HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU WHEN KAYAK OR CANOE FISHING?

[instapump416]

What would you do in this situation?

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADSXNYtL-54[/video]

 

[AaronKrick]

SNAG EM LIKE A SALMON

 

[Venom01]

That guy handled that pretty well. Closest that I've come to that is in one day the same rower almost bashed into me twice! No yelling or anything but his attitude was sort of on the side of "our rowing club owns this river" and then he made an effort to watch where he was going after I told him I know the rules because I used to row with his club years ago.

This vid however was ridiculous. I couldn't hear what the guys in the boat said after they hit him but that was pretty reckless.

 

[instapump416]

Was the rower trying to hit you on purpose? Or was he just not looking?

With such open water, I don't understand how there would be boating accidents.

 

[MuskieBait]

With such open water, I don't understand how there would be boating accidents.

I'll speak pertaining to the video.

If you watch carefully, the kayaker had positioned himself closer to shore on the inside bend of the river (jugding from the current carrying his paddle away...I assume river). He was sitting low on the water (despite the flag on his kayak) and hidden away behind a point (ie, inside bend of the river).

The boater was coming around the bend following the shoreline on the inside bend as well. The boater was going too fast around the corner and simply cannot stop or swerve. If you turn the volume up, you'll realize just how fast the boater was coming since you can't hear any boat noises until just a couple of seconds befor the kayak was hit.

I put most of the fault on the boater since they were going too fast around a blind corner. If you watch carefully, the little kicker was not in use when the kayaker was hit. The kicker was trimmed up and it was the kicker that tangled with the kayak. The boater was running with his larger motor and only use the kicker after the collision.

I would still advise the kayaker to never position himself, especially in a kayak, so close to a blind corner like that, despite having a flag on the kayak to increase visibility. When a boat is on plane, it could be difficult for boater to see anything low on the water, nevermind around a corner. A slower speed would definitely allow more time for reaction (stop/swerve). Granted, the light coloured kayak and the fluorescent orange flag should be easy enough to spot in an open area. Around a blind corner, it may be too late before someone can see it...especially a boat going at cruising speed on plane.

The point also blocks some of the motor noise. As kayakers, you should always be vigilant of what's happening around you...sound, sight and even feel (wake/swell). But with a point blocking out sight lines, noise and potentially even wake, there is little indication of other boat traffic coming toward the kayak.

Regardless of who's fault it is, everyone can take steps to mitigate these situations. At the end, even if the boater has most of the blame, the one injured or dead is still the kayaker. I'm definitely NOT taking the boater's side here, but at the same time, I do think the kayaker can be more careful about where he positioned himself.

My friend recently went on a trip to G-Bay fishing in his kayak using only his headlamp as navigation lights...and he fished in low light periods of the day. With the many bays and islands on G-Bay and some heavy boating traffic that G-Bay usually gets, he can easily turn into another statistic just like this case...

** Also...get a leash on your paddle people! There is a argument that a leash is a potential entanglement hazard when one huli. Yes, you can tangle youself on the leash...but you can also tangle yourself on the line on your reels, or bungies that come lose. It's more important to have a leash for your paddle it does not drift away. If you want to address the entanglement issue, just strap a dive knife to your thigh so you can cut anything away (fishing line, leash, bungie) if you do get tangled. This is especially important if you fish in areas with current like rivers or out on a big lake with bigger swells.

 

[goodentight]

I would have snapped

 

[Venom01]

Was the rower trying to hit you on purpose? Or was he just not looking?

With such open water, I don't understand how there would be boating accidents.

Not looking. I don't think they are used to fisherman in the lower river. I know when I used to row with that club we were pretty much the only people on the water so I think it's a case of him not paying attention. When I used to row I'd alway look now and then as I headed up the river.

 

[instapump416]

Good observation MB.

After this incident what can the kayaker do?

From the looks of it, he didn't get injured but may have had damage towards his kayak and gear.

I've never done any boating like this before but I was planning of renting a paddle boat/canoe at the islands.

 

[MuskieBait]

Not much except report it to the police and file a report. He has videos so that should help with identifying the boaters. If this was Ontario, then the O.P.P. would get involved. Boaters could be charged with reckless driving.

If you rent a canoe or paddle boat at the islands, it usually isn't too bad. People do drive slowly there, especially in the canals. However, you still have to stay vigilant. At the end of the day, you are responsible for your own safety. I would suggest wearing a whistle around your neck, keep your eye and ears open always (don't get too carried away with fishing), and blow that whistle if boaters appeared to not have seen you. Also, have you paddle always within easy reach so you can move away to avoid a collision if necessary.

That kayaker had his paddle strapped to the side of his kayak. Even if he can heard the boaters coming, it'll take him at least a few seconds before he can even get his paddle out to maneuver himself out of danger. Not very smart at all.

 

[[email protected]]

from the looks of the video, the kayaker was fairly close to shore, and the boat was in between the kayaker and the shore,, is there not a no wake zone that close to shore? and why was he going so fast while being that close to shore?

also, when the camera turns to show where the boat came from, you can clearly see more than enough distance to spot a kayak and avoid a collision


the fault is clearly 100% on the boat, the kayak was clearly marked bright orange flag, the boat was travelling at an unsafe speed( assuming limited visibility due a bend in the river?)

what if the kayak had been a small tin boat? would we be having this discussion?

 

[MuskieBait]

The kayaker was much closer to the point. He was dragged 20-30 feet away from the point after the collision by the momentum of the boat.

Adequate distance to stop or swerve is based on speed. At the speed the boat way traveling, they may not have time to do either.

With a tin boat, it sits a bit higher and it is a little more visible, but a collision can still occur if the approaching boat is traveling too fast. Parking your boat around a blind corner is like parking your car just over the top of a hill. No one can see you sitting there if they are going too fast...and sometimes there is no time to stop.

 

[[email protected]]

at the 27 second mark in the video, you can see the path the boat would have to be taking, and the distance you can see. had he been out further he would have avoided. personally i think he was trying to wake wash the kayak and misjudged

 

[MuskieBait]

at the 27 second mark in the video, you can see the path the boat would have to be taking, and the distance you can see. had he been out further he would have avoided. personally i think he was trying to wake wash the kayak and misjudged

Completely agree that the boater should have taken the outside path instead of the inside path. If they were trying to wake wash the kayak, serves them right to be tangled up.

 

[Venom01]

Personally i think he was trying to wake wash the kayak and misjudged

Quite possible. I've only started kayak fishing this summer but have found some( but by no means all ) power boaters get a real kick out of trying to do so. On my boat it's no problem because it's amazingly stable and eats wake for breakfast (its actually kinda fun) and yes there are some real a-holes on the water at times. You can tell when they are trying to Swamp you because they rapidly slow down to cause high wake and then they just stare at you to see how you handle it.

It's been obvious two or three times this summer but most of the time boaters just aren't taking their wake in consideration which like I said is fine with my boat.

Never leave to up to someone else to watch out for you. Heads up and eyes open. You have to take care of yourself out there. In fact the next move for me is a visibility flag for my Kayak.

This video is just ridiculous though.