A few different questions.

New to the game, new to the site.

  Was having a look around the picture forums, and some of the pictures brought up a few questions.

  I noticed a few of you caught fish off of Duxbury, I'm curious where most put in at to paddle out to Dux?



  I saw one guy with a massive haul of crab, how were these taken from a kayak?

 

Do most of you buy specialize gaffs and landing nets, ot just use some attached flotation to assure they won't sink if dropped?

 

I noticed many wear full wetsuits, some have other type of wear, what brands of clothing are being worn by those who don't don the neoprene?

 

I haven't seen anyone wearing a Maverick Jacket, that was what I planned to start out with, any reason this would be a bad choice?

 

 Thanks for fielding all the newbie questions.

Well from one    to another, I can answer, or  guess answers, to a few of your questions, but I would suggest that spending some time with the search function will be a lot more productive than my answers.

  I noticed a few of you caught fish off of Duxbury, I'm curious where most put in at to paddle out to Dux?

I would guess Bolinas, but I would also guess that a lot of the Duxbury fishing is for Salmon, which are closed anyway, as you may know

  I saw one guy with a massive haul of crab, how were these taken from a kayak?

There are some decent "kayak specific" crab pots, or just traps that are a good size for kayaks. Promar make them I think; searching for kayak and crab will probably turn up a full brand and model. 

Do most of you buy specialize gaffs and landing nets, ot just use some attached flotation to assure they won't sink if dropped?

Floating gaffs and nets are available from Cabelas, plus a bloke on here (Kunz?; search for that) custom makes some really cool looking ones. I think other folks also use pool noodles to float gear.

I noticed many wear full wetsuits, some have other type of wear, what brands of clothing are being worn by those who don't don the neoprene?

Some people wear waders. There is an ongoing debate as to whether these are safe. Again, searching for "waders wetsuit" will turn up those threads.
 

Good luck!

I saw one guy with a massive haul of crab, how were these taken from a kayak?

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?page=18

Welcome aboard, Barkoff!   

Searching and reading is by far the best method of getting answers to all of your questions. 

Have fun - see you around.

Eric

I haven't seen anyone wearing a Maverick Jacket, that was what I planned to start out with, any reason this would be a bad choice?

A lot of people, myself included, feel that inflatable PFD's (whether active/auto or manual) provide a false sense of security.

1) The auto-inflate system can't be tested... if you "test" the system, it needs to be rearmed with a new cartridge.

2) there have been instances of auto-inflate systems not auto-inflating due to mechanical malfunction caused by saltwater corrosion, iced-over sensor in below-freezing conditions, or other problems

3) pinhole leaks in the envelope will not be noticeable until you need the jacket to do it's job... when you're floating in the middle of the bay or ocean and realize your vest has a leak, you'll wish you had a passive flotation PFD.

4) there have been instances of auto-inflate systems inflating prematurely when the vests got splashed in choppy water

5) surf landings... do you really want to deal with an auto-inflate vest during the inevitable surf landing yardsale?

6) you need to be concious in order to use the manual back-up inflate system... get run over by a powerboat and you may not be concious... get tossed in a thrashing surf landing and you do not have time to inflate the vest before you are run through the spin cycle

6) regular PFD's with passive buoyancy are simple, non-mechanical, and for the most part fail safe

You give up an awful lot of built-in, idiot-proof safety in passive PFD's for a small amount of comfort when using an autoinflate vest... the only place I would be temped to use one would be in freshwater that does not have ANY powerboats or jetskis zooming around. 

Barkoff... you the same Barkoff from JHO?  Welcome to the party!!!

Backcountry

I'll throw in 2 cents as well.  To summarize Backcountry's point, foolproof gear is the way to go.  When in the ocean, or really cold water, wear a wetsuit.  If things go bad and you need to spend an extended time in the water it can mean the difference between life and death, or to be a little less dramatic, the difference between a really bad experience and just a bad day.  There are as many opinions here as members, but a plan for the worst mentality can really be a blessing if it comes to be.  After you've planned for safety, your friends and family will feel better too.

I go alone allot, wetsuit, PFD, VHF, cell phone, They all help minimize the guff (concern for my safety) I gotta listen to from the GF and family when they find out I went alone again......

As far as your other questions, my prowess (mostly lack of) as a fisherman makes me unqualified to answer any of those.  

be safe, have fun

dale

I haven't seen anyone wearing a Maverick Jacket, that was what I planned to start out with, any reason this would be a bad choice?

A lot of people, myself included, feel that inflatable PFD's (whether active/auto or manual) provide a false sense of security.

1) The auto-inflate system can't be tested... if you "test" the system, it needs to be rearmed with a new cartridge.

2) there have been instances of auto-inflate systems not auto-inflating due to mechanical malfunction caused by saltwater corrosion, iced-over sensor in below-freezing conditions, or other problems

3) pinhole leaks in the envelope will not be noticeable until you need the jacket to do it's job... when you're floating in the middle of the bay or ocean and realize your vest has a leak, you'll wish you had a passive flotation PFD.

4) there have been instances of auto-inflate systems inflating prematurely when the vests got splashed in choppy water

5) surf landings... do you really want to deal with an auto-inflate vest during the inevitable surf landing yardsale?

6) you need to be concious in order to use the manual back-up inflate system... get run over by a powerboat and you may not be concious... get tossed in a thrashing surf landing and you do not have time to inflate the vest before you are run through the spin cycle

6) regular PFD's with passive buoyancy are simple, non-mechanical, and for the most part fail safe

You give up an awful lot of built-in, idiot-proof safety in passive PFD's for a small amount of comfort when using an autoinflate vest... the only place I would be temped to use one would be in freshwater that does not have ANY powerboats or jetskis zooming around. 

Barkoff... you the same Barkoff from JHO?  Welcome to the party!!!

Backcountry

  That would be me.  I am pretty new to hunting also, having been a saltwater fisherman for around twenty five years, lately I have had the bug to expand my horizons.

  I made a mistake and for some reason called my Mustang jacket a Maverick jacket.  I have owned a Mustang for about ten years and have thought this might be OK for kayak use.  The flotation is contained in the chest and back of the jacket and the arms are pretty free of any constriction.




http://www.cabelas.com/spod-1/0012172.shtml

I have a Mustang from my PB days I only wore it once Kayaking and never will again, range of motion was not there and it's a sweat machine. You will overheat in it quickly and can't take it off cause it's your PFD. Maybe Sturgeon fishing if you don't have to paddle to far.

I have a Mustang from my PB days I only wore it once Kayaking and never will again, range of motion was not there and it's a sweat machine. You will overheat in it quickly and can't take it off cause it's your PFD. Maybe Sturgeon fishing if you don't have to paddle to far.

Good to know, thanks.  So for those who advocate a full time PFD as opposed to the inflatables, what brand and model do you recommend?

Thank you.

What works for everyone else may not work for you... are you fat, skinny, tall, short?  What type of seat do you have on your kayak (high , mid, or low back?).  Do you like lots of pockets or do you hate pockets?  Do you have only one kayak and only need one PFD, or do you have a quiver of different yaks?

If you do a search for PFD recommendations you'll find about five dozen threads on the subject...  the best PFD for you is one that you've tried on and it fits snug and comfortably, allows free range of motion, perhaps is in a color you like, and very importantly, the back conforms to the seat of your yak (e.g., high, mid, low, etc...).

I own, and can recommend unequivocally, the following...

Kokotat Bahia Sport (high back)
Extrasport Retroglide Sabre (low/mid back)
Stolquist Brik (whitewater lowprofile)
Astral 300 (whitewater rescue)

However, these four PFD's are EXCEPTIONALLY different for one another, and very task-specific.

As a starting point, I have seen many NCKA’ers that also use the Sabre… but it IS NOT compatible with high back seats (e.g., STS GTS Elite, etc…), hence my purchase of the Bahia, which is frick’n pimp-stylin for a SOT with a highback seat!... sooooooo comfortable!!!  But as with anything, you’ll find some NCKA’ers that don’t like the fit of the Sabre, or the Bahia…

Quite a few other NCKA'ers prefer one of the many "kayak fishing" specific PFD's from Patagonia, NRS, Extrasport, Kokotat, etc... personally, for my tastes I found all of the fishing specific vests to have too many compromises and try to do too much, thus doing everything poorly...

Git yourself to a shop with a big selection and start trying them on… Mel Cotton’s, Aquan, California Canoe & Kayak, and REI carry a wide selection between the different shops here in the Bay Area.

CKS has a very deep selection on their website...

http://www.coloradokayak.com/Life-Jackets-PFDs;jsessionid=0a0101431f43aa22d12dae9b440cb3b7acdfd5e6f160.e3eTax4KaN0Le34Pa38Ta38Mc3n0

Backcountry

Searching and reading is by far the best method of getting answers to all of your questions. 

I take it back!  Searching through or being referred back to other threads is very valuable, but, obviously to me now, the current discussion and info you'll get is priceless! 

Thanks for the great PFD info, Backcountry!