Kayak Fishing is not a hobby that conjures up images of serious injury and death. The US Coast Guard reported 258 kayak/canoe deaths for 2018. Lying below the surface of this seemingly idyllic past time are dangers that any Kayak Fisherman needs to be prepared for.
The majority of the time, Kayak Fishing is safe. Accidents do happen though and if you are not aware of the hazards, you can put yourself into a life threatening situation very fast. Understanding how to fish from a kayak will make you more prepared.
Kayak Fishing can be dangerous because of:
- Changing weather conditions
- Hazardous Currents
- Other Boats
- Capsizing
- Dangerous Creatures
- Rapids and Rocks
- Large Surf
- Exhaustion
By understanding the dangers, studying from them and preparing for them, you will greatly decrease any chances that you will be put into a dangerous situation. I have had a few close calls myself. I’m very glad I was prepared.
Let’s go over ways that you can prepare yourself to have safe, enjoyable experiences fishing from a Kayak.
Safety Comes First When Kayak Fishing
Safety first.
That mantra needs to be on the top of every kayak fisherman’s mind. By having the right safety gear and practices, you can be confident every time you enter the water that you have done the best you could do to guarantee that you’ll come back safely.
Safety Gear
Proper safety comes from having the right safety gear. It is extra gear to purchase and more to pack, but if that gear is the difference between you living and dying, I think the extra inconvenience is well worth it. Here is what I pack, every time.
- Personal Floatation Device (PFD) – Everyone should have one, even if you are a good swimmer. You can go unconscious or get separated from your kayak. There are a lot of great PFD options specific to kayak fishing and they look cool too. This PFD is my favorite.
- Whistle, Air Horn – Sometimes you’re in danger and need help. Yelling will only get you so far. Having a whistle or air horn will greatly increase your chances that you get heard.
- Flag/ Safety Light – When out on the open water or fishing at night, having a brightly colored flag and a safety light will help you be seen by other boaters. I wrote about how to make a budget light post/camera mount for your kayak, but you can purchase one through Amazon as well.
- Walkie Talkies (VHF Radio) – Communication can be key in the event of a dangerous situation. Having a walkie talkie shared with another kayak fisherman or someone on shore can give you the reassurance that you’ll have back up when you need it. Make sure you get a good waterproof brand like this one.
- Knife/Gaff – You may find yourself with a shark on the line or circling your kayak. You’ll want to be able to cut your line, or in the event of a real emergency, fight for your life. Maybe its an alligator or water mocassin. Whatever it may be, having a knife or a gaff could really help.
- First Aid, Hat, Sunscreen, Water – This one might sound obvious, but many problems from kayak fishing come from heat exhaustion and dehydration. The sun is more intense out on the open water and without proper sun protection you are putting yourself at risk. Hydration is key but often overlooked. Most health issues can be traced back to this.
Safe Practices
Observing safe practices will not only keep you safe, it’s smart. I’m one of those guys that probably should incorporate more safe practices into my kayak fishing, but I never skimp on preparation.
- Know Your Limits – Being honest with yourself about your limits will go a long way when it comes to keeping you safe. Seeing that the wind is strong or the water flow is higher on the river and knowing its not safe will keep you out of harm. If your buddy wants to fish a spot 3 miles out from land and you just barely started kayaking, be sure to speak up.
- Buddy Up – You are always safe kayak fishing alone until you’re not. Maybe you capsize and get tangled up in your gear. Perhaps you get a hook stuck in the back of your neck and you need someone else to help get it out. Going it alone can be dangerous. Besides, having a friend come along can increase the stoke factor for all of you.
- Observe Conditions – Watching the conditions before paddling out can save your life. Maybe there is a giant set of waves that roll through every half hour that you didn’t notice before. Recognizing that the currents are a little stronger in one spot as opposed to another will also save you trouble. Watch the weather and tides for any changes. If you’re fishing on a river, where are the rapids or large rocks that you’re might need to avoid? Careful observation can save your life.
- Training – Getting into better physical shape when your not paddling can help you in those situations where you find yourself far off course or tired from reeling in a big fish for hours. Being able to swim long distances can give you confidence in the event of getting separated from your kayak. Check out this post where we covered how to get into shape for kayak fishing.
Dangerous Situations You Can Get Into Kayak Fishing
Sometimes you can put yourself into a dangerous situation and not even know it. There other day I went out Kayak Fishing with my son when everything started to go wrong. It started off a beautiful day, then the wind started to change as did the current.
My son leaned a little bit too much the wrong way and we capsized. My son had no life jacket on, I had no rod leash, it was a mess. Luckily my son is a decent swimmer for his age. He was able to grab on to the over turned kayak and I retrieved the pole. The angels were looking after us that day.
Let’s go over some of the dangerous situations you may encounter so you can do your best to prepare for when they happen. If you kayak fish long enough, something will happen.
- Capsizing – This is a very real danger, it has happened to me on more than one occasion. The best thing you can do to prepare for capsizing is to go kayaking without any fishing gear and capsize on purpose. Get used to overturning and having to right your kayak.
Have your PFD on.
When you are ready to go fishing, make sure you strap everything down or have a leash on it. That way when you capsize, all you have to focus on is righting your boat. Having to track down all of your lost gear, or worse, losing all of that expensive equipment makes for a very bad day.
- Getting Lost – Getting lost is usually something that happens to open water kayakers, but it can happen on smaller bodies of water if you’re not paying attention. Getting lost on a smaller body of water can happen if you stay out too far past sunset and you can’t quite find where you launched from.
For ocean fisherman, your fishing grounds may be 3 miles out to sea, but how do you find your way back to where you started from that distance out?
Before going out, make a float plan highlighting where and for how long you plan to go out for and give it to someone back on land who can be aware of any changes that may happen.
Having a GPS unit to track your location could be very helpful. Many fish finders have this feature built in nowadays.
If you do not have a GPS, pay attention to landmarks in the landscape. It may start off as a big tree that stands out or a house on the shore, but as you get further and further from land, your landmark will probably get more macro in scale. Line up with a hill or point rather than house or tree.
If you are prepared, getting lost will probably never happen to you.
- Dangerous Creatures – The waters are filled with dangerous creatures. Even the fish you catch can be dangerous. It is not uncommon for those kayak fishing in the ocean to meet a shark from time to time, especially if you’ve bled out a fish recently.
Down south it could be an alligator or poisonous snake. Learn what dangerous creatures lurk in the waters you fish in. Study them so that you will know more about them and how you can keep yourself safe.
- Large Boats – Many bodies of water have large boats that have trouble locating a small craft such as a kayak. Or maybe they’re just some careless speed boater and just speed on by, leaving large wakes behind, capsizing you in the process.
To help protect yourself, have a brightly colored flag and/or a beacon light attached to your kayak. This can make you more visible to other boats.
You still have to be vigilant. Give larger boats the right of way and keep an eye on any potential boats that might be speeding your way. If you know a boat is going to generate some wake, turn the nose of your kayak perpendicular into the wake so the kayak can float right over. If you find yourself sideways to the wake when it arrives, lean into it, this will help keep you from capsizing. - Getting Swept Out to Sea – This one applies to ocean fisherman and is a danger to take seriously. Some areas naturally have strong currents that if you get caught, it’s straight out to sea. Hawai’i is full of them. When the wind switches, it can be especially dangerous.
A hand-powered, light craft is no match for a current of water traveling at over 30mph. No matter how hard you paddle, you cannot beat it. My advice would be to stay away from these areas completely.
If that is not an option, try not to go alone, remember to draft a float plan and keep Walkie Talkies, a beacon and a flare with you for added precautions. - Equipment Failure – Paddles break and boats leak. What will you do? You can bring along an extra paddle or maybe something to bail water might come in handy. Give equipment failure some thought so that you can plan for the contingencies.
To help minimize risks of failure, go over your equipment before launch. Check your paddle thoroughly. Scan for any holes in your kayak and remember to reattach your drain plug. - Exhaustion – Kayak Fishing is a tiring sport. Some kayak fishermen paddle miles to get to their spot. Sometimes they catch fish that give you a fight for hours. After all that, do you have anything left to get you back home?
It’s important to give yourself enough room to make it back to your launch zone. Set a timer for every 30 minutes to remind you to drink water. Where a hat and sunscreen to minimize the effects of the sun.
If you come down with exhaustion or dehydration, you can be putting yourself into a very dangerous situation.
Beginner Kayaking Tips
Before you even set out on a kayak, you should get to know a few things to ensure yourself a safe trip. Depending on your skill level, it may take some practice to become a proficient kayaker and fisherman from a kayak.
- Dress right – Dressing right is important because you run the risk of submersion anytime you are in a kayak. Wearing layers may keep you warm above water, but they could bog you down if you find yourself swimming in it.
A good rule of thumb is whatever you would wear swimming in the water is what you should wear kayaking in the water. - Capsize Drills – As I mentioned before, practicing how to capsize is one of the most important skills that you can learn as a kayak fisherman. You want to know how to do it when you are potentially dangerous waters.
Some local pools allow kayakers to practice capsize drills. If they don’t allow it and there are enough of you, maybe you can request a time that you can reserve the pool for everyone to practice. - Practice Paddle Techniques – Learning how to handle your kayak before going fishing is very important. Practice sprinting with your kayak, paddling as hard as you can. Practice turning your kayak as quickly as you can.
As a kayak fisherman, you’ll also need to practice the one handed paddle, when you have the paddle wedged up into your armpit along the length of your arm and your pole in the other hand. One hand manages the paddling while trying to fight a fish. - Stretch and Hydrate Before Launching – Having a hydrated, flexible body can help minimize any bodily injuries or health issues. Be sure to spend some time before going out fishing loosening and stretching your body. We came up with the perfect Kayaker Fisherman’s workout that you can read about here.
- Get to Know your Fishing Gear Ahead of Time – By familiarizing yourself with your fishing gear and how it’s loaded onto your kayak, you can be quicker to react when the situation demands it.
Perhaps you just caught yourself a big fish. Knowing where the gaff is without having to use your eyes to find it can save you from potentially capsizing your kayak if the fish makes a move that you weren’t ready for.
The Right Kayak Can Keep You Safer
Having the right kayak for the right conditions can keep you safer while kayak fishing.
A longer kayak with peddle drive are suited better for long distance trips. They can help in situations where the winds or currents may be stronger than the average spot. Longer kayaks are faster than shorter kayaks, but cannot maneuver as well
A wider kayak will make it more stable, giving you more peace of mind that you won’t capsize over every little tug on your line. A wide kayak can also handle more weight than a kayak that is more narrow.
Sit on tops offer more stability and room for movement while a sit-in kayaks are more suitable for fast moving waters.
Consider where you will be fishing most of the time and also think about where you might be able to store your gear.
If you have a local kayak dealer, sometimes they have demo days where you can try out all of the different kayaks so that you can find what’s best for you.
My 3 Top Kayaks for Kayak Fishing
I personally love converting generic kayaks into fishing machines, but I’ve tried out a few of the dedicated fishing kayak models and these 3 would be my favorite.
(These links will take you to Amazon)
- Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 – Best Ocean Kayak
- Malibu Kayaks Stealth – Best River Kayak
- Sun Dolphin Journey – Best Budget Kayak
The Danger Is Part of the Fun
I hope I didn’t scare you away from kayak fishing. It’s just that it’s important to be aware of any hazards before you actually have to experience them. I don’t know about you, but part of what I like about kayak fishing is the danger.
Nothing much happens when you’re fishing from shore. But something is always happening when you’re fishing from a kayak.
I hope you get yourself prepared and I find you out on the water very soon. Happy Fishing!!