Stay dry, stay happy!

When kayak fishing, one cannot help but get water upon oneself.  Wether from splashing from the paddle, from fish that you land, or of course.... from mother nature!   When you are out on the water, you do not want to lose enjoyment by being uncomfortably wet and cold.   As such, it only makes sense that you invest properly in the correct type of outerwear to protect yourself.    Especially when you find yourself kayak fishing in Canada in November and December, sometimes late at night when the temperatures dip down below the freezing mark!



For someone like myself with a sit inside kayak, the most obvious thing to keep out the water is the spray skirt.   I purchased a stretch nylon Seals Skirt for my kayak online.   This skirt is a little difficult to get used to putting on the kayak and getting into, but once settled in, it is very comfortable and also adds to the stability I feel when on the water.    I do not typically use the skirt on a pond or the Saint John River on a low wind, sunny day.   But should I venture out into the Bay of Fundy, or if I go out knowing I may run into rain, I'll definately use the skirt.

I have several Scotty rod holder's added to my kayak with one of them being underneath where the spray skirt covers.    To account for this, I went to a local drapery store (Albert's Draperies) where they added a grommet to the skirt so that the rod holder would fit though.   This worked out fantastic, as I get to use both the spray skirt and my rod holders at the same time.

Now aside from the spray skirt, then next obvious thing you need to keep warm and dry is good outerwear.   Anna was good enough to get me an excellent waterproof jacket and pants from  Cabela's this past Christmas.   This fantastic blue jacket can be seen in many of the pictures here on the site.   It does not let any moisture through, is a great wind blocker, and is loose enough around my arms and shoulders that it does not impede my manouverability even with 6 or 7 layers packed underneath.   I have even worn it above my life jacket in the kayak and stayed comfortable.

A friend with a sit on top told me his only problem with the kayak was that water would come up through the scupper holes and soak into his seat, getting his bottom half wet and cold.    He was quite uncomfortable apparently fishing sturgeon with me in November.   I would be too if I were wet!    The Cabela brand pants Anna had given me would have worked wonders for him.    These pants again are comfortable, 100% water proof, and yet I can wear tights, long underwear, and lined splash pants under them, and still be comfortable and warm in the kayak. 

 Now the real kicker with this pants is their durability as evidenced by having sturgeon laying on them on my lap several times.   Sturgeon have sharp bony protrusion that have given me many cuts on my hands this summer.  Yet they have not once cut these pants!  I would have expected most waterproof pants to have several nicks in them by now, but not these Cabela's pants!

Wearing these Cabela products I have never once found my clothes under these items to be wet in the slightest after kayaking and fishing in the rain.  


Finally the last piece of outerwear you need to make sure you invest in is a good set of waterproof gloves, especially when the weather gets cold.   During the summer months, I found gloves were really not something I ever thought about.  But once October and November hits and you are out there after dark, you want something to keep your fingers happy.    I picked up a couple pairs of 'Ice Ninja' gloves from Canadian Tire which work great.   These gloves are light enough to not get in the way of handing my rods/reels, and I can put my hand in the water to grab out a fish without getting my hands wet.  I just need to take them off once in a while to work on my lure/bait, which isn't a big deal.


The last tip, moreso for winter kayak fishing, is to get those sticky strip toe warmers.   While they don't make your toes warm, they do help keep them from getting cold!

So if you are getting into the sport of kayak angling, trust me, invest in a good set of rain proof outerwear!   Water resistant will not cut it... you want waterproof and durable!