Leashing yourself to your yak

When I'm fishing in high winds, I worry that if I fall off my yak it's gonna blow away from me. Especially if it stays upright.  Do any of you guys leash/lash yourselves to your yak? I understand it could be a drowning hazard, but if your offshore and the wind takes your yak from you, your screwed. Just curious.

Jeff

I think it is something to think about.  Great question.  I think it may depend on where you are fishing.  Yesterday if it got windy and you ended up in the water, help is close as long as you can get out on the VHF.  Big Sur, maybe a great idea to tie yourself in so you can help yourself.  I think the best bet is not to fish alone.  On my first surf landing where I was really, really stupid, my body saved my ass by getting my gear and bringing it to me after I tried to drop in in a large wave like a surfer.  My knee still hurts. Also, on that botched landing, my leashed paddle was ripped off the yak.  I had the paddle but no yak. 


Eric Morgan
Trident Ultra 4.7
Not the guy selling the Outback
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, i've fallen off my yak a few times, and each time I was still holding my paddle when I came back up.  I only use a leash for my paddle, dont like to have a lot of things to tangle in on the deck.  The leash kept me tied to the yak, but thats not fool proof of course.  You should never keep your paddle leashed when launching and landing.  Thats when you really dont want to be tethered to a big chuck of plastic coming right for your knee (poor piski)   

In fact with you off your kayak it's a hell of a lot more stable and will often make it through some waves without dumping.  The best advice i've read on hear so far was to always have a bow line, tied to the front of your kayak, with a good enough coil of rope to be towed by another kayak in the event of having an injury or falling ill.  You can tie a loop in the end of that line and loop it on your wrist if you feel the conditions warrant it. 

I would worry about the leeah tangling with something on the yak and being too short. With my luck I would manage to wrap the cord around my neck.

I think like Al says leashing the paddle may be the best bet. To be honest though I don't like leashes on yaks at all. I started with many (rods,paddle,tackle, net) and have none presently.

I personally do not want to be tethered to my kayak.
I jump off before I am going to fall over. That way the kayak doesn't flip and it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get back on immediately.
I don't want anything keeping me from doing that.
I have seen several guys get off balance and try to save it when it would have been a lot easier (and a lot less painfull on the pocket book) to jump. If they realized they were at a point of no return it would have been better to jump in the water, keep one hand on the kayak as they did, then get right back on.
This is something I have practiced a ton and made my son and step son do the same.
Jackson and Bryan were fishing right next to each other at Albion. Jackson got caught off guard by a wave and he went into the drink.
Bryan looked over and asked why Jackson was so wet. He didn't even know Jackson went in because he was able to get back on so fast.
One fluid motion.
Practice makes perfect.

I have it attached to my seat and immediately handy for bad conditions, but I really no longer use a leash at all.  I have the advantage of having a boat that is heavy on stable deck space in the X-Factor, but more of it is that I feel very comfortable about being one with my paddle.  I can put my paddle down, or throw it down when grabbing my rod, and it's a natural reflex to just have it there balanced in my lap.  The leash was getting in the way of natural movements.  I'm not endorsing that as a way to learn - it takes a long time.  As for your kayak getting away from you, it must be your ultimate focus to remain with that boat!  It's that clear to me, but I am overly influenced by hundreds of offshore hours.  I have an extra paddle in my hull, and if I go topsy turvy I already know I don't give a shit about the gear - my priority is getting on that boat.  I think a leash from yourself to the boat is not a good idea.  If the conditions are so bad that a leash like that saved you then you should probably not have been there.   

PS:  I have NEVER leashed (or stowed) any other piece of gear (rods, net, whatever) and don't plan to.  (until I go away from the X-Factor)   

On the ai in sail mode I notice a lot of guys do...wonder if it would be the same in high winds and rough water. I've never done it...

Thanks a lot for the info guys- good stuff. I really appreciate the feedback, every single response has me thinking. What made me think about this, is when I'm sturgeon fishing, the outgoing current is ripping to the West, and the wind is usually howling from the West. Both opposing each other. If I fell in, my kayak is blowing away in one direction and I'm floating in the other- fast. I don't think I'll leash myself to my boat. I feel very proficient at self rescue, so I'm going to keep going down that path and train hard to make it as fluid as a motion as possible. If worse came to worst I guess I'd just float to Martinez, call someone for a ride to Antioch and look for my yak in the tullies! some of you might have to google earth those cities to know what I'm talking about.  Thank you all for you responses, they have me thinking. Right on guys!

Jeff

Thanks a lot for the info guys- good stuff. I really appreciate the feedback, every single response has me thinking. What made me think about this, is when I'm sturgeon fishing, the outgoing current is ripping to the West, and the wind is usually howling from the West. Both opposing each other. If I fell in, my kayak is blowing away in one direction and I'm floating in the other- fast. I don't think I'll leash myself to my boat. I feel very proficient at self rescue, so I'm going to keep going down that path and train hard to make it as fluid as a motion as possible. If worse came to worst I guess I'd just float to Martinez, call someone for a ride to Antioch and look for my yak in the tullies! some of you might have to google earth those cities to know what I'm talking about.  Thank you all for you responses, they have me thinking. Right on guys!

Jeff

To some extent this thread points back to the "always dress for immersion" idea.  I usually dress for longterm immersion although I've never been there. (that's why I don't recommend those 3mils that everyone likes)  In the salt I usually imagine what kind of swim it would take to get back to shore and in the bay mostly where am I gonna end up (martinez is good I live there).  Dress right and one of these situations could end up being a really bad day, dress wrong and it could be deadly.

On solo trips with a really ripping bay current I've considered the leash thing but never done it, I don't think it's a good idea.  Anytime I've dumped it seems like an instinctual process to get a hand on the yak almost instantly, but of course I've never had it happen in current or high wind.

Good question Jeff,

Might want to add;
keep your waterproof VHF radio attached to you or your PFD and I also have a strobe light attached to my PFD.  If I need rescue I want to let someone know and I want to be found.  Most likely the need for a rescue will involve me being out of the kayak and in the water. 

EDIT

Oh, and keep a good knife attached to the PFD in case you get tangled or have a leash you need to sever..

When I firt started, I ALWAYS leashed.  worried I'd capsize in the wind, and I am not the fastest swimmer.

It was a hassle and I stopped doing it after getting some experience and confidence.  But, occcasionaly I'd leash depending on circumstance.  Fishing alone at Big Sur, , orr the North Coast, or out of Moss for salmon come to mind.  Also always wear a wetsuit in those conditions.

I used a 10' lngboard leash, set up like a bowline.

And like Al says, never leash paddle or yourself  when launching or landing.

Allen

Might want to add;
keep your waterproof VHF radio attached to you or your PFD and I also have a strobe light attached to my PFD.  If I need rescue I want to let someone know and I want to be found.  Most likely the need for a rescue will involve me being out of the kayak and in the water. 

EDIT

Oh, and keep a good knife attached to the PFD in case you get tangled or have a leash you need to sever..

I have noticed that even thew best PFD's for kayak angling really don't offer good place to attach a radio.  and knife.  Borrowing from my old army load bearing equipment, I try to keep the knife and radio up high on the should straps.  As leashes, I try to hold onto the paddle and use it.  As for a leash to the bow, that is a good idea, I think I would like a semi bungee style as it could absorb shock without jerking you around in rougher water.

Might want to add;
keep your waterproof VHF radio attached to you or your PFD and I also have a strobe light attached to my PFD.  If I need rescue I want to let someone know and I want to be found.  Most likely the need for a rescue will involve me being out of the kayak and in the water. 

EDIT

Oh, and keep a good knife attached to the PFD in case you get tangled or have a leash you need to sever..

I have noticed that even thew best PFD's for kayak angling really don't offer good place to attach a radio.  and knife.  Borrowing from my old army load bearing equipment, I try to keep the knife and radio up high on the should straps.  As leashes, I try to hold onto the paddle and use it.  As for a leash to the bow, that is a good idea, I think I would like a semi bungee style as it could absorb shock without jerking you around in rougher water.

Kevin this one does....I am sure there are others.

http://www.kokatat.com/products/pfd/bahia-tour-pfd.html

The only thing I leash is my paddle (but I unleash when going in and out of surf). IMO, If you decide to leash, make sure you have you have knife handy.

If conditions really turned on me, I would leash my paddle. I carry a paddle leash but can't remember the last time I used it for anything except a rod leash. I probably wouldn't launch into conditions that would require a leash, but I think it is a good fallback option if you get caught out.
I also have a grabline on the deck perimeter, just in case