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  • Tough Day on the Water

    Launched with a buddy about 30 minutes before sunrise. I have never fished this area before....it is near the Rhodes and West Rivers...very close to where I spend a lot of time on my sister's boat.

    The forecast was "too good to be true"...low winds, cool air temps, strong tide, harvest moon, etc. We were not catching much (I had one striper so far) and we ventured out into the ,main area of the bay. The winds were a lot stronger than I expected. We found some "fishy looking" areas and proceeded to cast and troll for stripers. My buddy did better than me...I am not sure how many he got in the boat, but I believe it was somewhere between 5 and 10 stripers.

    Everything looked great to me...he was catching some fish, I had my favorite paddletails on, but no dice. I paddled over to some areas with some rip rap to fish for perch. I got one nice perch which gave me a shot of hope that there would be more to come. I worked the rip rap as methodically as I know how and tried to think of all of the things that I have learned about fish, structure and current. I was casting with confidence but no more fish. I ended the day with one small striper and one overachieving perch.

    On the way back to the launch, we had to head through some rough water. I remember thinking about the Seinfeld line "The sea was angry that day, my friend...like an old man trying send back soup at a deli". I put my phone in my dry bag and even mentioned that I should probably "stop trolling so I had one less thing to focus on"...within a couple minutes of this statement, one of my lines got snagged...so I took the rod out of the rod holder and turned ever so slighty backwards to attend to the line...then a wave hit me broadside and I was in the water.

    With my former kayak, an old Trophy sit-in kayak, I could literally stand up in it and jump into the water and get back in with no problem. I did this regularly....most of the time I took it out was to enjoy paddling and swimming...not fishing.

    Today was a little different. The Native Falcon 11 flipped over and filled up with water. I am not sure how deep the water was, but I couldn't touch bottom. I was hoping to use the bottom to anchor me, so I could catch my breath, inventory my gear floating in the water and then leisurely flip the kayak over, get back in, and continue to the launch.

    I am holding onto the upside down kayak with one arm and holding my paddle and my dry bag with my other arm...while trying to get closer to shore so I can touch bottom. Everything was working against me...I was expending energy trying to get to shallower water but wasn't making much progress. I tried to push the kayak over but there was too much water in it. Then my buddy suggested a method similar to what is below:

    To flip your sit-on-top kayak back upright, position yourself on the side of your kayak directly in the middle.

    ✔️ Boost your body over the top of your overturned kayak and grab the opposite side/edge with your hands.

    ✔️ Slowly pull the kayak towards your body and roll (or flip) the kayak right-side up as you slide back into the water.

    ✔️ To re-enter, position yourself on the side of your kayak directly in the middle and boost yourself up until you’re your body is lying across the seat.

    This worked like a charm.

    Meanwhile, since I wasn't in any real danger and, in his words .... I was not panicking, he fished the majority of my gear out of the water.

    I lost two rods and reels (nothing exceptional), one plano with some topwater lures and one pair of fishing pliers.

    I almost never fish in the main stem of the bay from my kayak. I prefer more sheltered areas. Yesterday was a bad day to have my seat in the high position as I have noticed I am less stable with the seat in the highest position.


    I have never really considered fishing areas like the pilings at the Bay Bridge or open water near the CBBT and now I absolutely will not fish these areas from my kayak.

    I have some Bass Pro Gift cards that have been laying around...looks like a good day to go shopping for a new rod/reel combo :---). No fishing today for me...


  • #2
    Rob - Sorry that you capsized. It can be scary and often leads to lost gear. I'm glad you remained calm and were able to get things back in order without any harm to you.

    I fully agree with you about leaving seats in the High position. I have tried it a few times and immediately felt less stable. Now, my seat is always set in the Low position.
    John Veil
    Annapolis
    Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

    Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

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    • #3
      Keeping calm is the most important thing you can do in that situation. Glad you and most of your gear made it home safely. Time for some well-deserved rod and reel upgrades now

      To add to your third bullet point - sometimes you may find the kayak wanting to flip back over as you try to re-enter from the side. If this is happening, try re-entering from the bow or stern. It is much harder to flip a kayak on the bow-to-stern axis than it is to flip on the port-to-starboard axis.
      Last edited by dsaavedra; 09-11-2022, 11:33 AM.
      Dave

      2021 Hobie Outback Camo
      2013 Native Slayer Hidden Oak

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      • #4
        I’ve yet to flip my kayak but your post is a valuable lesson for us all. On Friday I found winds had built quickly while I was sheltered and I had to cross broadside to get back to the ramp. Really appreciated the width on my PA as I was rolling along.
        Mike
        Pro Angler 14 "The Grand Wazoo"

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        • #5
          Glad you are safe Rob. Thanks for posting this and sharing these details for us to learn from your experience. Great job keeping your cool and staying calm in rough waters. Enjoy some much-deserved guilt-free shopping for some new gear.
          Nick
          2021 Hobie Outback

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          • #6
            Yikes. Glad this didn’t turn into a horror story. Turning over my kayak in open water is a major reason why I won’t venture out into the bay. I have a family to take care of. I know things can go wrong on a boat just as well but I’d take my chances with a boat. Even with a boat I’m still cautious with weather. We don’t get mulligans with life.

            Before launching Saturday morning I noticed a pool noodle on the bed of my truck. I quickly cut it to size and installed it on my paddle for extra security if it were to fall out. I don’t know if my paddle floats on it’s own but I was not willing to find out the hard way. Some people install pool noodles on there rods also. I haven’t done that. I need to upgrade rods and reels anyways

            Thanks for the tips on how to getting the kayak upright and entering in.

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            • #7
              Hey Rob,

              I'm so glad that you made out OK after your little spill. This could have been so much worse......What kind of surface lures did you lose? I may have some that are gathering dust in the basement that I could send over to you......

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              • #8
                Glad to hear you're ok. Thanks for sharing your story, we would all do well to examine our our emergency plans and preps.
                Tight lines
                Hobie Ivory Dune Outback
                Hobie Caribbean Blue Sport
                Wilderness Red Tsunami 145
                Wilderness Green "Warhorse" Tarpon 160

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                • #9
                  Glad to hear you're OK, and your re-entry plan worked out so well. We should all take the time to practice this with our kayaks. This is also why I am very serious about wearing a drysuit when water temps get below 60, and why I now have an emergency beacon which I intend to carry with me on all big and cold water trips from here on out.
                  - Cliff

                  Hobie Compass
                  Perception Pescador Pro 100

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                  • #10
                    Looking back, I am glad that this happened so I will be much more cautious as well as better prepared going forward. There was a part of me that was ashamed to post a story about capsizing, but I am glad that I did and I am grateful for the support.

                    Stu, Funny enough, I had sent a pic of my topwater box to my buddy. The pic is attahed. I had added a brand new Rapala Skitter Walk as well as two Yozuri crankbaits to it as well. I wish I hadn't put the Yozuri's in there...I normally keep topwater lures separate from diving lures, but lately I have been experimenting with consolidating gear and planos to minimize the amount of gear I have to load, store and potentially lose on any given trip :--)

                    I plan to hit the water this weekend. I have an adjustable drag strap on order and I am going to practice capsizing and re-entering the kayak.

                    Tight Lines and Stay Safe Everyone
                    Attached Files

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                    • #11
                      Thanks for sharing Rob. I've been there myself - including lost rods and tackle - and your post is a great reminder to all of us. The obvious thing I took away from my experience - no matter what, always wear the PFD!!! That initial panic when you realize you're going over evaporates pretty quickly when you immediately pop back up to the surface. Then you just feel dumb when you see your gear sink. But as my wife told, "At least you didn't drown. Dumb is way better than dead."

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                      • #12
                        LOL...indeed...dumb is better than dead. Thank you Scorchy

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