Cold We4ather Gear for Fall/Winter Kayak Fishing

[UnkleRob2020]

I am planning to fish later into the season this year. I get cold easily due to thyroid issues and probably just not being very tough...I like to be comfortable.

I am looking for suggestions on cold weather gear and waterproof gear. I know some people use wet suits, and I know some people use dry suits. I am not really sure what is the difference between the two or what is most conducive to kayak fishing.

Any thoughts will be appreciated.

Thank you,

Rob

[dsaavedra]

My basic understanding is that dry suits keep you dry by totally excluding water from touching your body via waterproof construction and tight rubber gaskets around the neck and cuffs. I don't think they inherently keep you warm, however. You should wear warm layers underneath. Wet suits, on the other hand, are made of an insulating material (neoprene) that keeps you a bit warm, but they do let a small amount of water in. Your body heats this thin layer of water which provides further insulation. I don't think you wear much, if anything, under a wet suit. From what I gather, dry suits are preferable for kayak fishing in cold weather because we kayak angler are never planning to immerse ourselves, we just want to be protected in the event it happens. I have noticed that dry suits are pretty expensive and I have not invested in one yet, though it has been on my mind for a long time.

If you do get one, make sure it has a relief zipper! This is a practical necessity. I was given an old dry suit that does not have a relief zipper and as a result I have never used the suit. I tried it on once and knew right away that taking this thing off and putting it back on at any point during the trip to "use the facilities" was just not gonna work.

I'll be following this thread for more info.... I really should step up my cold weather preparation and one of these days I'd like to invest in a good dry suit.

[Mark]

I actually discuss this in some detail in my book.

I believe the best answer depends on your knowledge of hypothermia -- how decreasing water temperatures impact your body's response to the cold, your physical condition and your tolerance of risk. The bottom line is that for reasonably healthy people, cold water immersion is not instant death. It's uncomfortable for sure. And you may lose consciousness due to the cold. But if you wear a PFD that keeps you afloat, you have a reasonable survival time unless you are stranded alone in the water for a long time.

Rarely are our local Chesapeake waters below 40 degrees F. Even in February, the average Chesapeake Bay water temperature is near 45 degrees F. The coldest water I have ever fished was 38 degrees in an Eastern Shore pond. The pickerels were active, by the way.

At that temperature, between 32.5 and 40 degrees F, the US Coast Guard estimates that a person in reasonable health with a PFD will survive immersion for 30 to 90 minutes. They estimate that some may lose consciousness in 30 minutes. (You can find this data in numerous online sites.) Here's one:

http://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?...ory=cold-water

Certainly a drysuit may prolong survival time, but not indefinitely. Eventually, the cold water will win regardless of what you are wearing. As the above article states, water dissipates body heat 25 times faster than air. The question you need to assess is how long would you expect to remain in the water on typical cold water fishing outing should you go overboard?

I fish in cold water with the foremost goal of staying upright and to minimize the time I would be in the water should I fail. Therefore:

I am exceedingly cautious about the weather, especially the wind. I do not go out if wind is creating waves too high or producing excessively low wind chill.

I do not fish big Chesapeake Bay waters in winter.

I do not cross large expanses of water in winter.

I fish only wind protected tidal creeks or calm Eastern Shore ponds, never venturing far from shore.

I do not fish alone in winter.

In short, I try to keep that 30 minute worst case time limit in mind. Can I reasonably expect to get to shore or get help from my fishing buddy within that timeframe should I roll my kayak? I believe in my current state of health, I can. However, I may reach an age or a stage of health when I decide I cannot. At that time I will stop cold water kayak fishing.

Until then:

I rely on dry pants (essentially waders) to keep my legs dry during launching and fishing. I have dry pants from Kokatat and NRS that I alternate. Both are excellent. Neither pair leaks. I wear fleece wading pants under the dry pants. I usually start wearing them by November when the average Chesapeake Bay water temperature is between 56 and 60 degrees F. (Again, you can find these average Bay temperature stats online.) I wear neoprene boots. I may wear a wool hat if the air temps are in the 30s. Otherwise I wear a regular ballcap. I do not wear gloves. For whatever reason, my hands stay warm while I am casting and paddling. But many of my buddies wear gloves too.

I wear layered (non-dry) protection on top to protect me from cold air temps. That consists of a long-sleeved shirt, sweatshirt and windbreaker. Some of my friends wear a dry top (essentially a sealed jacket) in addition to dry pants. That's another alternative to a full drysuit.

I ALWAYS wear a PFD.

I do not target deep water winter stripers in the larger Chesapeake Bay. I mainly target pickerels. My by-catches are bass and crappies. Those species provide more than enough fishing enjoyment for me in winter.

So again, I approach the matter of cold water fishing by assessing the risk. I realize that a full drysuit may buy me some time should I wind up in cold water. But I try to make sure I fish only in areas in and in weather conditions where it is very unlikely that I will go overboard. Also, I try to limit my cold water fishing to places where I believe I can reach shore or get help quickly should I roll my kayak by not fishing alone or in deep water far from shore.

Fortunately, I have not had to validate the US Coast Guard's hypothermia time estimates. I hope I never do. I wish the same for each of you.

[Red_Beard]

For most kayakers, I would strongly recommend they go with a dry suit over a wet suit. Dry suits are suitable for much colder temperatures, they allow for wearing insulating clothing underneath (whereas wet suits depend on a layer of water heated by your own body warmth to keep you warm), and they allow for a lot more freedom of movement. I bought a Level Six dry suit that I found on sale during the winter of 2020, and it allowed me to fish from March clear through December in my kayak. I used it again in the early spring of this year when water temps were still below 60, and will start wearing it again this fall when water and air temperatures drop below 60 again.

Kokotat, NRS, Stohlquist, and Helly Hansen all make dry suits worth considering. You may also consider looking at a semi-dry suit, which is what I have. The difference between a semi-dry vs. a dry suit is the semi-dry ones have a neoprene neck collar rather than a latex one. They may allow a trickle of water in if you go over, but will largely keep you dry so long as your head isn't submerged for too long. They are much more comfortable to wear all day, and with my 18 inch neck a latex casket would be uncomfortable as all heck.

I also recommend getting a size up from what you would regularly wear to make sure you can get the needed layers underneath it. The dry suit itself offers little insulation, it just keeps you dry and blocks any wind. Its the layers of warm clothing you wear underneath that provide warmth, and I tend to recommend thermals, wool, fleece, and non-cotten sweatpants.

[Red_Beard]

And one other thing, make sure you get one with a relief zipper!!

[thedutchtouch]

i was debating the same thing a few years ago, ended up getting a kokatat dry top and NRS bibs. i rarely wear the ddry top (started hunting so i switch gears when it gets colder for the most part) but wear the bbis quite a bit. some people warn against this because they think the bibs will fill with water, but in reality they don't. i've tested it myself, got a bit wet but nothing dangerous. like stated previously, personal risk assesment is key. i alsob bought a good quality marine VHF radio first.

[Oldbayrunner]

I don't completely agree with Mark, I've spent most of my life in some degree of submersion in water ranging from water in the 80's to water in the 30's. 50 years of that was surfing and diving 23 of which was professional surfing around the globe. I've had hypothermia and it is nothing to fool with. Granted if you fall out of a kayak in cold water chances are your not going to be submersed for very long BUT if you are not dressed properly and you get wet with the air temps are what they can be in this area then Hypothermia can indeed set in. Hypothermia is Not the 1st concern as there are 5 stages of cold water immersion which is shown in the link provided. So dress for success not for failure, I've had my kayak flip while alone in 40 degree water with the air temps around 35 degrees had I not had my proper gear on then I would have been in dire trouble based on where I was located.

You ask the difference between a wet and dry suit. A wet suit functions by allowing water to seep in through the pores of the material, allowing you body temp to heat the water. Depending on the thickness of the wet suit determines to what degree water it can be used in for X amount of time. Over a period of time the body slows down & stops having the ability to heat the seeping, when that happens it is time to get out of the water and get dry. Wearing a wet suit while not in the water can have a reverse effect since any water for the body to heat is warm water in the form of sweat and seeps from the inside out so the end result is it cools instead of remaining at the temperature the body produced it so in reality the body feels colder in a much shorter period of time.

A dry suit is just that. It has no warming factor so the clothing one wears needs to be the factor to keep ones body warm. Overly dressed results in too much sweating which that can have a reverse effect for keeping one warm. So one needs to use base materials that allow for the sweated water to wick away from ones body to keep warmer for a longer period of time. So with a dry suit if one falls in the water and the seals are a proper fit then no water gets in and allows ones base clothing to provide warmth. I strongly advise wearing good cold water gloves and hood. If your hands freeze then then it can become too difficult to be able to re-right or re-enter a kayak.

Dry pants and dry tops are another way, they can be effective but for a shorter period of time as with them being separate pieces eventually cold water can and will find its way in, same with waders. Here again they can be effective if one is only in the water a short period of time. PS it is a fallacy that water in waders will drag one down while in the water however wet heavy clothing can.

A vhf radio is only effective if it is within range of someone being able to receive it and if it has the ability to distress broadcast ones position outside of just ones voice radioing for help.. I found that out the hard way when I wound up in the water and couldn't radio for help or at least no one responded. The best course of action is to be prepared in the first place.
Now there are semi dry suits, generally the seals are of a neoprene design so it does allow some water to seep but not enough to be concerned with unless one is in the water for a long extended time.

Me, for kayaking cold weather and water I wear a drysuit based from my experience with them over the years.

I strongly advise anyone watching Cold Water Bootcamp then decide how to proceed.

[nhunter344]

PS it is a fallacy that water in waders will drag one down while in the water however wet heavy clothing can.

Completely agree with the while in the water part, but getting yourself back into your kayak with waders full of water is a tall order. In that scenario, just hope youre close enough to land so you can get out of the water before hypothermia sets in.

I use a drysuit in the rare instance I fish in cold water, but prior to owning one, I used a usably leaky second hand semi-dry and kept a full change of clothes on board including a winter jacket. You can find a packable down jacket at Costco/Sam's Club for cheap and they have a very small footprint. Youre not out of the woods until your dry.

[Mark]

... and kept a full change of clothes on board including a winter jacket. You can find a packable down jacket at Costco/Sam's Club for cheap and they have a very small footprint. Youre not out of the woods until your dry.

That's a good point. I also keep a change of clothes in my truck or van on winter outings as a contingency. And I don't venture far from my vehicle in winter. I have remarked to others that I never feel chilled while fishing in winter. But as I am pulling my kayak from the water and loading my gear to go home, I begin to feel the cold. My vehicle heater is a very welcome accessory on the drive home. That and my Stanley Thermos of hot coffee.

[ronaultmtd]

Slipped in the mud and fell in the lake in February...the water was so cold it felt hot...did not take me long to get back in my truck headed home...as an older big man (6' 200(+) pounds) the $$$ dry suits are mostly made for slim, fit athletes...Too much trouble to mess with...so I have the imperfect solution...If I do decide to risk a trip, I pretty much do as Mark does...sheltered waters, close to shore- 99% of the time catfish or put and take trout fishing...the cost of the suits, the uncomfortable factor and the limited amount of use in productive fishing makes these suits "unsuitable" for me...if I lived along the Columbia River and got seven months of productive cold water fishing for salmon I would own two dry suits...

[summersoff]

I always found the best way to stay dry and warm during the winter months is to take up surf fishing.

[Mark]

The judgment we use while planning and especially during our kayak fishing trips has more to do with our ultimate safety than the gear we use. PFDs, protective clothing, visipoles, reflective tape, VHF radios, etc. by themselves will not save us if we are careless or nonchalant. Our best judgment tells us when to not leave the shore or when changing conditions dictate that we return to it. That’s true for all seasons.