peril in the sport.

Good luck~

Without very well planned underlayering, you can easily get hypothermia in a drysuit - I'm surprised that wasn't mentioned by one advocate here who has ended up in that situation.

I wore a wetsuit under my drysuit for years.  It takes diligence to keep a drysuit in good condition through lots of kayak fishing - mine are both toast, and Kokatat wouldn't extend any warrantee coverage for delamination of one suit.  Becoming fully immersed while wearing a drysuit, I think it's unlikely that most people will stay dry under the suit for very long.

This is critical.  My opinion is that we should all be doing immersion and self-recovery drills at least annually.  Personally, I use this time to also test my immersion gear.  Doing these drills during winter when fishing is quieter also gives you real-world experience to what it's going to be like when you need to rely on your gear and what gaps you might have not thought of yet.

Thanks to all for your comments, questions, suggestions.  The detail, experience, and expertise is much appreciated.  And, FishingAddict, thank you for posting the previous blog discussion on this topic.  I was unaware of it.

I have always worn a 3mm farmer john in SF Bay and Pac. Ocean and I have intentionally been in the water to practice re-entries.  However, I want to be warmer and age with declining strength equals longer time in water to re-entry.  My decision is to buy a Kokatat dry suit.

I wear a wetsuit when I am rock fishing but a dry suit when I am crabbing or halibut fishing.

Paul

I still have a drysuit that’s pushing 50 years old that I should stuff in the can for the next garbage day

I worked in it for a while and pretty quickly went back to my wetsuit for a couple of reasons the main one being the drysuit was awkward to swim in

The new suits might be different Seems like one of the divers from up north posted something here in their favor but keep in mind they are wearing fins. One thing a wetsuit has in its favor is floatation, not sure how the new drysuits are in that regard

My old drysuit has a valve on the chest that connected to my hookah rig to regulate floatation at different depths. One of the things I hated was as I moved around underwater the air shifted and would inflate a leg or whatever body part was up

Not a problem if you’re swimming at the surface and sporting a pfd but in my experience wetsuits are just easier to swim in

Here is a good comparision between wetsuits and drysuits.
https://youtu.be/5l72iorG3AY?si=17g-SlNNs8eX2Cqe