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Last night started out as a promising night under the galveston causeway lights, paddled out about 150yds and started tossing shrimp, got hit by something big that cut me off on some sort of structure near the pylons. Sat here for another hour or so with nothing to show, decided it was time to move on. Went to retrieve my anchor... Stuck. Couldnt budge it worth a dang, then started feeling it give a little bit but could tell I had something heavy attached, maybe a big rock? Had a lot of pressure on the anchor as I was bringing it up, then.. Pop! Anchor came free, momentum rocked my kayak and I got dumped, 52deg water is a little breathtaking. Waders filled up, PFD kept me afloat. Was able to get my boat upright and me back in it. Got back in, started to inventory everything, gopro pole and light were both hanging on to my crate, stringer, 1 tackle box, and net were all still nearby. I lost my right wading boot, several packs of lures and hooks, as well as my FTU rod and shimano reel.

Definitely a scary experience but one that I think everyone out there has had at one point. I'm going to ack this week to load up on floats, tackle bags and tie downs so as to avoid loosing so much gear if this ever happens again. Thought I was well enough prepared but turns out otherwise.

Should've litterally cut my losses and let the anchor stay were it was, would have much rather replaced a 15$ anchor than a 200$ combo.

Live and learn and keep on fishin

Jamuncy, unfortunately yours is not an isolated indecent. Smart move wearing your PFD, sorry about the combo.

Thanks for posting this - I (maybe we) need regular reminders to practice safety and to be prepared for accidents. I don't use enough tie downs at all - I should get some more.
Glad you get to tell about it and ended up safe.

Did the waders feel particularly heavy after starting to fill? I've heard mixed messages on this, but have never dunked with waders (yet).

I always hear about anchors getting stuck out there. Has to be a bunch of structure plus a abundance of lost anchors.

Wow I can see that happening in my head. Glad all you lost was a rod.

I've had the anchor hook on rope or some kind of heavy cable. It was impossible to move. I started rigging a zip tie to the bar of my Bruce claw. In theory if it gets stuck the tie will break releasing the pressure to pull the anchor off the other end.

crusher wrote:Did the waders feel particularly heavy after starting to fill? I've heard mixed messages on this, but have never dunked with waders (yet).

To be honest I didn't take the time to note how much weight the water added, it couldn't have been much though because I was still able to maneuver enough to flip the boat over. I also had my pfd that of course helped. (along with a massive amount of adrenaline).

I noticed after I got back on my kayak that I was definitely filled up from about my knees down, I think my initial entry into the water was the only time water had a real chance to get in my waders, I think my pfd kept my chest high enough out of the water, and was buckled tight enough that it made water getting in difficult. I've always thought that if this were to ever happen that I would just take the waders off if they were really holding me down, luckily that didn't happen and my pfd had no trouble holding the extra weight.

AcousticTennis wrote:I always hear about anchors getting stuck out there. Has to be a bunch of structure plus a abundance of lost anchors.

There is a ridiculous amount of random junk under that bridge, terminal tackles grave yard for sure. And definitely heard about lots of people loosing anchors.

Wolfman57 wrote:Wow I can see that happening in my head. Glad all you lost was a rod.

I've had the anchor hook on rope or some kind of heavy cable. It was impossible to move. I started rigging a zip tie to the bar of my Bruce claw. In theory if it gets stuck the tie will break releasing the pressure to pull the anchor off the other end.

Mine is rigged the same way for the same reason, however my ziptie never broke, prior to my next trip I will be downgrading the size of my tie so it breaks easier.

One of the biggest concerns that I have this time of year is getting tangled with a turtled kayak because of all the gear that I have to wear to stay warm. I can't tell you how many times I twist in my seat and discover that one of my life jacket straps has wrapped a seat buckle, or got inadverdantly snagged on an accessory. Can you imagine the same senario above, but add to it being pinned under water beneath the kayak because something has tangled?

Just glad you're ok brotha. Thanks for sharing.

I had a similar mistake at the galveston jetty 2 years ago... ya'll almost lost TroutSupport. Luckily I gained my wits after the first panic, then swam in the right direction to stop fighting current. I wasn't even on a yak, was rock hoping and a wave crushed me crossing the gap at the base of the jetty.

Kudos on wearing your PFD, and again, really glad you're ok.

Whatta good reminder...Appreciate the post...G

Good job keeping your cool. Been in that situation before and it is no fun. Rod floats have been on all my rods ever since, you may have to go searching down current but they do work. Glad you are OK.

Thanks for the report......we can all learn from your experience!!!

good story, thanks for posting. It's funny how it works, when you least expect it - you are in the water.

good thing you were able to get back in on your own - all of us should practice that technique.

crusher wrote:Thanks for posting this - I (maybe we) need regular reminders to practice safety and to be prepared for accidents. I don't use enough tie downs at all - I should get some more.
Glad you get to tell about it and ended up safe.

Did the waders feel particularly heavy after starting to fill? I've heard mixed messages on this, but have never dunked with waders (yet).

I turtled in the surf not long ago with waders on. They completely filled as I was walking in. They were so heavy as I came out of the water that I couldn't walk - had to actually take them off in order to walk. Made me wonder how difficult it would be to re-enter my kayak with that much weight.

I am glad to hear the story ( that thing bad happened to you). Please make sure the first thing you put on is your PDF. Your waders can be taken off if they fill with water, and you will still be safe with the PDF .

I as well had a stuck anchor, but I didn't like that anchor anyway and cut it free.

Safety first. Now it is time to invest in rod floats. Yes I have lost a couple before I started using them to. If you feel that it gets in the way put it in the butt of the rod.

Way to hustle!

Glad you had your pfd. Could have ended badly.

Thanks for the report/reminder.

Glad you're OK.

I've lost 3 anchors at the causeway. The first time it happened I had a similar experience to yours minus taking a bath. I wasn't able to recover my anchor and I almost flipped yanking at the rope. Now I try not to anchor directly under the bridge.

Good post. It's good to be reminded.

We all get to ride that ride sooner or later. Had my turn a couple of years ago, paddling out in the predawn, felt my yak pulling to the right, looked over my shoulder to see my anchor drawing off the stern, twisted about in my seat and reached back, gave it a little yank, and next thing I know I'm bobbing up and down in the water with my headlight shining off the hull of my yak, ropes and gear floating everywhere in the water. First felt a little foolish, then a little panicked as I realized I was bobbing about in the dark about 100 yards off a busy boat ramp. Now, every time I go out I think about the risk, and do the math. For me, it was darkness plus boat traffic, two strikes. Add cold and it could have been fatal. Risks compound each other. Now I try to limit myself to just one foolish thing at a time.

Attach your anchor with a slide ring so that doesnt happen..also when they blew up the old causeway they left the concrete in place. Combine that with crazy strong tides and it can get scary just lift a clean anchor

vincent wrote:Attach your anchor with a slide ring so that doesnt happen..also when they blew up the old causeway they left the concrete in place. Combine that with crazy strong tides and it can get scary just lift a clean anchor

That bit about the causeway is very good information, explains alot about the lost anchors, i never put 2 and 2 together on that one. How would you add a slide ring to an anchor fit for a kayak? Im currently using one of the bruce claw anchors.