Preparing to kayak...

[Folshen]

Sold our 10' Jon boat Friday so we could take the leap into kayaking. Picked up a couple new PFD's at Gander Mountain this morning and then hit Dunham's as the had the Old Town Vapor 10 on sale for $279.00 which seemed like a good deal. The wife wanted blue (cloud) which won't be in for a few days but we got paddles so I think we're good to go.

We both enjoy fishing but love just being on the water. The idea here was to combine that with a little exercise. Once we're acclimated to them I'll install some rod holders and try fishing from them occasionally too.

Any last minute suggestions or tips? Sunscreen is at the top of my list along with plenty of water but is there anything else, no matter how trivial, that I'm overlooking?

 

[ChadTower]

An anchor. Big time bonus when you're fishing. If you don't have an anchor it's hard to hold a location very long with any wind or current. A 3lb kayak anchor will be your very best friend if you're new to kayaking and new to kayak fishing.

Less important things, depending on how you fish, would be a tackle box appropriately sized for the boat and a live well. A little extra bungee cord netting. An oversized water bottle so you can fill it about halfway (in case it falls overboard). A drybag for your wallet/keys/camera that you can also inflate a little.

 

[Folshen]

Hadn't thought about an anchor but that sounds like a good idea. Checked a couple stores for a small tackle box so I could do some major down sizing but haven't found the right one yet. I did pick up a watertight box to hold the wallet, keys, smartphone etc.

We plan on taking our first trip to a local lake that is extremely shallow and sandy to practice the entry and exit techniques and just get a feel for things. Should we plan on a good number of blisters in the beginning stages? I wondered does anyone wear like fingerless gloves?

Thanks much as I greatly appreciate all help, hints and tips!

 

[Hikenhunter]

Hadn't thought about an anchor but that sounds like a good idea. Checked a couple stores for a small tackle box so I could do some major down sizing but haven't found the right one yet. I did pick up a watertight box to hold the wallet, keys, smartphone etc.

We plan on taking our first trip to a local lake that is extremely shallow and sandy to practice the entry and exit techniques and just get a feel for things. Should we plan on a good number of blisters in the beginning stages? I wondered does anyone wear like fingerless gloves?

Thanks much as I greatly appreciate all help, hints and tips!

I wear paddleing gloves. Without them you will probably get blisters.

 

[ChadTower]

Interesting. I've never heard of anyone getting paddling blisters. What do you guys do for a living?

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

I've never gotten blisters paddling a kayak, but I like to wear weightlifting gloves when paddling a canoe. Every now and then I get a blister or a hotspot on the web of my hand, and the gloves prevent that.

I don't fish out of my kayak much, but in the canoe I use the casing of an old car generator as an anchor. If I'm going to be carrying the canoe much, I'll use a mesh bag with some rocks in it .

 

[Folshen]

I had just read somewhere about the potential blisters and since I spend way too much time with a keyboard and a phone, well I figured I'd be a good candidate. Too much leaf blowing can do it so I can only imagine paddling for hours but we'll see. With a little luck I can pick up the kayaks tomorrow.

 

[Theo]

Gloves are also good for preventing sunburned hands. A buddy of mine found out the hard way while kayaking in Florida.

 

[Folshen]

That was one of the first things on my list, sunscreen. Spent enough years fishing that I learned that lesson more times than I care to remember.

 

[ppine]

A mesh bag can be filled with rocks for an anchor. The most important thing besides a PFD is to dress for immersion. If the water is cold like the spring in Michigan, wear a wet suit or the equivalent. Learn some strokes and don't overestimate your ability. Be careful around moving water. Don't get too far from shore on big water. Safety needs to be ingrained in people. After that, go have fun.

 

[Hikenhunter]

Interesting. I've never heard of anyone getting paddling blisters. What do you guys do for a living?

I work with my hands as a building maintenance mechanic. Kayaking and working the kayak paddle constantly for several hours can and does give one blisters, or hot spots especially between the thumb and forefinger.

 

[Folshen]

Well I picked them up yesterday, they didn't have the Vapor so we got a cheap upgrade into the Trip instead. Don't really care about the hatch cover but the extra padding on the seat can't hurt. If not tomorrow then they will surely be on the water Sunday. Wife is very excited so I'm hoping it goes well. Just pick up a couple sets of wall hangers a short while ago and now I need to go clean off a wall in the garage and get them hung up.