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Hello fellow fisherman,
I wanted to share a brief story which advertises safety while being a kayak angler in the various places we all fish. This story is personal, it happened to me and a friend of mine whom I was introducing to fishing from a kayak.
Boats at time of incident: Feel Free Moken 12.5 Angler, and Incident Boat the Ocean Kayak Tetra 12
Rigging: Typical loadout, anchor trolley, rods, stowed storage, tackle, etc.
Date: February 23, 2013
Weather: Cold as you know what, overcast with low level clouds
Water temp: upper 30's
Place: Susquehanna River, Controlled release area just south of dam
The story starts out with me being a kayak angler for several years now, previously being a whitewater enthusiast. A friend of mine wanted to learn the skill, not only fishing from a kayak but also just simply kayaking in general. Considering his funds at the time for a SOT kayak, his best option per my recommendation was the feel free moken 12.5 angler. It was the widest boat of that class on the market, high draft, stable enough to easily stand and fish from and had one of the highest weight ratings. So, he invested in an Ocean Kayak Tetra 12 against my recommendation. Now to understand this friend of mine, you must understand his personality. "Doing things the cheap way and dealing with it on the fly" is one of his mottos. This unfortunately led to the circumstance we are now discussing.
After paddling several times and getting the feel not only for the kayak, he began to fish from the boat. Feeling comfortable, he started to devise ways to make the boat stable for someone weighing in excess of 230lbs, rigged an anchor trolley system and was truly maxed out on his rigging for the Ocean Kayak Tetra version of boat. For what he intended to use this boat for, he was ready to go.
We were heading out for an evening paddle, weather was ok and I specified location, DNR phone number, park ranger phone number, location of put in/pull out etc. in the event anything happened. For those of you familiar with the upper Susquehanna River just below the dam, this area is subject to strong current during controlled releases, eddies, etc. There is a number you can call if you plan on paddling this area to notify you as a paddler the generation schedule for the controlled releases. For this story, they were to run one gate at 5,000 cfs. No big deal at this level, have paddled it before and it is quite placid.
We launch from Rock Run (old mill) just north of Lapidum Marina, paddle out approx. 150 ydss and work the currents. This is also near the old pilings area from the old bridge that use to exist here. We paddle-fish, move spots, paddle-fish when I realize that the water is starting to move more quickly. More anchor line out. I always utilize visual references as well as a back up, but you always must be aware of your surroundings. Period.
I anchor up in mid current, working the spots and I am quite successful in the fish. Easy day right? I am 150 yds from shore, directly out from Rock Run, with my friend south of me by 100yds or so. He paddles his kayak through the current, gets broadside to the current and makes the mistake of tossing his anchor with the hopes of turning bow forward, nose into current. As he releases, he doesn't have enough line in his hand while throwing, so anchor falls short; immediately grabbing and holding which in turn capsizes his boat instantaneously. Since I incorporate the buddy system with all activities that run risks (checking periodically on your buddy and gaining visual reference), I turn to see this event unfolding and immediately he is in the 30 degree water. I pull anchor, stowed rod and paddles my &%$ off like I never had before. I'm a former whitewater paddler, so the endurance, dedication, skill set, intelligence and stamina all plays a role. I get to him in the water, (mind you he is well downstream at this point), and look of imminent doom is upon him. While paddling to him, I'm giving verbal commands because at this point hypothermia has begun to set in. When I reach him, I give him the command to remain calm otherwise he poses a threat to us both if he panics. I tow him to shore, and begin to incorporate measures to warm the body. Being stubborn, he ends up being ok with no altered mental status.
Now, what do we do about the boat? It's capsized, anchored and the dam release is in full swing (7 small, 4 large flowing at 75,000 cfs). To understand who I am and what kind of person I am, my idea is to go retrieve the boat. Plain and simple. Never left a man behind in battle, and I don't intend to leave a decent kayak for another fisherman to take. So, I paddle out against current, shoot into and eddy, rest, pull a Rambo with pocket knife in mouth and cut the anchor line. Moored off, and paddle back to shore.
I know the narrative was a bit long, but there are points to be made here. I know I don't have to preach to anyone on this site, because if you haven't already accounted to circumstances like this than you are simply wrong. I would imagine most members on this site paddle open water, so this circumstance doesn't really apply-unless you consider fatigue and a few others. The main points I want to bring to light is to take care of your buddy, and always be aware of your surroundings at all times.
I thank you all for letting me share this incident, and keep safe on the water.
Jay
I wanted to share a brief story which advertises safety while being a kayak angler in the various places we all fish. This story is personal, it happened to me and a friend of mine whom I was introducing to fishing from a kayak.
Boats at time of incident: Feel Free Moken 12.5 Angler, and Incident Boat the Ocean Kayak Tetra 12
Rigging: Typical loadout, anchor trolley, rods, stowed storage, tackle, etc.
Date: February 23, 2013
Weather: Cold as you know what, overcast with low level clouds
Water temp: upper 30's
Place: Susquehanna River, Controlled release area just south of dam
The story starts out with me being a kayak angler for several years now, previously being a whitewater enthusiast. A friend of mine wanted to learn the skill, not only fishing from a kayak but also just simply kayaking in general. Considering his funds at the time for a SOT kayak, his best option per my recommendation was the feel free moken 12.5 angler. It was the widest boat of that class on the market, high draft, stable enough to easily stand and fish from and had one of the highest weight ratings. So, he invested in an Ocean Kayak Tetra 12 against my recommendation. Now to understand this friend of mine, you must understand his personality. "Doing things the cheap way and dealing with it on the fly" is one of his mottos. This unfortunately led to the circumstance we are now discussing.
After paddling several times and getting the feel not only for the kayak, he began to fish from the boat. Feeling comfortable, he started to devise ways to make the boat stable for someone weighing in excess of 230lbs, rigged an anchor trolley system and was truly maxed out on his rigging for the Ocean Kayak Tetra version of boat. For what he intended to use this boat for, he was ready to go.
We were heading out for an evening paddle, weather was ok and I specified location, DNR phone number, park ranger phone number, location of put in/pull out etc. in the event anything happened. For those of you familiar with the upper Susquehanna River just below the dam, this area is subject to strong current during controlled releases, eddies, etc. There is a number you can call if you plan on paddling this area to notify you as a paddler the generation schedule for the controlled releases. For this story, they were to run one gate at 5,000 cfs. No big deal at this level, have paddled it before and it is quite placid.
We launch from Rock Run (old mill) just north of Lapidum Marina, paddle out approx. 150 ydss and work the currents. This is also near the old pilings area from the old bridge that use to exist here. We paddle-fish, move spots, paddle-fish when I realize that the water is starting to move more quickly. More anchor line out. I always utilize visual references as well as a back up, but you always must be aware of your surroundings. Period.
I anchor up in mid current, working the spots and I am quite successful in the fish. Easy day right? I am 150 yds from shore, directly out from Rock Run, with my friend south of me by 100yds or so. He paddles his kayak through the current, gets broadside to the current and makes the mistake of tossing his anchor with the hopes of turning bow forward, nose into current. As he releases, he doesn't have enough line in his hand while throwing, so anchor falls short; immediately grabbing and holding which in turn capsizes his boat instantaneously. Since I incorporate the buddy system with all activities that run risks (checking periodically on your buddy and gaining visual reference), I turn to see this event unfolding and immediately he is in the 30 degree water. I pull anchor, stowed rod and paddles my &%$ off like I never had before. I'm a former whitewater paddler, so the endurance, dedication, skill set, intelligence and stamina all plays a role. I get to him in the water, (mind you he is well downstream at this point), and look of imminent doom is upon him. While paddling to him, I'm giving verbal commands because at this point hypothermia has begun to set in. When I reach him, I give him the command to remain calm otherwise he poses a threat to us both if he panics. I tow him to shore, and begin to incorporate measures to warm the body. Being stubborn, he ends up being ok with no altered mental status.
Now, what do we do about the boat? It's capsized, anchored and the dam release is in full swing (7 small, 4 large flowing at 75,000 cfs). To understand who I am and what kind of person I am, my idea is to go retrieve the boat. Plain and simple. Never left a man behind in battle, and I don't intend to leave a decent kayak for another fisherman to take. So, I paddle out against current, shoot into and eddy, rest, pull a Rambo with pocket knife in mouth and cut the anchor line. Moored off, and paddle back to shore.
I know the narrative was a bit long, but there are points to be made here. I know I don't have to preach to anyone on this site, because if you haven't already accounted to circumstances like this than you are simply wrong. I would imagine most members on this site paddle open water, so this circumstance doesn't really apply-unless you consider fatigue and a few others. The main points I want to bring to light is to take care of your buddy, and always be aware of your surroundings at all times.
I thank you all for letting me share this incident, and keep safe on the water.
Jay
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