Kayak fishing SOLO

[ivan1982]

Thank you for all your advices and i hope to meet some of you in the water

[PapaDave]

98% of the time I fish solo, if I wait for a friend to have time available I would not get out very much.

It is kind of nice though, you can explore and concentrate on fishing.

Make sure you have your PFD on and a radio and you'll be fine.

[Mr_Fixit]

I also go out solo, though I try to team up with someone else. It never seems to work out. My preference would be to head out with someone else.

As for safety, I was out in LJ yesterday bounce balling for some Halibut. This huge yacht starts heading my way. I start waving my paddle at him since he is heading straight at me. The pilot waves back, so he definitely saw me. He passes in front of me at a decent clip about 30 feet away. The wake sent me nearly vertical. Stupid prick! His buddies sitting on the back of the boat waved, so I gave them the one finger salute.

Its good to be safe. Its good to be prepared. But always count on assholes.

[NICKWORN]

Originally Posted by Mr_Fixit

I also go out solo, though I try to team up with someone else. It never seems to work out. My preference would be to head out with someone else.

As for safety, I was out in LJ yesterday bounce balling for some Halibut. This huge yacht starts heading my way. I start waving my paddle at him since he is heading straight at me. The pilot waves back, so he definitely saw me. He passes in front of me at a decent clip about 30 feet away. The wake sent me nearly vertical. Stupid prick! His buddies sitting on the back of the boat waved, so I gave them the one finger salute.

Its good to be safe. Its good to be prepared. But always count on assholes.

Same happened to me on Sunday, that young fat ass of a captain came barreling down on my buddy and I to the point I had to turn around and head even farther out( we were in 150+ ft of water), afterwards I turned an took the swell head on so it didn't flip me. That captain is a douche bag, him and his little posse that are always on that boat.

[taggermike]

Ive been yak fishing over 17 years and back then there weren't many people to go with. I lived on the outer Banks of NC for a year 8 years ago and saw exactly 1 other yak angler in that time. I meet people at the launch and on the water but it just doesn't occur to me to set up meetings in advance or to have trips hinge in others availability. Mike

[Dirty Curti]

I often launch alone but anyone is welcome to hang with me. I tend to like to cover some ground out there so I am often moving around. I am not trying to avoid anyone just looking for fishy areas.

Happy to have anyone along if not I am fine with that too as the serenity is divine. Dang, that sounds like a poem.

Just go fishin'!

[Mr_Fixit]

Ok guys. You ever see a dude in a blue Outback wearing ocean blue clothing and a blue PFD, its probably me (Yeah, I like Blue... whatever!). Say Hi. We can hang out. Hopefully we can get more fish as a team.

I am needing to stock up on some YT. Co worker is heading out on a huge salmon fishing trip and wants to trade some YT for Salmon. Sounds like a deal to me.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Buddy System is good, but it's only one safety precaution. It depends on circumstances. Two fools out together may not be an assurance of safety. "Blind leading the blind" ... yada, yada.

There are many other things to consider. Common sense and foresight is what keeps us relatively safe over being naive or foolish or reckless. Personal experience and general awareness of what we are doing counts for a lot. Think things through and be prepared.

I usually go alone. That doesn't mean I am alone. It's so much easier to move at our own pace and I enjoy the flexibility of not waiting or conforming to what others might want to do.

I think I'm safety conscious. I try to think through safety equipment, tools for repairs, first aid for accidents and backup options if we run into trouble. I always watch the weather, whether I'm fishing or not. If fog is possible I watch the temperature and dew point. As a pilot, we anticipate possible fog when the air temperature and dew point are within 4 degrees of each other. I don't know what standards are used by boaters, but 4 degrees works for me.

I always enjoy meeting new friends and other fisherpeople on the water. I'm happy to share whatever I have. It's rare that there is not someone else in the vicinity. I'm available to help anyone in distress, as I think most other kayakers and boaters are. It's a good community.

As a former adventure traveler, I always left home alone, but rarely was alone during my travels. There are already people everywhere we go. Always interesting people to meet and enjoy as part of our travel experience. Kayak fishing is similar, IMHO.

Have fun. Life is sweet.

[radastaff]

Originally Posted by taggermike

Ive been yak fishing over 17 years and back then there weren't many people to go with. I lived on the outer Banks of NC for a year 8 years ago and saw exactly 1 other yak angler in that time. I meet people at the launch and on the water but it just doesn't occur to me to set up meetings in advance or to have trips hinge in others availability. Mike

I wonder if it was the same DB who tried to run me down as well at Dana a few weeks back 2 mi out.

one warning shot over the bow
next into the wheel house

threating yakkers life = one step up in escalation of force

fuck that shit...


go out solo alot
even with buds end up solo
stay out forever

P

[FARRIER]

Flying solo is common amongst many kayak fisherman. But if you bring a handshake, a friendly attitude, and an extra beer or two its hard not to make friends. Rule of thumb for me is dont fish farther out than you can swim back to shore.