Vests !! 2025

Ski reply :

Please wear your vests when under power.

R/ Chris

Catch 22 reply :

Yes indeed. This vid shows why.

Preytorien reply :

Yes, and as a novice kayak fisherman, I would also say "under power and under paddle"

I hear too many stories of kayakers drowning, and a vest would've saved them

tander reply :

Vest and kill switches no doubt saves lives. Wear them and hook up.

Bassun reply :

Great post, and what a reminder of just how quickly things can go wrong when everything looks perfectly fine and normal.

blckshirt98 reply :

How many people with boats drive without their kill switch hooked up? A friend of mine uses his uncle's boat and says he never attaches the kill switch while he's driving the boat.

12poundbass reply :

Crazy video! Sad thing is I counted 5-6 boats cruise by and none stopped. It wasn't until boat 7 I think came by that somebody finally stopped! Great reminder though.looking back at when I was growing up Walleye fishing the Bay de Nocs we never wore them. Boy was I lucky and things have changed for the better.

curtis9 reply :

I don't go out on the water without a vest. I primarily fish and electric only Lake and wear my vest anytime I'm out there

gulfcaptain reply :

I know people that don't wear them. I myself do especially if I'm running 50-65mph across the lake and have the kill switch hooked up. I never take for granted something bad won't happen. It only takes a second and if you don't have a life vest on or that kill switch hooked up, for that boat to turn around and now you're dodging basically a missle coming back at you (I don't have a hotfoot so it's going to be hooked up coming back) or even if you do have a hotfoot, it's still going to idle back toward you with that prop spinning just waiting to run you down. It takes 5 seconds to put it on. That 5 seconds could save your life one day if you ever have an accident.

Hawkeye21 reply :

Most people don't wear them because they say they know how to swim. What they fail to think about is if they were to hit their head and get knocked out. Hard to swim when you're unconscious.

Darren. reply :

On 1/19/2017 at 1:20 AM, Preytorien said:

Yes, and as a novice kayak fisherman, I would also say "under power and under paddle"

I hear too many stories of kayakers drowning, and a vest would've saved them

And sadly, there are many on this forum, in our kayak family,

that do not wear a PFD...!!

RoLo reply :

There are no two ways about it, a flotation vest should be worn at all times in a boat underway.

I admit that I don't always practice what I preach, but don't be a jerk like me,

and take a "vested" interest in your PFD

Roger

Bassun reply :

I have a standard boat rule, for me and anyone on board. The motor just doesn't go into gear until all vests are on. IDC who it is, or how they react. Not trying to be rude or demanding, but it's just not worth the risk. If I'm fishing solo, I have the vest on - it's not a big deal and worth the extra protection. Kind of like having a ladder. May never need it, but it's there if we do.

If I'm on a river, vest stays on. Same with the kayak... too much risk to end up in the water, so the vest stays on.

Catch 22 reply :

Here is something to think about

http://pilotonline.com/news/military/local/navy-off-duty-seal-died-after-overturning-kayak-near-cape/article_f1601d9f-5ca4-59a0-bead-7ed6d6cb3573.html

Darren. reply :

On 1/19/2017 at 8:22 AM, Catch 22 said:

Here is something to think about

http://pilotonline.com/news/military/local/navy-off-duty-seal-died-after-overturning-kayak-near-cape/article_f1601d9f-5ca4-59a0-bead-7ed6d6cb3573.html

Thanks for posting this. Too many of us think we can handle

everything we encounter. We're "great swimmers" and so on...

Nothing beats a PFD...

MichiganBass80 reply :

We (me and my dad) are guilty of not wearing one when running....until now. And depending on where we are fishing and the conditions we'll be wearing them when fishing as well.

We had a bit of a mishap last year on St Clair while fishing...not running. I usually run the trolling motor, dad sits in back, I was getting a little sick because I didn't eat when i took my meds. Told him to go hop up front while I went in back and grabbed a snack. He had put his coffee mug up right next to the TM pedal, and I said he should move it because he was going to swing his foot around (he was sitting in a fold down seat) and knock it over. Well he picked it up and was leaning over towards the middle of the boat to put it down, and he was an inch or so off the seat, leaning, and a wave hit and he lost his balance, spun out of the seat went head first into the lake. On his way over he smacked his knee on the gunnel and his foot came up and smacked the seat hard enough to knock it off of the pedestal. With the current and wind, he was going one way and the boat was drifting the other way. He went under a couple times and struggled to stay afloat. I was able to BARELY grab his fingers tips, and i mean the very tips of his fingers, and pull him to the boat. By that time he was spent and couldn't pull himself up on the boat. There was a rock wall about 70-80 yards away so I hopped on the trolling motor and got him over to it so he could climb up and get back on the boat. I was shaking, he was cold and shaking. We called it a day. Got back to the ramp, loaded the boat and he then noticed his knee had about a softball size bump on it. luckily we had some ice he could put on it for the 1-1/2 hr drive home. A week later i noticed his foot and back of his leg were horribly bruised. Turned out he tore his achilles when he smacked the seat with his foot, he's having surgery on that in a few weeks. I ended up buying him an inflatable PFD for Christmas, and then ended up buying myself one. Will be wearing them every time we run and when conditions call for it (and especially out on St Clair).

Mike L reply :

When the big motor goes on, the vest goes on...Period

Sometimes when fishing an area and I can feel the boat rock from boats passing too close for my comfort it stays on.

Mike

BassnChris reply :

If you knew when you were going to need it........it would not be an accident......it would be a planned activity.

A-Jay reply :

On 1/19/2017 at 10:46 AM, BassnChris said:

If you knew when you were going to need it........it would not be an accident......it would be a planned activity.

No Doubt and Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail.

We always need a life jacket ~ Just that Sometimes it's more than others.

A-Jay

On 1/19/2017 at 8:58 AM, MichiganBass80 said:

We (me and my dad) are guilty of not wearing one when running....until now. And depending on where we are fishing and the conditions we'll be wearing them when fishing as well.

We had a bit of a mishap last year on St Clair while fishing...not running. I usually run the trolling motor, dad sits in back, I was getting a little sick because I didn't eat when i took my meds. Told him to go hop up front while I went in back and grabbed a snack. He had put his coffee mug up right next to the TM pedal, and I said he should move it because he was going to swing his foot around (he was sitting in a fold down seat) and knock it over. Well he picked it up and was leaning over towards the middle of the boat to put it down, and he was an inch or so off the seat, leaning, and a wave hit and he lost his balance, spun out of the seat went head first into the lake. On his way over he smacked his knee on the gunnel and his foot came up and smacked the seat hard enough to knock it off of the pedestal. With the current and wind, he was going one way and the boat was drifting the other way. He went under a couple times and struggled to stay afloat. I was able to BARELY grab his fingers tips, and i mean the very tips of his fingers, and pull him to the boat. By that time he was spent and couldn't pull himself up on the boat. There was a rock wall about 70-80 yards away so I hopped on the trolling motor and got him over to it so he could climb up and get back on the boat. I was shaking, he was cold and shaking. We called it a day. Got back to the ramp, loaded the boat and he then noticed his knee had about a softball size bump on it. luckily we had some ice he could put on it for the 1-1/2 hr drive home. A week later i noticed his foot and back of his leg were horribly bruised. Turned out he tore his achilles when he smacked the seat with his foot, he's having surgery on that in a few weeks. I ended up buying him an inflatable PFD for Christmas, and then ended up buying myself one. Will be wearing them every time we run and when conditions call for it (and especially out on St Clair).

Sorry to hear that your Dad Got Hurt. Hope his surgery & subsequent Rehab goes as planned.

Thanks for sharing your story.

A-Jay

Angry John reply :

I "WASTE" big money on life vests. My kids share a mustang childrens vest the yellow one and i have the top of the range HIT inflatable for myself. I wear mine every time i am out even if its 100 degrees or more out. I only take one kid out at a time so everyone in the yak is in a vest at all times. When they get a little bigger then i will get them the same quality that i wear in an inflatable but i want them in the floats all the time model with nothing to play with. I did have my son inflate my vest screwing around at the dock and that was an expensive event.

BillP reply :

I have a rule that everyone who is in my boat must wear a vest. I have vests for everyone from small child to heavy size adult so that no one can use the excuse that they don't own one.

I fish Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. It can get rough quickly

Harold Scoggins reply :

I wear mine all the time in the yak. I also have an automatic strobe attached that turns on if I fall in.

crypt reply :

On 1/19/2017 at 12:48 AM, Ski said:

Please wear your vests when under power.

R/ Chris

MichiganBass80 reply :

On 1/19/2017 at 11:29 AM, A-Jay said:

Sorry to hear that your Dad Got Hurt. Hope his surgery & subsequent Rehab goes as planned.

Thanks for sharing your story.

A-Jay

Thank A-Jay. He goes in for the surgery sometime next month, he wanted to wait until the winter to get it done. Too bad we needed something like this to wake us up and get us to wear them.

Catch 22 reply :

On 1/19/2017 at 7:03 PM, Harold Scoggins said:

I wear mine all the time in the yak. I also have an automatic strobe attached that turns on if I fall in.

I have the same light and really like it. Santa left it for me.

On the subject of vests may I make some suggestions if buying one.

==big healthy plastic zipper== metal ones can bind and rust

==two belts with clasp buckles

==kill switch lanyard loops

==several pockets for lights and importantly a whistle. Should have Velcro locks

==padded collar that holds a blaze orange hood

==two pouches lower rear that hold leg straps

== and of course make sure it fits an feels well

TriCityBassin' reply :

No one stopped! Vests kill switches and know the rules of the water! You have to lend assistance! WOW!!!!!!!!!

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Vests !! 2025

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