[fly by night]

Fished from my yak for the first time at Fletchers yesterday. Didn't catch many fish shad had a great time getting out on the river. Question: What kind of early spring safety precautions do most folks take in yak fishing this time of year. I am fishing from a sit on top and I wore a shorty wetsuit yesterday and light goretex jacket on top (jacket came in handy when it started raining). I almost burned even in the shorty up when I was actively paddling but it felt pretty good when I was fishing at anchor. Any pointers would be appreciated. Water was a about 50 degrees.

FBN

 

[HJS]

With the extremely low flows we are having now, Fletchers is a relative safe place to kayak. But watch out when flow exceeds 4'-5'... it gets a little dicy, especially for newbies. Right now flow is 3.2'.

Also, I think you might be required to wear PFDs at all times. If so then I'm not sure if this requirement is seasonal or all year long... others might know.

 

[Sandtiger]

I fished out of Poquoson today for flounder (success!!) and it was relatively warm. I wore my Farmer John wetsuit and an NRS Endurance paddling jacket. The water temperature was 56 degrees.

This is the first time since last October that I did not wear my shorty suit over the Famer John. Does it get warm that way? Yup, especially when you are paddling and generating heat.

Will it save your life if you go over in 42 degree (winter time) or mid-50 degree water? The answer to that is also Yup!! [excited]

A big spring time error is folks feel the warm air and go out in their canoes and kayaks improperly dressed. Two kids went over near Richmond on a warm day about a month ago and they did not find them for about two weeks.

Check out this web page............
http://www.nrsweb.com/hypothermia.asp

and this one.............
http://www.nrsweb.com/Cold_Water_Layering.asp

This should help out a little. I dress for the worst possible thing that could happen ........ that's ending up in the water. With a wetsuit or a drysuit if the yak gets away from you you are protected much longer than you would be dressed any other way.