Newbie Gear Check - And Advice

A spare paddle. Doesn't have to be a nice one. 

Staying within your limits and working to master skills is more important than any piece of equipment.

A spare paddle is a good idea. I'm still deciding on what I want for my main paddle though. I'm definitely going to be even more cautious in the big blue.

I always have a bilge pump and spare paddle inside the hull. You hope you'll never need it. But you'll be glad if you ever do!
Even one of these telescoping jetski paddles would work better than nothing: http://www.amazon.com/attwood-11828-1-Attwood-Telescoping-Paddle/dp/B003DK3GSC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461003352&sr=8-1&keywords=telescope+paddle

I learned the hard truth about having a spare paddle during the Central Coast opener at SWS.  I carried one of those telescoping paddles as a back-up, but no more.  My regular paddle snapped after an hour on the water... it was old and I never treated it well.  Anyway, after one of the paddle blades snapped off, I decided to just use it like a single (ala canoe paddle) to move closer to the cove (before the wind/swells picked up).  That was exhausting and it took me way longer than I expected even in relatively good conditions.  It was a valuable lesson.  In the future, I'll be carrying a real kayak paddle as a back up.  Had I had one, I could've kept fishing instead of spending all my time inefficiently limping back to safety with a single paddle. 

Good to know, Mark. Thanks for that. I haven't had to use the telescoping paddle for more than a few test paddles. I assumed it would work better than my bigass salmon net, which I've had to utilize as a paddle a few times (and admittedly works better than I'd imagined, but not ideal). If I'm in my paddle kayak, I usually stuff a crappy backup paddle in there [telescoping paddle is more for my Hobie].

A spare paddle. Doesn't have to be a nice one. 

Staying within your limits and working to master skills is more important than any piece of equipment.

A spare paddle is a good idea. I'm still deciding on what I want for my main paddle though. I'm definitely going to be even more cautious in the big blue.

I always have a bilge pump and spare paddle inside the hull. You hope you'll never need it. But you'll be glad if you ever do!
Even one of these telescoping jetski paddles would work better than nothing: http://www.amazon.com/attwood-11828-1-Attwood-Telescoping-Paddle/dp/B003DK3GSC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461003352&sr=8-1&keywords=telescope+paddle

This is a great idea!

 

I also started keeping a easy to open fold up pocketknife in the pocket of my pfd as a backup to my knife on the outside. If you ever need to cut something tangling u up it couldn't hurt to have a backup.

What I have noticed about me is that once I have all my safety gear plus fishing gear it's a lot of stuff. I try to bring less fishing tackle every time out. I bring an extra pole but leave in inside the kayak. If I bring some " maybe I will use it" stuff. Leave it inside the kayak. Have a buddy help you get it out on the water. An uncluttered kayak is lighter, safer and more enjoyable in my opinion. My number 1 safety item is someone else to fish with. It's nice to Have them be there for you, and try to make good decisions so they never "need " to be there for you

I have plenty of small, folding knives that I can use as backup. I'm sure I'll be making lists and loading my kayak up with things I want, only to realize just how much gear there is. An uncluttered kayak will surely be safer, at least for me starting out. And I always try to go fishing with someone if I can.

If it hasn't already been mentioned.  Good idea to carry ~8' of rope (3/8" dia. Is suitable) to use as a tow line in the event you need a lift.  Often thought that an old water-ski handle with a brass snap a few down the rope could double as a foot loop to flip a yak & be a tow rope as well.  Multi-use the equipment cuts down on items to carry.

Fantastic idea! I'll take this into account.

Lots of good suggestions in this thread.

If you're headed out into the ocean, I feel it's very important to have a reliable GPS. If the sh*t hits the fan, you'll want to be able to call out your lat/lon on the radio to summon help.

The compass is also very important, but it won't help you determine your location unless you combine it with a paper chart or map.

I see you're in the market for a fishfinder, too, so I'd HIGHLY recommend picking one that includes GPS. I also keep a little handheld Garmin in my dry bag with some spare batteries.

I often go offshore alone to chase salmon, so I take this safety stuff very seriously.


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I agree. When ever I can afford to buy the fish finder I will get one that also has GPS. My problem is budget.

Understood. Budget is always tough...

In the meantime, I recommend downloading the Navionics ap for $10. It will show your Lat/Lon with reasonable accuracy.

Have fun!

Most Smart phones have native GPS. Navionics is a ridiculously valuable product for $10 and you should absolutely download it and buy it, but GPS should already be on your phone and if it isn't navionics won't put it there.

Most Smart phones have native GPS. Navionics is a ridiculously valuable product for $10 and you should absolutely download it and buy it, but GPS should already be on your phone and if it isn't navionics won't put it there.

Indeed. I just can't figure out how to get my iPhone to give a lat/lon other than in Navionics. I'm sure it's possible, I'm just not much of a techie.

Most Smart phones have native GPS. Navionics is a ridiculously valuable product for $10 and you should absolutely download it and buy it, but GPS should already be on your phone and if it isn't navionics won't put it there.

Indeed. I just can't figure out how to get my iPhone to give a lat/lon other than in Navionics. I'm sure it's possible, I'm just not much of a techie.

Why do you need it to give you a lat/lon? You can enter a lat/lon in google maps and it will plot it. I imagine you can save a spot in google maps and email it to yourself. Then maybe you could import it to google earth or something to get the coordinates. Let me know what you're trying to do and I'll see if I can work it out.

In an emergency rescue situation, I need to be able to give my lat/lon to whoever I can reach on the radio.


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I can already do what I need to do, since I have the Navionics ap (and a chartplotter and handheld GPS). I just wasn't sure if there was an easy way to make the iPhone show Lat/Lon without the extra ap (for those who don't have it yet).

Thanks for the offer though.

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Place the marker. Then share it with yourself. Open the email and click the link and it opens like this.

Although I'm still not sure what the advantage is to it.

It works on the water at least. Maybe not on streets.

Knowing you Lat/Lon is key in a rescue situation , and it can help you meet up with buddies on the water, call out where your catching fish (or hear where others are catching fish), etc, etc, etc..




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I can already do what I need to do, since I have the Navionics ap (and a chartplotter and handheld GPS). I just wasn't sure if there was an easy way to make the iPhone show Lat/Lon without the extra ap (for those who don't have it yet).

Thanks for the offer though.

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Open the compass app that was preinstalled on the phone.  It will give you lat/long too.

Knowing you Lat/Lon is key in a rescue situation , and it can help you meet up with buddies on the water, call out where your catching fish (or hear where others are catching fish), etc, etc, etc..




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Oooh, good point.  For OP he will need navionics because of the way we give location here.  Location is called out as minutes of latitude and depth contour.  02.5 line @ 195.  Not going to figure that out without a chart app.

I can already do what I need to do, since I have the Navionics ap (and a chartplotter and handheld GPS). I just wasn't sure if there was an easy way to make the iPhone show Lat/Lon without the extra ap (for those who don't have it yet).

Thanks for the offer though.

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Open the compass app that was preinstalled on the phone.  It will give you lat/long too.

Yes! That's where I had seen it before. Thanks.