I need a new wetsuit.
I fish mtn. lakes in all seasons.  Water temps down to 38F, but usu in 40's.
I have a worn out 3 mm,  but was thinking thicker.

7 mm too restrictive?
3 mm was fine for me, including surf landing practice for 3 hrs. at Half Moon Bay in spring long ago.  I might fish salt water in BC, Canada, but I'm predator-leary in N. Calif. 

I avoid getting in the water, have never dumped, but I fish very rough water at times and in rain (occ waves splash across bow - Pyramid Lk NV, Tahoe, etc.).

How thick?

Thanks for you thoughts and reasoning.
- Tom

16-7 lbs. and 35" is my best Mac so far.  I'm in the hunt for a 20+ pounder this season.
- Tom

I went for the big Macks in Blue Mesa Res. nr. Gunnison, CO Fri. 5/15.  This is where the CO record Mack of 54+lbs. was caught in '07 or last yr.  I failed to catch anything trolling F13 Rainbow Rapala at 25' depth.  Everyone was holding onto their secrets as a tourney was on for the next two days. One guy in PB had a nice Rainbow and some Kokes.  A lot of shore and still fishing from boats with sucker meat and lots of guys jigging right off shore (20') in deep drop-offs.  Wind has been strong (15-30 mph) after 11 am or so until sundown.  I fished from 8 am - 11:30 am.  water temp 52, air temp abt 68.  I was told 150 or so PB's would be on the lake for the weekend tournament and I might prefer the action and no crowds at Taylor Park Res.  So we left after fishing on Fri.  I never saw the results of the tournament. 
Fished Taylor Park Res. below the Continental Divide on Sun. and Mon. 5/17 and 5/18.  Sun. caught a 11" Rainbow and 18" Mack trolling a #10 Black Leech.  We camped next to a guy who caught a 20 lb. Mack casting a F13 Rainbow Rapala from shore.  (I caught two fat trout 13" and lost 3 while nymph fishing -non-kayak - in the Upper Taylor Riv.  The river was moving very fast from snowmelt and hardly fishable.  I lost the fish in the swift current.)
Mon. morn. I trolled a #12 jointed Rainbow Kwikfish in 12-25' deep water  bouncing on the bottom or very near for 20" and 24" Macks.  I was glad to catch the two, but a little disappointed that I didn't hook onto a hog.  Water Temp. 50, air temp low 60's to low 70's (noon).  Fished 7:30 am -12:30 pm.
If you go to CO, Taylor Park Res. is really nice.  The fish have pink meat and are delicious. A resort owner told me the fish taste like salmon.  He wasn't far off.  He also reported that three Macks over 20 lbs. (20, 29, and 30#) were caught in the previous 5 days.  The Res. is maybe 1 mile width and 1.5 miles long?   The campgrounds are excellent, the views of the Rockies spectacular.  There's river rafting, horseback riding, mountain bike riding, OHV roads everywhere, and even peace and quiet.  The sage brush lines the shore but the surrounding mtns. are all forested and the scenery of the Continental Divide is nearly unbeatable.  The lake is at 9000 ft. or so?   It's somewhat similar to the lakes along Hwy 395 near Mammoth in the E. Sierra.   
Blue Mesa Res. is more Great Basin-like with surrounding hills of sage brush.  It's (the feeder Gunnison Riv.) also the breeding stock for Kokanee for seven western states.
There was only "one" other kayak fisher (two women trolling for Kokes on Blue Mesa who only caught a small Mack) we saw on the whole 4 day trip.
For this trip my wife are based in Grand Junction with daugh. and grandkids.  We're headed home Sun. after fishing around N. Tahoe at the end of the week.
Tom

Fished for stripers and possible wayward salmon 9ish am -12:30. I was planning a 7 am launch. I took out my digital camera in the new dry bag, but it had a dead battery as I tried to click a shot of the early morn. light and record the launch.  Then I realized that I had forgotten my paddle!  That was a first and I hope a last.  I had already taken off the kayak and loaded it when I realized my error.   I went over the new Benicia Bridge twice in one hour. I even forgot to bring my bananas! (Is this the residual effect from my earlier days of inebriation?)
Once on the water I was criss-crossing, trolling in spirals, trolling the mud-freshwater line, weaving back and forth through the foam and floating debris line, going close in to shore and pilings/docks and bouncing the bottom from 3' to 60'  - no takers for Crocodiles, J-plugs, Silvertrons.  Beautiful day, bottom of low tide to halfway flood to high, water was 66 degrees, 3-5 mph breeze from the west, and a small amount of exercise.
Tom

The old boat ramp in the junk yard at Paradise Cay at the Tiburon YC marina has been made nearly unusable. Anyone have any info. on this?  I launched here yesterday and it was a hassle.  A new dock has been built parallel to shore running nearly the length of the shore and about 4-6' from shore at low tide.  A very low (2' clearance at best?) walkway that has a locked gate accesses the new dock and blocks access to open water.  This ramp was free and provided very quick and easy access to open water and good fishing.  Now you may have to launch down the sloped embankment of rip-rap or go to the point at the marina entance and launch from the flat, sloping interlocking concrete blocks.
Tom

Fished for a couple hours at mid-day on McCloud Res. with my sister-in-law.  We had five Rainbows (planters) about 10-12" and she had another that went 15".  Used blue/white J-7 Rapalas and black #8 Crystal Buggers.  Lots of other hits.
It was my sister-in-laws second time out fishing from a kayak and she snagged her finger with a treble hook clear through the finger while trying to de-hook the 15 incher.  My wife cut the hook with wire cutters, pulled it though, applied hydrogen peroxide, bandaged it, and then her sister went back to fish for another hour of catching fish in the kayak.  What dedication!  My wife returned to reading her Sunset magazine. At least she loves to kayak.
Tom

I fished for stripers at Paradise yesterday 2:30-5:00 p.m. for  nada.  I went to the pilings just west of the public fish. pier and back to the PC Yacht marina for nothing but some strong sporadic wind.  Then at 4:30 I had one ten second "hook up" near the "hope" buoy at the mouth of the marina.  I didn't hook the fish and couldn't believe it since the double treble hooks looked like anything near would be "snagged up."    I was thinking that maybe my slow troll (into the wind) had the trebles hanging down and the fish hit the plug body and carried it for a while as the hooks hung harmlessly out of the way.   Have you had any experience like this with a J-Plug?  The next time I'm pulling a J-Plug I might be tempted to put a rubber band on the plug to keep the hooks close to the body (but then if I did that why not just use another lure!?!).  I like the plug, but I assume I'm not going fast enough for the design (even though I was paddling medium effort into a good headwind).  Is that right or is this "kayaker flaw"?

Tom 

Fished Pyramid Lk Paiute Reservation n. of Reno for about 6 hrs. yesterday out of Sutcliffe, NV.  I caught one 19" Lahontan Cutthroat (F-J7  Fire Tiger Rapala) and my buddy caught one 22" (using a Hot Shot).   We were both toplining.  We saw a lot of fish being caught by the guys fishing from the wading stands and float tubes using flies.  Conditions:  water 51, air about 65, 20% clouds mostly clear, wind 0-2 mph. 
Here's the shocker!  $9 (count 'em 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 bucks! to launch a kayak- same for all boats  and $10 for a permit to fish.). That was an expensive drive to get to pay those fees on top of it. If you go, pay the fees; the rangers in pick-ups and boats are out and checking everyone and the penalties start at $150 and go up. We were checked (and we were legal).

Today we fished Stampede Res. (nr. Truckee) from 10:15-12:30.  I caught a nice 5.4 lb Mackinaw near the dam by the exposed island (now a pennisula).  I was trolling a F-J 13 Brown Trout Rapala 12' deep and a setback of 175'.  conditions:  water 43, air mid-50's (?), mostly overcast (80%), wind calm for first hour then out of the W at 6-12 mph.  Boaters reported mostly no fish, but one had one fish, and another reported 7 Macs and 1 large SM Bass (I saw the very nice filet - they cleaned it at the boat ramp in the lake - totally uncool to trash the lake).
I wanted to stay longer, but my buddy needed to get home. 
Tom