Bay Bridge - Friday 2/6

[Cowpokey]

No wonder nobody's coming!!

Hehe.

[Cowpokey]

I am not afraid of falling in the water. If I was afraid, I would not go out.

The key - and I'm only sharing this with you because you're a fellow kayakfisher - is to stay on top of the kayak at all times.

I took a swim running the Potomac (can't remember which loc; below Great Falls but well above Little Falls) early March one year. It was about +9 feet over normal flow, a hydraulic caught me, flipped me over and I couldn't get rolled back up. It was unnerving. Three or ten times I tried to roll back up, kept trying to get a breath too quick and kept going back upside down. Punched out, kept a hold of my yak and paddle...drifted downstream for what seemed like forEVER. The other two people I was with were way ahead of me, but they hit an eddy, waited until I got there and pulled me to a little island. Where I sat, shivering, until I had the nerve to get back in my yak. Longest hour of my life, sitting on that little island, and only a few hundred yards from my vehicle.

I was wearing a diveskin and a short sleeve "dry top". Thought I was a goner, but apparently I'm either too ornery or too dumb to die.

[CAGE RATTLER]

I am not afraid of falling in the water. If I was afraid, I would not go out.

If I fell in the water, I would probably die pretty quickly, unless a boat picked me up. I saw a total of 2 boats in the distance today, so that would not have happened.

Sometimes I bring my radio, other times I forget it, or I bring it, but the battery is dead. I usually have my phone, but not always.

The key - and I'm only sharing this with you because you're a fellow kayakfisher - is to stay on top of the kayak at all times.

WOW.... When i first saw this thread and others every winter, first thing that pops in my head is you guys must be nuts to go out in these freezing conditions.

But after that post I guess some of you are just completely insane!!

[CAGE RATTLER]

New here...a couple of questions for you. Aren't you afraid of falling in the water? If you did, do your have protective clothing on? If so, what do you suggest wearing for cold weather yakin? If you did fall in, do you have a marine radio that you would radio for help and in the mean time try to get back in the yak? I can only imagine that the water would send you in to hypothermia really quick. Thanks for posting the pictures. The Bay looks so inviting.

Do yourself a favour and google Kayaking cold weather gear to know whats best to wear in these conditions to save your life in case of a mishap.

Theres some good posts on this forum as well with tips for cold weather fishing.
http://www.snaggedline.com/search.php?searchid=154883

[AbuMasgouf]

I didn't bring my FF because my wet well is frozen these days, and so it doesn't work. Gotta find a better way.

Hats off to you for adventuring bro!

Try the Marine grease I mentioned last time.

[chex]

I knew my post would rattle some cages and in retrospect, it should have come with a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: dont do this!

I am well aware of cold weather gear options... Nothing short of a wet or dry suit will save you in these conditions, and I don't think I want to wear either.

Tbh, I've done a lot more dangerous things in my life. If I were to die in the cold water, it would just be all that other stuff finally catching up to me. But if course, I won't

[chex]

Hats off to you for adventuring bro!

Try the Marine grease I mentioned last time.

Yes indeed. I should try.

[chex]

Great pics Mike! I have yet to fish calm waters at the Bay Bridge. No Mojo...might have to give PETA a call if he's not wearing cold weather gear.

There should be some calm waters tomorrow morning. I might go check and see....

Mojo always has his cold-weather gear. But no, I did not take him. Too cold even for that hairy mess.

[chex]

Some of my previous statements are stupid. Safety should always come first and I will strive to take better precautions. Just cause I'm not afraid of dying doesn't mean I shouldn't do whatever I can to reduce the odds of it happening prematurely. And I would hate to set a bad example and have someone else perish because of it.

Be safe out there!