GS4 Lesson Learned

I got rolled while trying to free a snag.  No big deal, happens all the time.  I had everything tied down, and when I flipped, I fell through the lanyards, and they twisted around my feet.  Not a good sensation to have, very hard to keep your head out of water when your kayak is on top of you and you cannot kick.  Great teamwork getting me freed up and back in the saddle.

What I learned.  Lanyards suck!  Pool noodles to float your rods is a great idea, and I will post up some pics of what I am going to do, but some of the guys there had some great setups.  Pool noodle stuffed paddle tube, float your paddle, and a spare in the hull.  I lost my radio, it was clipped to me and was supposed to "float", didn't.  Gaff, bat, and tackle boxes all to the deep.  I plan on pool noodling the gaff, bat, and hot gluing half sections of pool noodles to the tackle packs that I bring in the yak to float them. 

I also lost my stringer that had my biggest cabbie ever on it, and a nice greenling.  I am going to take a small buoy and modify a short clip to that so that it can float if the inevitable happens again.

Moral of the story is that I was confident in what I had as far as a setup, and maybe got complacent and had too many lanyards across my lap, but FishMaster and I were talking, and it is best to let it all go when you roll, all that can be replaced.  I think a little bit of flotation for gear, will keep the salt out of the wound of a bad wreck, and give you a chance to gather your gear after you gather your composure.  I will probably put a small bouy on my next radio or get one that will in fact, float. 

For what it is worth, look at what your setup is, and think about how you can minimize a close call like this by being prepared and proactive. 

This is an excellent post.  I'm glad it all turned out okay.

We all learn best from our mistakes (at least I do).  I'm a firm believer in...

1) Lanyards are a hazard, so avoid them when you can.
2) If you don't want to loose something, make sure it will float.
3) Keep a good knife and your VHF easily accessible on your PFD.
4) If you don't want to loose something, make sure it will float.
5) When rigging a kayak, keep the cockpit area free so you can easily get back onboard in if you fall out.

Good advice, sorry to hear of the lost gear but is sounds like things could've been much worse.  I like the idea of keeping the deck as clear as possible, but will always keep my paddle leashed.  Depending on currents/wind, the floating paddle could drift out of reach in a hurry which would relegate your yak to being a very large surfboard.  I have my paddle shaft foam-filled, so when I get to where I want to fish I can just lay it in the water next to me and the tether keeps it close by.

-beenfishin

Good advice, sorry to hear of the lost gear but is sounds like things could've been much worse.  I like the idea of keeping the deck as clear as possible, but will always keep my paddle leashed.  Depending on currents/wind, the floating paddle could drift out of reach in a hurry which would relegate your yak to being a very large surfboard.  I have my paddle shaft foam-filled, so when I get to where I want to fish I can just lay it in the water next to me and the tether keeps it close by.

-beenfishin

Ditto.  A good paddle leash is a must, unless you're on a Hobie or carry a spare paddle handy.

glad you are ok montana, ive come close to rolling a few times trying to free a snag, happens quick, look foward to seeing your solutions to the gear floataton, only thing i have leashed is my paddle and game clip, cameron

i think i know the spot where u dipped , problem was that area was real fishy , i found a nice school of hungrey blacks in there but as i tried unhooking the flopping fish i seen myself drifting closer to the washout , actually really close as small breakers were just about 15 feet from me , i busted out my knife and cut my line , threw the rod on my lap , fish under my leg with swimbait still in mouth and paddled out of there , then headed south to fid some structure and then u came paddling by tellin me what happend.

glad it all ended with a beer on the beach. Your gaff will float (i stuffed it with pool noodle). The knocker may not, its heavy. As for leashes I only use them behind me for travel and storage (while OTW). When I fish I undo the leash. That way if I dump it I know the leashes are behind me in the tank well area. Oh and I only make them from bungee so the are not that long (just long enough to clear the RAM tube). I think lot of people use cord so there tends to be lots of extra loose line.

Thanks for sharing, no matter what our personal setup is we can learn from someone else's experiences.

Glad it turned out like it did. Very important info here. I have left the kayak on purpose more times than have fallen off( once trying to free a snag). Just the paddle leash freaks me out sometimes. One line I thik I can deal with but mutiple lines in rough water could be deadly. Good stuff here Rich. See you at Albion. Craig

It is true that we learn best from experience. I've never dumped from working a snag, but came real close a couple of times. The scare from those experiences taught me well! As for losing gear, the only things I leash are my paddle and game clip. Still, shit happens. I lost my secondary, (unleashed), clip yesterday with a float and a legal ling on it. I though I had learned that one, apparently not. It bummed me out to do that to the ling.
I've got floats on my camera, gaffs, hog trough, and pliers. I'm thinking of a float on the vhf now.
I'm glad it all turned out well.

Rich,

Thanks for the valuable information. We all talk about securing  everything in case we roll, but you brought to our attention the possible consequences of that. I'm glad you're ok, and yes, you can replace everything.

I keep all the tie downs behind me, but last year I pulled a dumb stunt and ended up rolling at Albion. What tied me up was the paddle leash and it took me  a minute to find the velcro on the leash and pull it apart. Now that I've learned that, I can reach it in a few seconds.

Thanks for the report my friend, see you at Albion. I'll bring the tequila!!

Rich

You got it Rich!  I am going to stuff a spare paddle in the hull, and a very short lanyard on the main paddle, and secure it on the factory bungee strap on the side of the kayak out of the way when not traveling.

Rich,

Really glad it turned out OK, and also that there were plenty of good guys around to help out...

Thanks for sharing your experience and lessons learned so that we can all benefit.

Really enjoyed meeting you, and hope we get to fish together again soon.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Montana, Glad you're O.K. man. Speaking of being a man it sure is refreshing to have one share his story so we all can learn. Your story's got me re-evaluating my own set-up. Thank you. jim

Glad to hear ok. We all gotta learn some lessons the hard way. The Coast Guard had to save me from mine.