Leashes and saftey

[Longtrav]

Hello

I have been reading the site for a few days and I'm torn on rod leashes. I actually orderd three a few days ago and I'm thinking of returning them. I have practiced re-entry and can't imagine doing it tangled in leashes. Also should I leash myself to the kayak? If its windy will it blow away. I prefer saftey over equipment. Any and all advice appreciated.

[FishAholic929]

I have leashes, but only use them when I'm out in rough or potentially rough water. I made a bunch of them out of old cell phone chargers. I always leash my crate and cooler to the yak so I don't lose them. When I leash rods, I leash them to my crate itself, that will put them behind me and out of the way if/when I turtle .

[ComeOnFish]

Longtrav,

On Aug 31, my friend got flipped. He leashed two rods, except the one he was using (a high-end rod and reel $400). I leash every thing on the kayak. Rods, cooler, mirage drive (Hobie pedal), paddle, speargun, snorkeling fins, tackle bag)

I leash when the waves are high and when sailing. I made the leash (between me and Kayak) of weed whacker line - which is tightly coiled and it expands from1.5' to 8-9'.

The coiled rod leashes get tangled when leashes are crossed or catch fishing lines. I don't recommend any coiled rod leashes.
Yes I did get tangled few times with rod leashes. But the rod leashes kept the kayaks with me when the rigs were stuck on the bottom. I was tangled with fishing lines. Without the rod leashes I definitely would lose my kayaks because I couldn't free myself from the fishing lines when the rigs were stuck on the bottom

I attach the weed whacker line leash (coiled) to a strap of PFD and seat strap. I had a plenty of experience on coming out either sides of the kayaks when turtled and practicing. No issues were identified so far.

As long as I am attached to kayak I have access to a knife or scissors. Freeing yourself from fishing line is almost impossible. You can't cut the fishing line (especially Braided) with your hand. BTW I always have a pliers (with cutter) attached on my PFD. And also have extra knife and scissors in my tackle back - which is leashed

Here is inexpensive home-made rod leashes. You can find the bungee cord at G Street fabric

[Snakehead Hunter]

Nice video Joe. I think instead of having your knife in your tackle bag, you should get a small folding knife and attach it to your pfd. So you have your knife at hand reach at all time. I have mine on a key chain and clip to my pdf.

[Longtrav]

Thanks for all the help. I'm thinking about going with rod floats vs rod leashes. And getting a paddle leash.

[DonV]

I'd like to hear some more on this subject myself. I do have the worry of leashes and lines getting wrapped around me in a bad situation. I keep two knives in reach, one attached to my pfd and another neck knife. Have to say that the neck knife also worries me a little as it is another thing to get tangled but like the assurance that it always there and easily accessed. I keep my rods leashed behind me on fairly short coiled leashes and try to keep any other gear leashed to my crate. I use some bungees over the top of my crate to hold my tackle bags in and sometimes clip them with an extra carbiner just for safety.

I was leashing myself to the yak for my first few trips but have since stopped unless it is very windy, once again just to many leashes. I keep it in reach in case some weather comes up. The paddle leash is a semi attachment if you manage to hang on to it in a spill. The one time I turtled I stayed with the kayak. It was a brisk wind but the wind and current took us both the same way. I grabbed on pretty quick but when I did let go we were floating along together. I can imagine a strong gust easily blowing a yak out of reach and it is one of my big concerns. I did have a few fishing lines wrapped around me and the kayak but after calming down and some work untangling while still in the water before getting back in entry was fairly easy. Did end up with two rods that were unleashed on the bottom, managed to pull one up from the line wrapped around the kayak. My main source of safety was having my wife there with me and would have lost a good bit more minor gear without her help not to mention just the peace of mind of having someone nearby.

Really like to hear more from more experienced members on the leashing yourself to the kayak aspect.

[Mark]

I would never leash myself to the kayak. Seems like more bad than good can come from that. Also if water and wind conditions make you fear separation from the boat so much that you would tie yourself to it, it might be wiser to not launch.

I leash my rods and I use rod floats (because I unleash my rods when they are in my hands.) I leash my dry bag and paddle. I keep a Swiss Army Knife clipped to my PFD in case I do need to cut myself free. Should that ever be the case, my kayak and equipment would be the least of my concerns.

[Southerly]

i have a couple cheap coiled key lanyards or something on my crate I got at the hdwr store. they're strong enough to hold a rod but i'm sure i could break them easily if i was tangled and wanted to get loose. and their coiled length is about 12". i really should keep the unused rod leashed, but never do. I've taken to only having two rods on board for some time now. don't want to lose them but most likely would only lose one if i turtled.

i was reaching backwards to a pier to pick up my mirage drive and almost turtled by accident one time, but got lucky. one guy turtled while fighting a fish, another while peeing. weird how the balance shifts quickly if you make the wrong move. I've practiced turtling and reentry (without gear).

I do use a leash from me to yak every once in awhile. when i'm in a situation where the yak could get away from me if swimming due to strong wind or current. i always wear my pfd, but even half sunk, the yak is a giant flotation device and worth staying with except rare situation.

I use a regular surfboard leash. available from a surfshop or online. it has quick release Velcro pull strap that goes around my ankle. when I use it, I coil the leash up and usually forget all about it since I rarely take my feet out of pedals anyway. surfboard leashes modernized surfing. not often needed for yaks probly but some inlets and rivers run fast and sometimes wind comes up.

[DonV]

I would never leash myself to the kayak. Seems like more bad than good can come from that. Also if water and wind conditions make you fear separation from the boat so much that you would tie yourself to it, it might be wiser to not launch.

Sometimes it comes up after you launch and on days with favorable weather forecasts. I'm still debating it with myself and appreciate your input but still think in some serious winds and waves I'd feel better attached to the yak. I do got to get a coiled paddle leash. I'm using paracord and gets wrapped around me often and also catches on everything.

[imagine29028]

As someone who's $70 rod is at the bottom of a pond in Delaware...either use leashes or rod floats.

Still pissed.

[JKay]

I only have one leash that I use all the time and that's for my paddle. I really dislike using a leash for the rod that I'm using. I'll go back to leashing the backup rods when I figure out the system I want. It has to be convenient or I won't use it.

Everyone has a different opinion on this, but if its rough out and particularly if I'm alone, I'll leash myself to the kayak. The last thing you want is to be 1-2 miles offshore and lose your kayak. I made up a version of the kayak tether in the link and it stays in the bag that goes out with me in saltwater. I have one knife lashed to the front of my pfd and a folding knife for bait in my pfd. I could use either of these to cut myself out of a tangle if need be. The tether is made from paracord, so it cuts easily with a knife. I've seen rod leashes made with very thick mono or weedwacker cord. It's a novel concept, but if it cannot be easily cut with a knife, there's no way I'll use it on a kayak.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/fishing...47015_d4f23a1b

[Mark]

Well, that's a good point...that far from shore I would fear separation from my kayak. But I don't suspect I'll ever be that far from shore in a boat unless it has a motor on it!

[JKay]

I don't suspect I'll ever be that far from shore in a boat unless it has a motor on it!

That's what I used to think!

[rob-kayak]

Well... after my first season kayak fishing in this area... I had a paracord leash to the paddle today.
And guess what... today the first time I dropped my paddle in the water... only for a few seconds.
But there was a sigh of relief with the leash on the paddle. What's that they say... "up a creek without a paddle."

Everything else is lashed down.. so if I turtle... except for a couple of items.. I may look like
a floating debris field from japan tsunami... it should be all there.

My first time having a leash to my paddle (paracord) did not in anyway interfere with all the other equipment.

[Excalibur]

I hooked a cownose ray while jigging around the bay bridge and could not get enough leverage to reach out and break my mono w/o coming close to turtling. Finally, I got him boatside and cut the line w/ the knife on my vest. To make things easier for next time around, I bought a release knife to keep in my vest pocket. This gives me the ability to reach out and cut the line at a distance + will cut through just about any leash I have on board if needed. Just another option: http://releaseknife.com/