Quote from: fishbushing on May 12, 2019, 10:36:30 PM

Personally I'm leaning towards leashing myself to my kayak just like a SUP user should too. Getting separated in rough conditions isn't a rare occurrences lately. A PFD is already required by law correct?

Better hope you don't get tangled with that leash  and if your flipped yak is going into a reef maybe you don't want to be attached.

Or dragging you backwards through a kelp bed.......

I think this would be a "SHTF" scenario, where wind swell arrive /grow before you are able to bug out. And probably in open water only, not right at the beach for sure.
I've considered leashing, both paddle and myself to the kayak.
I carry leashes for both of these instances.

But they are more 'just in case" items, like flares, to me. Fortunately I've never had to use any of them.
If I got caught in a Sundowner wind or something and was being blown offshore, I'm leashing myself to the kayak so that the helicopter can spot the boat.

the real trick would be to know when to leash, and when not to.....

Sure makes the case for brighter colored gear. I’m rethinking my black dry suit with doyer blue pfd.

Wind can be really brutal there.

Wetsuit under a drysuit?  Come on man!

 The bowline has been on my minimum equipment list for 30 years. Used a deckline on my old ww Dagger response and found it useful and never had any tangling. The deckline and proper flotation kept myself and the boat out of bigger trouble when I had to swim.
 When I transitioned to SOTs, I watched the Dennis Spike video and he was a big proponent of using the multifunctional bowline.

 You can see in this picture of my old T140 that the green bowline has carabiners on both ends.
If things get sketchy, I just attach the proximal biner to my PFD.
If a team mate needs a little help, I give him the bow of the boat, where he can use the distal biner to attach to his PFD. I then attach the proximal biner to my PFD tow ring and off we go to safety.
This is also my preferred way to tow a boat.

I guess I am not surprised that this practice is no longer widely used in the kayak fishing community.
Kayak anglers suck at kayaking and safe ops, and it seems that they are getting worse.
The NCKA (or the more accurate moniker NCFA) is no exception.

I would be careful of tethering too many things and yourself to your kayak. I helped a member a few years ago who was unable to get back into their yak because they were tangled up in all their tethers. Just something to consider!

The way I see it is stuff is replaceable, you are not. If I have to choose between my safety or my gear...I’ll let my gear sink and hopefully not be attached to it as it’s going down! I will say I think a paddle leash is a necessary piece of safety equipment.




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I would keep my leashes to a bare minimum (2 rods only). The rest are easy to replace.

A rescue knife on your pfd will take care of a line around you rather easily. I have on attached to my pfd and it doesn’t get used as a bait knife, it lives there so if I need to live,  I have it, check and if needed sharpen every year.  Also have a two clip bow line.