Nov. 9-- Meet & Greet: Point Lookout!! Ictalurus sighting

[AbuMasgouf]

Nice ingenuity bro!

Taking on water is a big concern. I have the 2013 model Enduro 12 that comes with sealed bulkheads front and rear. I have added some additional sealing to the hatch covers on both ends. As for the main bathtub where I sit I have wired in an electric automatic bilge pump to my accessory battery. I also carry a battery powered bilge pump as a backup. My outriggers use 8 shrimp flats that are supposed to float 30lbs each for additional buoyancy and make it very difficult to turtle the yak. If it does turn over it should still float and be an island of safety. I am most worried about taking waves directly from the front or rear and getting swamped. I am working on a couple of ideas to help channel water away from the hole that wont be to intrusive. I am an engineer by trade and will likely come up with something that has a good chance of going either way. With luck and knowing when to pack it up run for cover I hope to stay topside. Thanks again for your advice.

[Jambone]

I think the equipment list is extensive...your safety equipment is not the problem with big open water...the problem with big water is getting that water inside a sit inside kayak- unless you have a crack in the hull or an open hatch cover that won't happen with a sit on top- and once you lose the buoyancy factor all bets are off- personally, I could never in good faith recommend a sit inside kayak for fishing the Bay-

So, why is a sit-in kayak so dangerous in 'big' water? I think in general, any boat in any water can be dangerous if you don't use common sense. I think simply using good judgement based on your skill levels and experience should dictate what you can handle and to be prepared if things go wrong. I have several good friends of mine that are very experience fishing from sit-in kayaks and they fish on the Potomac and Patuxent rivers, and bay very regularly without incident. Personally, I think it's important to be prepared to be in the water and have a way to call for help or help yourself to get out. I practiced this philosophy in my 27' Hydra-Sports, which seems like a 'large' vessel but it got smaller than a kayak on the bay when fishing 60-miles offshore. My biggest fear has always been falling out of the boat and not being able to call for help. When I'm alone, I always carry a DSC enabled radio and my Spot Messenger. Those two items are not relatively cheap but well worth it if my life was on the line. If I was in trouble, I want to know that I can call for immediate emergency services.
Example of a series of poor judgement:
Last year two of my fishing buddies pulled three people of the water at Point Lookout. They were fishing on a 20+' center console and used poor judgement that caused the boat to go down in cold water. None of them were wearing PFDs, nor had ones on board that could fit them properly. They were not wearing cold weather gear. They hung their fishing tackle on a pot while trolling and caught with open stern into the seas. The Coast Guard was called. My buddies fishing nearby and that witnessed the event occur and snatched them out of the water within minutes. By the time they were able to be pulled from the water, they were barely functional and couldn't help pull themselves out of the water. The Coast Guard never responded, don't depend on them to make it in time. Lessons learned; contact the Coast Guard but don't expect them to arrive on time, be able to contact fellow boaters, have a back up rescue contact, and be prepared to wait for the cavalry either in the water or on your disable vessel.

Just some food for thought and a difference of opinion.

[ronaultmtd]

The eskimos use sit inside kayaks to whale in Arctic waters...but they have a watertight skirt that seals the hull so it acts like a sealed hull sit on top...the sit on tops usually are wider, more stable than the sit inside kayaks...once any hull loses its buoyancy and fills with water, it behaves differently...the sit on tops have a semi-inside sealed cockpit that lowers the center of gravity and acts very much like a sit inside...hopefully this helps explain why I believe the sit on tops are a better choice for fishing "big water" than sit insides....and I would never advise anyone going out into a gale with any kayak...but I know from experience that you can launch in calm conditions, get out in big waters and have sudden, unexpected weather develop that has a plus 10 pucker factor in a matter of minutes...waves breaking over the cockpit areas in rough water can quickly become a problem...having a high capacity bilge pump and outriggers should make for a much improved situation over the run of the mill sit inside

[beerums]

Just a couple last minute questions for those of you who have fished PLO before. I was looking on google maps trying to figure out parking/launch options. The red squares in the pictures are the parking areas that I could find and the yellow areas are the available launch areas. Is this an accurate depiction of what to expect for saturday? Thanks.

PLO1.jpgPLO.jpg

[OVERBOARD]

Wish i could make this but I'm not picking the PA up until Sunday.. Maybe next time....

[buzz]

Just a couple last minute questions for those of you who have fished PLO before. I was looking on google maps trying to figure out parking/launch options. The red squares in the pictures are the parking areas that I could find and the yellow areas are the available launch areas. Is this an accurate depiction of what to expect for saturday? Thanks.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9815[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]9816[/ATTACH]

In pic #1, the lower box is where the boat launch is... you have the Camp Store with the soft launch first, and the next right after that are the 4 boat ramps. As for the upper box... there is very little parking at the Pet Beach area, but you can park along the causeway next to it.

In pic #2, the upper box is at the picnic/swim area. And the lower box is the jetty next to the lighthouse. Parking is around the circle.

[kevinfry]

Wish i could make this but I'm not picking the PA up until Sunday.. Maybe next time....

come to lunch...we're in your back yard...eating at Spinnakers! Guys often come to lunch even if they don't fish.

[ronaultmtd]

Kevin what time are the folks planning to eat?

[kevinfry]

2 pm ----maybe a little earlier

[OVERBOARD]

come to lunch...we're in your back yard...eating at Spinnakers! Guys often come to lunch even if they don't fish.

thanks, but since i'll be gone all day Sunday, Saturday has to be family day this weekend..

[Lee337]

Quick update

I'm still going to attempt making the meet and greet, but no guarantees as I have a bunch of people visitng from out of town this weekend. Also, has anyone been monitoring the weather? If I'm not mistaken, the wind is going to be whipp

[Lee337]

The wind is supposed to be at 15 MPH!

[OBX_RAT]

Everything still a go for tomorrow?

[moc]

I have seen different reports. some say they will be lower wind in the morning then kicking up in the afternoon which should not be a problem. I will be there.

[D3NAL1]

��im still going. If its too bad ill head to st jeromes creek