YARD SALE @ AOP

The tether can be the lifeline to your boat. If you hang on to your paddle you will be ok. Old school WW folk will remember the old rafting  rule "If you dont have your paddle you dont get back in the boat". Add that to the financial hit of losing for favorite Werner and it can inspire a deathgrip or lifegrip in some cases
   Ive been tangled up a few times in my paddle leash while getting maytaged in waves. If you keep your head it isnt a big deal. Some folks dont recommend surfing kayaks with a leash but after being separated from my kayak just outside of big surf a few times Ill accept the risk.
When fishing, the leash is unfortunately a fantastic hook magnet and is something else to get tangled in but when hydrology like currents and big swells are involved ill put up with the little annoyance.

i've had a cheap backup paddle with me but recently I got a slightly better backup.  

it is not only useful for yourself, but in case you come upon someone who has lost theirs.  i have a backup camano which I will be mounting inside the hull with clips this week (for my new boat), but I still keep a leash on my first one because who would ever want to lose their $$$ paddle?

What a can of worms! I'm glad Odat came out of the situation just having lost stuff that can be eventually replaced. It's also a learning experience, the hard way.
I also agree with SBD as to how anchoring is NOT to be taken lightly. Anchors are a great way to get in trouble. On my drift boat I used to carry along a #35 anchor to hold me in fast water, like that's a good thing! I learned from being in other's boats that it isn't a good idea, I now sport a #15, enough to hold me at the edge of the river. Drifting the river in a yak I have the anchor to do the same thing, to hold me at the edge. I don't fish off of it. I use a 2 lb ball, and if it doesn't hold me, the water's too fast.
Anchors aside, heed the voice in your head. I've driven 3 hours to CC to find it howling and decided to abort. You hate to do that, but it's better than floating out to sea. In addition, what if you're out in marginal conditions and you hook a big powerful fish? It's hard enough dealing with a big fish in calm conditions.
Eric, with regards to leashes, I don't like extra cords either, but I don't even notice my leash. It's a short coiled thing, like an old style phone cord. It's attached to my seat, near my elbow. The paddle CANNOT/WILL NOT be lost!
Let's go fishing!

The tether can be the lifeline to your boat. If you hang on to your paddle you will be ok. Old school WW folk will remember the old rafting  rule "If you dont have your paddle you dont get back in the boat". Add that to the financial hit of losing for favorite Werner and it can inspire a deathgrip or lifegrip in some cases

Ummm ... in all the whitewater I've done, we never used paddle leashes, nor would I advocate it.  I think what you are trying to say here is how important it is to hang onto your paddle, not to leash up you paddle in whitewater, right?

I rarely use paddle leashes.  One major exception to that is when I'm on anchor, for good reason.

-Allen

Wow Odat this thread is a real eye opener. I'm glad you are ok and that you lived to tell us of your story. While some people on this board may seem harsh with their advice, they really do have the best of intentions.

I'm still a stergin virgin so I don't have much advice for you when it comes to this type of fishing. Better luck next time. I hope to see you out on the water someday.

-FF

Never used a leash in WW rivers.
I only took up this practice when I entered the world of the SOT and when riding ocean waves.

Don't try that one again, before you..............
~ Get some *Lake* OnTheWaterHours logged in first....as mentioned by all.
~ VHF Radio is a must!(before you go into Bay again.
~ Learn from this.
~ Lets go fish!

you've now earned that sticker, so display it proudly!

   After reading all the reply I didn't think I was going to get chewed out like that but
its all good,  LEASON LEARNED,  and I want to thank everybody for the concern. I wasn't sure if i should have posted this but now I'm glad I did may be could help somebody fom  my stupid mistake.  I gues I get the  D.A. AWARD @ AOP.

If you look at all of the OAP threads carefully you will see a lot of not so smart stuff going on right now and someone is eventually gonna get hurt.

These should surely be highlighted for others to learn. It might be an ego blow but I'll take that over becoming crab food.

I already know I did some not-so-smart stuff; being out alone as darkness was falling. I thought I would be safe in 5FOW so close to the launch, but it sounds like I was right where odat took a spill.

I was also not-so-smart in my first anchor rigging; I clipped the line to the bow. This meant that I was facing into the current and so could see if anything was going to swing by and hit me. But it also meant if I cast forward I had a much bigger risk of getting a Big Fish tangled in my anchor rope.

My anchor rope was also too thick; it would take me a little while to hack through it with my knife.

Probably one thing SBD was thinking of, my anchor line failed to release reliably because it was catching on a knot...  just another thing to be mindful of.  Keep that rigging clean.

If you decide not to unleash your paddle in big enough break you won't enjoy it, believe me

It might not matter if you're just dealing with currents or light wind

but in any extreme conditions the tether to your yak that'll do the most good without yanking your arm out of its socket is a long one to the nose

Odat,

Bummer man, I, the man who always falls in, have everything clipped in, strapped, and leashed. I know from experience that when moving or transitioning from anchoring ya have to be verry careful. Last dump I was just picking up my anchor and over I went and I mean all the way over;probably the first guy ever to "fin up" a Hobie Outback! Take heed and learn from this, then practice on a warm lake somewhere getting back in the kayak.

Odat,
     The big thing is that you're alive to learn from this and many others will learn from this too.... Hope to see you, all your new gear, and a heavy stringer ...someday....Glad you're with us.

No stones thrown,
Gue

Odat,

Welcome, and I mean that . I don't know how long you've been paddling or kayak fishing but you must always practice safety first. Be prepared and always have the proper equipment for the conditions your going to be in. Too many things can happen when your totally prepared, let alone going out the way you did. You may have gotten your butt chewed by some here, but it's only because they care. At least your here and not a statistic we're reading about in the newspaper. You will learn a lot from the members on this board. This is a great group to be associated with. Be open minded and listen to what they have to say. Keep posting and hope your next outing will be a better experience.

Ben

Not to thread-jack, but here is a kick ass leash that your hooks won't get buried into.  It is essentially a surfboard leash with a differerent strap.  I've got 2 that are still going strong.

http://www.bullyssurf.com/surf-p/kayak-canoe-leashes-pc108

Kevin