How many of you have flipped your kayak?

[sdfishman]

Went out to mission bay today and my kayak decided I should be swimming instead of fishing..

[jorluivil]

Once, but I wasn't on it.

[wiredantz]

When i first started kayaking i didn't know how to turn my kayak and crashed into a bouy and i flipped had to turn it over and swim back to the beach.

[kendog]

yep. happend to me in newport bay. lost some tackle. eehhh it was a hot day anyway:)

[JohnnyCope]

I was pissing off the yak and lost my footing I went off..... pfd is always ........xfator is a hard one to flip. But my boy was tied to the kelp and fliped with waders half way off ..........I wont say any names ill let him own on it.

[sdfishman]

Next weekend me and a couple friends are going to practice flipping our kayaks in my pool. Sucked getting back in.. Only lost my gaff..

[mazilla]

Only lost my gaff..

And all the chovies/dines I bought like and hour prior...

Buy and release bait? That's how we roll.


See u at the pool!

[ChefT]

Flipping in a yak with gear and bait.... Not fun.

I had my young nephews out from the east coast visiting
And we were in the bay playing around on the yak...
I have a new outback and thought I might be able to paddle
It like a SUP.... well.... I'm a big guy 250ish and was doing
Well when I thought ..... Well I'm in the bay...never had to
Flip over a hobie in the ocean..... So I decided to get us wet.
I tried to flip it over like they say by climbing on top and then
Rolling it.... Way way to hard.... I then tried grabing the
Handles from underneath and it flipped over super easy... But
This was a empty. No bait tank, polls, beer, lunch or a 40# fish...
None the less ... I feel much more confident now if I have to flip over
My yak......

Has any one tried flipping a PA.... like rolling a tank I bet...

[YakMedic]

I highly reccomend practicing wet re-entry. I practice at a friends pool and out on a lake every once in a while so if it happens anytime I know I can recover from it.

I did flip when I first started on the ocean, I was fishing out of Malibu and was turned around trying to pull something out of my tank well. I had my back turned on the ocean and a swell just hit me at the right time when my balance was off and I wend into the drink. The day after I began using rod leashes :(

[DanaPT]

Those beach take-offs and landings are where I feel most prone to tip.

After almost 1 year of kayak fishing I lost gear in my only flip/roll on a beach launch. It's bound to happen.

I'm always watching for boat wake/swell so that I'm not caught by surprise while on the water.

I'd be curious to know if anyone's flipped a yak while fighting one of those big bruiser YT or WSB?

[pchen911]

3 times this year already :eek:

[wade]

I wouldn't call it flipped,...
But more like a fifteen foot plastic javelin, "Pile-Driven" from off a solid seven footer into a sand bar & your scorpioned torso is pounded into paralysis. Fun stuff at five am in the winter swells..:doh:

[dadd827]

I flipped coming in at LJ right before dark last night. The front pearled under and out I went! :eek: At least I wasn't the only one. I saw someone else roll in the surf when I was heading out.

The good news is that even thought I'm a newby at yak fishing I have read on the forums to leash everything and always lay your rods down or stow them inside if you can. I didn't lose anything and didn't break any rods.

Thanks to whoevers posts those were that I read. Saved me a lot of $$$ in gear I surely would have lost or broken.

[Caden]

About 3 years ago just buy a 2 people yak, my first trip to LJ and first time on the yak, i bring trinadad 20 and 30 with my 100j calstar and 9" calstar with no trap nothing the surf no flipped, paddle out and i try to stand up to thrown my jig stick i flipped the yak over and the u go lost all my stuff.:mad:

[the dude]

there are two kinds of people in the world...those who have flipped and those that will flip. I have flipped.

[hook1fred]

I've been kayak fishing since 2006 and still flip during beach landings.... with my previous kayak ( quest ) the surf landings werent too bad ( more successful than unsuccessful 9 out of 10 maybe) now with my PA i've flipped every time ( 3 actually ) I find it difficult to manuver that big beast in the surf

[Jimmyz123]

So far I have not flipped yet, and I know I mean Yet. It's like riding a motorcycle it's not if you are going to crash, but when. I feel really sure of myself if I do flip and I feel I can get back in if needs be. If you have never flipped I suggest going a practicing someday.

[Hypoxic1]

I flipped one time. Well I suppose that I actually got flipped. A whale came up under me and bumpe the boat so hard I was lifted into the air and the boat was flipped upside down. Lost 4 new rods and reels. Leashes work. I use em all the time.
Oh and dont ever forget the pfd.
Chris

[T12]

I learned the hard way with my back to the rollers in 85 ft of water while chasing a mack in my bait tank, sent two rods to the bottom. :arne1:

[Dean Machine]

I want to know who has never flipped theirs :D.

Oh yeah and it always happens like when you least expect it.

Once I did expect it and I was driven off the back of my old extreme by a good 5 or so footer that I tried to take head on. Pretty crazy, had all the gear stored. Sat on the beach for a while and made it out the second time. That day I learned what scupper holes were for.

[Pampano]

It happens to all of us, life is learning process. My turn I know is just around the corner.

Thanks for sharing.

[yani]

5 times. I'm sure it'll happen again.

The worst was boiler rock fishin' at Dana.
I got rolled over shallow rocks, got everything
back in the kayak and then started to paddle
like a mad man to get out of the surf zone. But,
my anchor attached itself to the rocks, so I wasn't
goin anywhere. Had to dive into the water, detach
myself, then get out.

But I'll tell you what, there's nothing like boiler rock
fish for monster calicos. the wind, the surf, the fish...
It's more spooky than new moon fishin' for wsb with no lites.

[theluckypig]

5 times...

once at my first baytubers tournament... at the bait barge, no waves, no reason, just dumbass tipped... as you may have seen don took photos...

once launching at terranea in a tandem... tried to get on knees first instead of butt first...

twice the same morning launching at la jolla on a tandem... wife refused to try again, went solo...

once landing at la jolla using my fishfinder as a gauge, jumped into what was supposed to be .5 feet ends up 5 feet... tangled in my paddle leash...

it'll happen again, but i think i'm better at it... whatever that means...:D

[467echo]

If you are gunna flip it,:D might as well be in the surf @ LJ for everyone to see!

[wiredantz]

the paddle leash get tangled on me too when i crash or try to make a run for it if i successfully make it

[467echo]

Rule 16: Never use paddle leash when launching or landing.

[scalihunter]

i havent flipped mine yet but i have only been out on my yak about 10 times.

[sandydiego]

2 times - Both when LJS is packed on a Sunday afternoon. Pride neutralizer for shure. Those small sneaky waves have done it both times.

[wiredantz]

Rule 16: Never use paddle leash when launching or landing.

I know this one, but I hate trying to recover my paddle in case I crash and I lose my grip on my paddle

[poorpaddy]

I recently flipped at Cardiff while landing my Revo because a small wave knocked my rudder down caused me to do a sharp right turn. Not fun to barrel your way in.

[bigbarrels]

flipped and sank.....I'm sure more flips are in the future

[sandydiego]

flipped and sank.....I'm sure more flips are in the future

No more sinking for you!

[dwntwnall4u]

Wow, don't have my yak yet but I guess I really will have to practice flipping and re-entry before going fishing. Never realized yaks were so easy to flip. Thanks for the info.

[Hunters Pa]

at Clemente on an Islander trip. Sent a Graphite USA I had wrapped with a Penn GTI to the bottom in 105 feet of water. Divemaster was able to recover. Instant tip soon followed.

[old_rookie]

flipped more times than I can remember - at the landing.

[jerr-dog]

I have flipped a couple times in the surf coming back in during high tide.
X2 on the no paddle leash while coming back in.... Not a good idea. Sure I will flip again too. they don't have many Launches for kayaks so you run the risk when launching through the waves.

[Striperman1018]

First time landing in the surf I caught a small wave and rolled. Good thing I had done a lot of reading about this before attempting it and had all my gear stored well so nothing lost and no broken rods. Only downside was all 3 of my reels got filled with sand..... Got blasted today by 2 incoming waves on the launch and got soaked and filled my yak full of water for a moment but stayed upright. Im sure ill crash again sometime soon. Now I have reel covers I put on all my reels when launching and landing.

[cjthomas]

backflip with the mini-x while playing in the surf

[ChefT]

I wouldn't call it flipped,...
But more like a fifteen foot plastic javelin....."Wade"

Today in my case... more like a 12'' catapult .....
what a ride.......

It was a freckin work out today with the current........
Corner....to Trem...45 min drift...2.5 hour peddle back ....

At least I came home and found a PBR in the Veg draw....7<3

[PapaDave]

Flipping in a yak with gear and bait.... Not fun.

Has any one tried flipping a PA.... like rolling a tank I bet...

I have, in the surf at LJ, misjudged incoming wave, got broadsided, all poles were in the hull (nice feature BTW), everything strapped down, only loss was my wallet... LOL... ???

[tagyak]

I've been kayak fishing since 2006 and still flip during beach landings.... with my previous kayak ( quest ) the surf landings werent too bad ( more successful than unsuccessful 9 out of 10 maybe) now with my PA i've flipped every time ( 3 actually ) I find it difficult to manuver that big beast in the surf

hey hookfred,

i spoke to you at L.J. one time and i told you that i had been coming in backwards. did you try this yet? interested to see if this works with the PA too.

[Rambo]

I flipped twice already.

1st time I flipped was due to high waves and I was reaching back for some tackle and bam the wave just hit me and the next thing you know i'm in water. A quick sudden panic and a I re-flip my kayak over but lost my tackle (~$150 DONATED)

2nd flip was due to a boat, I was trolling, and wham this boat takes off behind me pulling my line. I had 65lb spectra and my drag was loose. At first I tried cutting the fast moving line with a pair of scissors, no luck. 2nd I thought to myself, well if I tighten the drag the line would snap, (dumb me, wrong thing to do). The boat flip me over in a quickness, yanking my rod & reel, lost my tackle, lost another bass rod because I was using this to cast for bass and my tackle box snap off the tied down line. Another ~1k donated to the ocean.

Hopefully no more flips in the future, I'm out rigging my kayak soon for more stability control.

[Striperman1018]

2nd flip was due to a boat, I was trolling, and wham this boat takes off behind me pulling my line. I had 65lb spectra and my drag was loose. At first I tried cutting the fast moving line with a pair of scissors, no luck. 2nd I thought to myself, well if I tighten the drag the line would snap, (dumb me, wrong thing to do). The boat flip me over in a quickness, yanking my rod & reel, lost my tackle, lost another bass rod because I was using this to cast for bass and my tackle box snap off the tied down line. Another ~1k donated to the ocean.


Benchmade knives makes an emergency hook. Kinda like a seat belt cutter but longer. It is designed to cut through molly gear, clothing, and such. Its about 5 inches long and comes in a sheath. I strapped one onto my PFD for rapid deployment if needed. Maybe something to look into. It would have saved your ass, and your gear in this situation for sure. One quick hook and pull and your free.

[jorluivil]

hey hookfred,

i spoke to you at L.J. one time and i told you that i had been coming in backwards. did you try this yet? interested to see if this works with the PA too.


I've been doing this for a few months now and it works great. I've only had my yak flip once and I wasn't even on it. I had two WSB on a stringer and they fell off the yak and.....well.......the rest is history.

[hook1fred]

hey hookfred,

i spoke to you at L.J. one time and i told you that i had been coming in backwards. did you try this yet? interested to see if this works with the PA too.

No not yet i'll definitly try it my next time out... I think I just need to find the time to take it out more and practice

[Drake]

I've never flipped my kayak, but this morning, right after I read this post, I flipped when returning into the cove. I lost a $500 pair of oakley eye glasses, and my Coast Guard issued parka.

A reward is posted for both items! :reel:

[Electronics Squid]

If you are gunna flip it,:D might as well be in the surf @ LJ for everyone to see!

I think this may be me at the tournament on the 10th...I had planned to get some practice launches in prior to the tournament, the Navy had other plans...so first launch will be for all to see...

Nice thing is there will be plenty of folks who can let me know what I did wrong...

[flying bait]

5 times. I'm sure it'll happen again.

The worst was boiler rock fishin' at Dana. I got rolled over shallow rocks, got everything back in the kayak and then started to paddle like a mad man to get out of the surf zone. But, my anchor attached itself to the rocks, so I wasn't goin anywhere. Had to dive into the water, detach myself, then get out.

But I'll tell you what, there's nothing like boiler rock fish for monster calicos. the wind, the surf, the fish... It's more spooky than new moon fishin' for wsb with no lites.

I know this is an old thread, but I must say, Kayaker are a different bred of fisherman. Coming from mostly fishing on a boat, my usual solution when things get tough is to cut the anchor and full throttle. :p It would never occur to me to dive into the water to free the anchor. After all, I certain wouldn't want to get my feet wet. :D

B

[Fiskadoro]

Went out to mission bay today and my kayak decided I should be swimming instead of fishing..

There's flipping and then flipping.

I've seen guys roll in open water when they hit a wave wrong etc. That's what I'd consider real flipping, when your not prepared for it but it's never happened to me yet. I hoop and fish a variety of yaks both sit on top and insides sometimes in pretty rough conditions and I've never had a problem... yet... :D

My take is watch the conditions, and keep your head and things are usually OK if you have a decent sense of balance, and stay aware of your surroundings..

Launching through surf inevitably your going to roll your yak. I've only rolled twice, both times coming in through the surf, once in my x-13 at La Jolla in small stuff when I was just tired, complacent and was just not paying attention, and once in Malibu in a mini-X in five foot beach break at Esco. That Esco one I never had a chance just got caught in a bad backwash/rip-current, and could not get in quick enough to avoid the next set.

At Malibu I also got nailed by my yak after I was already out of it by a second break sneaker shore pound on the beach, in confused four to five conditions, but I didn't actually roll it that time, more like just got knocked off my feet, and that one fn hurt.

I still get nervous every time a launch and land, which is weird considering how many times I've done it without trouble. That said the first time I got complacent I rolled in some little 2 footers right in front of Gary and Josh, and felt like a total idiot.

I've never lost any gear as I always store my gear launching and landing. On open water I don't tie anything down so if I ever do roll outside it's going to be painful.

I've had some really close calls. Once at Rats beach the waves came up big while I was out fishing Rocky. When I got in the beach was walled up with big crashing five footers. The only area with slightly lower surf was this gut where a rip current was coming off the beach flattening the surf. I tried it there and ended fighting the rip like it was some outbound river while breaking wave after breaking wave came in from behind me. I must of fully surfed five different waves before I actually got on the beach that day, it totally worked me.

Another time while hooping a boat came up and asked me if I could free a net they got stuck in tight to the breakwall. I knew the guys and they could not get in above it with thier big boat to free it as it had been washed into the rocks by a heavy surge. I tried it and got in and right above it but it would not budge, I kept working and working it pulling a little slack when the waves would drop and holding on tight on the rise trying to get enough force to pull it free. About then a huge wave rolled in and up the breakwall and before get my hands loose, (one got partially wrapped) about half my yak got completely pulled under. Imagine how much force it takes to pull under half a FND, That was some strong swell and surge!!! I did not roll but was pretty shook up, and they ended up just leaving the net with a bottle tied to it.

So for me 2 or 3 times landing in the surf, but that is kind of a given.

Jim

[DanaPT]

Thanks for bringing up a good "old" post.

1) wear a PFD and be aware of your surroundings
2) tie your stuff down
3) the beach launches are the likely spots to spill

simple enough to remember.

[ctfphoto]

A couple times landing in the surf at La Jolla ..lost sun glasses that were strapped on ..BUT

the first roll ever was in our 2 seater with my 4 year old on his very First Ocean trip and only his second trip ever.

He went under (w PDF) and I grab him and brought a crying 4 year old to his moma on the beach :D

Next time we go out I INSIST that we do La Jolla as my son is now scared of the waves. By now we have the second (my) kayak so I my daughter and wife get ready to launch the 2 seater and my 4 year son is freaking out balling on how he doesn't want to go. I grab him by his PDF and put him on his moms boat kicking a screaming ...... we get out , he calms down, we see dolphins, sea lions and go through a really cool cave and he is fine. Coming back in, I think to myself, no way he flips this time. I land first, then come back out and ride the tail of the two seater with all my weight on it in thru the surf for a sweet landing. My son thinks my wife is a better yaker than I because she didn't flip :rolleyes:

[sdfishman]

Here's a good viedo to BUMP the thread..


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ede_1326381224

[mtnbykr2]

too funny...to watch...I think I would have had to take the goose out though:D

[addicted2sp33d]

I hope I never meet an angry Pelican. :eek:

[mtnbykr2]

I hope I never meet an angry Pelican. :eek:
It's not the pelicans to worry about it's those damn cormorans...:mad::D

[Devildawgjj]

I have to admit, I didn't see that one coming. It did cross my mind that they should have got a wack from the paddle for not keeping their distance.

Classic, "What did I do to You!!!"

[WahooUSMA]

I wouldn't call it flipped,...
But more like a fifteen foot plastic javelin, "Pile-Driven" from off a solid seven footer into a sand bar & your scorpioned torso is pounded into paralysis. Fun stuff at five am in the winter swells..:doh:


Happened to me once too.....Ended up with my Salas stuck through waders and into my calve...big lesson learned for me - I rig up out past the breakers, not on the launch, unless of course the surf is ankle slappers!

[mazilla]

I'd have been having goose with my dinner that night...

[tunaseeker]

Who hasen't!

[Chuck D]

HAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!

[Enceladus]

I've only been out twice so far and that was on Corona Lake. Willy posted some good advice on the " Newbie help" thread that I plan on taking. I have an outback with outriggers. Any of you guys have the outriggers and if so, how much do they help out? It also looks like they might get in the way if I'm trying to get back on from deep water.

[blitzburgh]

I've flipped other yaks.......but not my PA:D (knock on wood)

[Kahouna]

I'll put my limited experience out there. I've been doing the backwards thing since I got the Outfitter. I had limited luck getting in with my old Malibu. I saw a video of some guy coming in backwards through some serious waves and a dim bulb went off. Here is the only flip in reverse....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvaBlIzAHYU&context=C3a69afaADOEgsToPDskKrU85aLw6ndLRGmXXpx5CQ

Since then, I learned that you give a couple peddles/paddles through said waves and you are golden. You spend some time in the surf zone sometimes, but I think you have better control. This has worked flawlessly at LJ and San O.

[capntim]

Havent tried this one yet but i heard another way(gonna get wet tho)
is just outside of surf line(sorry wader guys) jump on in, grab onto rear
handle or strap and kick on in- a human rudder you might say. Just have
gear stowed. Oh ya, first time out at LJ, flipt at landing, one home made
sabiki rod donation that came unleashed somehow:confused:. Anyone heard of/tried this method before?
Tim

[Fiskadoro]

Oldie but goodie with a few serious lessons....

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0j2pD_TXFb8" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>


The opposite of the above these guys have some serious skills....


<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Zq6gLujwBHg" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>

... i heard another way...jump on in, grab onto rear handle or strap and kick on in- a human rudder you might say. Just have gear stowed. ...

I've seen this used in a emergency situation when going out rather then coming in. If you judge things wrong and hit a bad set that's way bigger then anything you can paddle through at the last minute you can jump, grab the front handle and your weight in the water will pull the yak through a cresting wave. At the same time you will wash back towards shore. If there are more waves coming you just hold on and you will wash you right back to the beach where you can try again. I watched a guy do this in Malibu where in a mix of three footers he got hit with a six plus that broke right on him. He rolled off the yak at the last second grabbed the yak and pulled the nose down. It then pierced right through the wave and he was back up and paddling in less then a minute. Dude knew what he was doing.

Never seen it tried in reverse coming in but no doubt it would work. There was a day in Malibu up at County line where I seriously considered trying it, but then the waves broke just right and I paddled and surfed right up on the beach.


I saw a video of some guy coming in backwards through some serious waves and a dim bulb went off..... This has worked flawlessly at LJ and San O.

I watched your vid and and there are two things I'd suggest. Not giving you a hard time just constructive BS. One I'd say always wear your PFD when going in or out, and two never let the yak get between you and the incoming surf.

If you had been in bigger surf and a wave caught your yak when you were standing between the yak and the beach it would of driven the yak into you with force, and you could of lost a few ribs or your teeth. It's a mistake everyone makes once, I did and got nailed pretty good one day, but the bottom line is once you are in the water you want the yak between you and the beach, not the other way around.

Put the two together and you got real trouble. Say a wave caught your yak wrong that day and it hit you in the head hard enough to knock you out, with no PFD on you could of possibly drowned.

Personally I think the backwards thing will only work in small surf. Get anything big enough to make your kayak surf backwards and you are done. It's hard enough to keep a yak straight and your nose up when surfing forwards, much less backwards

Jim

[taggermike]

Some day I will flip my kayak. That said, I have not yet flipped in flat water. I have gotten just detroyed on launches and landings though. I have come to expect this because I launch from less friendly places like South IB, Salt Creek, and Cape Hateras NC. I try to alway have things stowed and to take the surf as an indicator of what I should bring. I wanted to fish the kelp south of Dana years ago and due to high surf brought only 1 rod and a small bag of plastics. I got flipped over backwards and swam in after the yak 3 times befor I made it out. On the landing I just let the kayak wash in and I swam in. I don't worry about style points, getting in safely with all my gear is my goal. I've swam in, gotten off in deeper water and held the bow handle all the way in, backed in, and surfed in. And I practiced all these w/o gear first. I get the feel for each kayak I have and practice righting and remounting. These have worked for me; practice, know your kayak, stow your gear, know your comfort zone, and listen to the little voice in your head. Get experience and expand your abilities. I've seen guys flip thier yaks and have NO idea what to do. It's like they'd never even thought of that posiblity. Don't be "that guy". No surprise is the best surprise. Mike

[Kahouna]

I watched your vid and and there are two things I'd suggest. Not giving you a hard time just constructive BS. One I'd say always wear your PFD when going in or out, and two never let the yak get between you and the incoming surf.

If you had been in bigger surf and a wave caught your yak when you were standing between the yak and the beach it would of driven the yak into you with force, and you could of lost a few ribs or your teeth. It's a mistake everyone makes once, I did and got nailed pretty good one day, but the bottom line is once you are in the water you want the yak between you and the beach, not the other way around.

Put the two together and you got real trouble. Say a wave caught your yak wrong that day and it hit you in the head hard enough to knock you out, with no PFD on you could of possibly drowned.

Jim

Exactly why I put that video up. I did about everything wrong there and could have had my tush handed to me a lot worse. My PFD is usually on but I didn't think it was bad enough to pay attention to the waves or be prepared. Thank you Pacific for reminding me who is in charge at all times.

[GregAndrew]

The idea of coming in backwards is so that you can paddle back out if a large swell approaches, not just that you are pointed in that direction. Your momentum paddling out is what will save your bacon. That being said, most fishing kayaks are stern heavy and would be hard to surf or slide backwards in the event of a large wave. Learn how to "slide" and you will not have a problem with surf less than 3 feet pretty quickly. Best time to practice is when you are already wet. My half cent anyway.