# The worst trouble....



## SkunkApe (Dec 9, 2006)

I know it's winter, and I've been talking w/ few of kayak buddy's about what was the worst trouble you've been in on a yak...and how did you get out of it??

Let's hear it...!!!

I'll give my dissertation of life threatening exposure later.....Let's just say fog, and Eastern Shore......

Skunk


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## lil red jeep (Aug 17, 2007)

I have no kayak experience, but this should make for some awesome reading!!!
opcorn:


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## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

Luckily my worst trouble (so far) isn't so bad.
It happened earlier this year during one of the first really cold fall mornings when the water temps were still in the 60's. I had already switched from my sit on top to my sit in to stay a little warmer and drier.....yeah right.

I was catching some decent reds at first light over a wide shallow mud bar when a HUGE sportfisher came cruising down the river at 1/2 throttle and throwing off a 3-4 foot wake. I spun the bow toward the oncoming wake, bobbed over the first roller, went into the trough and the second roller came over the bow and dumped in my lap, swamping the yak. The third and fourth rollers continued fillilng the cockpit.

The yak didn't sink because of the rear bulkhead and float bag in the bow, but I was sitting in chilly water on a frosty morning. 

I learned my lesson sailing during cold weather many years ago, so I headed for the bank, stripped, and changed into dry duds from my ditch bag. The only injury was to my pride.


Second worst kayak mishap was this year in August at Nags Head. The ocean had been flat all week, but picked up a steep shore break on Thursday. I grabbed my little 8 foot Perception Aloha to play in the surf. First wave no sweat, second time going out through the breakers I got worked .... BAD. I dd an end over and got whacked on the back of the head by the yak plus reef rash on my back and shoulder. I came up seeing stars from the smack on the head.


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## glen721 (Jul 25, 2004)

Too Busy said:


> I had already switched from my sit on top to my sit in to stay a little warmer and drier.....yeah right.
> QUOTE]
> 
> Just wear waders and drytop or a drysuit and forget about that sit inside. That's what the majority of guys use up here in VA.


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## Too Busy (Sep 7, 2007)

The sit in is up for sale and I'll be on my Search 13 in the future. Gonna miss the sit in though. It's so much faster than any sit on top I've paddled.


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## seeknfin (Dec 28, 2006)

*Haven't experianced any near misses yet bit then again..*

Maybe spending 20 years on local waters has prepared me. A compass is a must, Cabella's sells em lanyard with a whistle and theromometer all in one bought a couple think they were about 7 bucks. I fished Ocen View reef last year when a cold air mass rolled in, there was a power boat fishing in the vicinity I asked him if I could follow him toward the beach if the fog got too thick.
Eastern Shore can sure look inviting, saddens me when I hear of it being a couple of john boaters last trip on a warm spring day... seems warm air and cold water is the makings for a disaster. If it's not fog it's usually high winds.

Thanks for starting this post... Safety can't be reviewed enough in my opinion.

Keep 'em safe and thanks again,

Tim


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## SkunkApe (Dec 9, 2006)

I've had a few hair raising events over the years. This is one of them...

This was a camping trip in Northern Arizona. We were about 50 miles from anything, camping in a Canyon which the Verde River flowed through. I had picked up a "Duckie" yak at a yard sale and decided that I wanted to explore an off-shoot of the Verde. It was very narrow and rather tumultuous, but opened up to some pretty cool looking pools that I was sure held some Small Mouth Bass. I launched the yak up river w/ all my gear and sauntered down until the river forked. I hit river right into a narrow shoot where the water was really pumping. I rode the rapids, not knowing what to expect around each corner, as I've never been down this stretch. It was a wet, wild and fun ride...until....

I traversed some rapids and turned the corner and saw a large dead pine tree with spider branches stretched across the entire creek. In river guide talk, it's called a "strainer" for good reason. There was really no time to react as the water was defiantly flowing fast. Eyes wide, I attempted a last ditch effort to pull a miracle tact through the branches. I didn't work. 

I hit the tree port side and even though I tried the high side technique, the force of the water flipped me. Needless to say, the lost gear was the least of my worries at that point. I was under water and pinned in the web of branches. I learned in river guide school to make yourself as small as possible when hung up under water. That's what I did. I curled up in the fettle position and then attempted to deploy my knife from my PFD to cut whatever was holding me down. Well, the strength of the current turned out to work out in my favor in this situation as I broke the branch that was holding me and was spit out past the obstruction. 

I popped my head up 15 yards or so down stream from the accident and saw my yak folded up on the tree and I swam for life to shore before I got into another widow maker. As I sat on the bank thanking my lucky stars, I realized there was no way to pry the yak off the tree, so I proceeded to walk back to camp, which was about five miles down stream. Soaking wet, cold and demoralized, I bush wacked it back through the canyon. To add insult to injury, I heard a loud BOOOMM!!, BOOOMM!! from my right side when plowing through the dense underbrush. Turns out I ran into an Elk hunting squad and those idiots where shooting at ME!!! I screamed that "I AM NOT AN ANIMAL!!!!" and I guess they felt embarrassed as I never made face to face contact with them. I finally made it back to camp at dusk, changed cloths and got drunk. My then wife didn't understand the magnitude of my misadventure, as she demanded I make dinner, clean the tent and collect firewood. I told her to f*ck off, now I'm divorced. 

Skunk


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## WURK2FISH (Jun 9, 2007)

This is takin' from a post I made this past Fall from a trip up here in NJ:


Todays Run
Welp....hit it early this AM......launched at around 5:00 AM behind Beach Haven.......had one fish roll on my popper under the lights on a dock and of course it missed! Couldn't raise it again Headed south with a decent 1.2 to 1.5 mph drift..........worked my way along the sedges......SHALLOW!
Just after sunrise.....another fish rolled on the popper (3) times and missed it everytime!!! Another couple hundred yards south and BAM...hooked-up! Came un-buttoned after about 30 seconeds
Headed furthur south and rounded the turn.....learned a valuable lesson!!!
STAY OUT OF INLETS on moving water!!! Got rolling in the current and before I could blink an eye....I was in the washing machine and was scrambling!!! Never hang a lure on a scotty rod-holder!!!! Got that in the left ring-finger right up to the barb.....paddling like crazy for the beach with blood flying everywhere!!! Got outta the rip....landed.......and decided to walk around back before trying to venture back to the launch! First blood on the Yak is my own!
Guy on the beach.....Stu...from the BeachHaven Volunteere Fire Dept. said he was bout to call for a kayaker washed outta the inlet....that woulda been fun....pick me up in the chopper and leave my Kayak afloat Glad people are out ther looking out for others!!!
I must say....the X-Factor performed like a CHAMP in the 2-3 ft. stacked up rip!!! But it looked REAL UGLY another 100 yds. out!!!!
After walking around back with the yak on the cart...plugged up a Herring/Shad... one o' them.......got alittle bend in the rod anyways...they where everywhere......re-launched for the return....marked a few but no takers....until....right back where the first fish of the trip rolled on my plug...and whatya know....he rolled and waved goodbye one more time!!! 0 for 4!

Had a blast though....and really learned alot!!! Lookin' forward to my next outting!!!
Oh....that's an approx. (7) mi. roundtripper .........whew!!!

Be careful out there!!! Trust me!!!!
W2F



Every trip out is an experience!!!!


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## Caught Myself (Sep 14, 2004)

Three and a half years ago, my wife and I paddled Back Bay at the Refuge. Beautiful July day, about noon, bluebird sky , no wind, like glass, 90 degrees. Weather forecast on the radio was possible late afternoon thunderstorms. About two miles from the launch we saw dark clouds on the horizon and started heading back. No hurry. I didn't know the front was moving 45 mph until I realized we weren't going to make it. When it reached us lightning was everywhere - cloud to cloud and an occasional water strike. It went from flat calm to three foot waves in just a few seconds. Hard sideways rain - visibility was about thirty feet. I didn't like that because I kept losing sight of my wife. We were doing a good job surfing back until my wife stopped to put her PFD on. A wave caught her sideways and flipped her right over. I watched her yak blow away. I paddled over to her, slid out and had her get into my boat. I held on for a few minutes and the storm passed by. We saw her yak a few hundred yards away. I handed her a paddle and my tow rope and said "Go get your kayak".I put my PFD on and waited for to get back. On the way back to the launch we paddled by a water moccasin about 20 feet away from us! I've had some other hairy experiences but this one sucked because my wife was with me. 

Morals of this story:
Check Accuweather or the Weather channel before you go out.
Wear your PFD even if it is 90 degrees and it will give you funny tan lines.
Always carry a tow rope. Mine is a twenty foot piece of one quarter inch nylon cord with a caribiner on each end. You might need it sometime.


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## kingfisherman23 (Dec 14, 2003)

I wasn't the kayaker in this story, but it was scary none the less. 

We were camped out on Cape Lookout one weekend about six years ago/ On the final day the weather radio started chirping about a front coming off the land, and it sounded like a bad one. So we packed up the gear and loaded up into the 17ft trihull we'd taken over to the island. About the time we load the last box I look out over the sound and see what looks like a giant hand, palm down, made of black clouds headed straight towards us.

Scared the bejeezus out of me. I mean, it looked like the hand of God coming to wipe us off the map. Of course we were the only ones out there, everyone else had already left. So we got in the boat and hit the gas about the time the storm rolled in. Blinding rain, 3-4 foot swells and (we later learned) 45mph winds. Whee!

Got about 1/4 the way back and I look over to port and see a kayaker fighting back towards the mainland. He was in a touring yak and had two other yaks behind him. About the time I saw him and tapped my dad on the shoulder the guy's yak flipped. We turned our boat around and managed to not only haul him out of the water (he didn't have a PFD on) but also hitch his yaks to our stern cleat and tow them back to the marina.

We pulled up to the dock at the marina and the dock master, who I've never seen in anything other than sun-bleached shorts, was wearing a fleece and docksiders. That's when we really knew the storm was a bad one. 

Evan


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## red_fish (Jul 22, 2007)

mine was in rudee a few winters ago i think it was in jan. when i tried to do a ariel off the floating dock
help me help me


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## can't fish today (Oct 8, 2003)

Mine happened in 1972, while in college. My buddies and I decided to go rafting. We had had a record rain the night before (I learned later that people drowned from the flooding). The Tuckaseegee River was raging, with much debree including livestock. We put in and within 100 yds the other guys got out and said "no way". So I stuck it out, which turned out to be a bad idea. Once I hit the rapids, there was no way to stay in the boat. As I was pushed down the river, I figured out pretty quickly that the way to survive was to gulp air at the points where I made it to the crest of the monumental waves washing down the river. Once past the rapids I was able to swim over to the bank.


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## Entropy (Mar 9, 2008)

my hairiest was more due to a lack of experience than independent variables.

first time ever fishing out of a yak, it was a little 6-7' sit in. im at the HRBT just off of the spit trying to catch croaker and such. i set the hook on what feels like a good fish and the fish didnt move. the yak moved... long story short, im in a tiny yak hooked up with a 40lb ray. after fighting it away from the bridge, pulling up the anchor, almost going in the drink more than once, and going skiing... i finally got the fish up. i see the ray beside me, knew what i was looking at wasnt going to be kept, so i started trying to figure out how i was going to release it. i was reaching for a knife in a bucket behind me, one hand on the rod, fish at 10 o'clock, and im spun completely around at 7 o'clock trying to get this knife... the ray wasnt done, he takes off. i tip and the very tip of my nose hits the water before the drag peels off and i tip back right side up. this all happens in a fraction of a second. adrenalin... PUMPING. lol.

ended up just cutting the line as short as i could. that fish wasnt coming in the yak with me, and there was no way i was making it back to shore. fun story, my buddy who was watching from the shore still makes fun of me about it.


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

haha it takes one time with a big fish to remember to loosen up your drag.... keeping a dive knife on your PFD helps as well.


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## outfishin28 (Jul 15, 2005)

few years back I was in my 12' sit in off Surfside Beach. The water was calm and warm and Kings were skying everywhere around me. So I set out a few drift lines and started a paddlin'. Three kings later I was exhausted and ready to head in. I took the last king I caught and beat him over the head a few times to knock him out before I threw him at my feet for the paddle back (I think you all know where this is going). About the time I hit the splash and was in the middle of riding a wave back in, he decided to regain conscience and start snapping his jaws. I was thrown into a state of panic when he got my big toe, dropped the paddle, and over I went. picked up all the crap of mine I could find, drug the kayak back to the beach, fortunately the fish was still in there as I took a knife to his brain shortly there after. Bad thing was there was a whole bunch of beach babes right there watching the whole saga. Oh yeah, as for my big toe, three stitches and a week of limping around on pain killers later, I went king fishing in the yak again.



Lesson, MAKE SURE THE FISH IS DEAD _*BEFORE*_ YOU PUT HIM IN THE KAYAK WITH YOU.


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## Entropy (Mar 9, 2008)

Rockstar said:


> haha it takes one time with a big fish to remember to loosen up your drag.... keeping a dive knife on your PFD helps as well.





outfishin28 said:


> Lesson, MAKE SURE THE FISH IS DEAD _*BEFORE*_ YOU PUT HIM IN THE KAYAK WITH YOU.


unfortunately we cant just read a couple books and know everything there is about yaking. it takes a hairy situation to REALLY teach us some very valuable situations.

another story....
a buddy of mine (same buddy who saw me fighting the ray) and i paddled from the public boat ramp at wiloughby, around the spit, and to the first island. on the way back we decided to hit up the small boat channel. he anchored, i ropped to the side of him, and we put the paddled accross both of out laps. about 20 minutes into fishing i look down and tell him, "dude... wheres your paddle?" he does a quick 180 to look down current and is like, "GO GET IT!" it was long gone... lol. there is no telling when he dropped it. so i tied to the back of him, gave him my paddle, and told him, "ok... YOUR going to tow ME back."

i fished and caught some striped ones on the way in. :fishing:


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## uncdub13 (Aug 9, 2003)

Nothing really stands out in my mind as a scary situation or being in trouble other than getting caught in some thunderstorms (with lightning being the main threat), so I guess that's a good thing. On the other hand, ive done my share of dumb things where i probably should/could have gotten in trouble very easily and didnt, so i try to learn from those.


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

Entropy said:


> unfortunately we cant just read a couple books and know everything there is about yaking. it takes a hairy situation to REALLY teach us some very valuable situations.


ain't that the truth! i think that's relative to a lot of things in life.


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## Entropy (Mar 9, 2008)

Rockstar said:


> ain't that the truth! i think that's relative to a lot of things in life.


true... lol.

but idk, i dont really go LOOKING to put my life in jepoerdy.


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## red_fish (Jul 22, 2007)

Entropy said:


> true... lol.
> 
> but idk, i dont really go LOOKING to put my life in jepoerdy.


shit if there aint a 50% chance of not making it back i aint going gotta live on the edge brotha


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

NJ and I both have some... I got a few from one summer..... was not good at all. Don't have the time to post now, but they were.... well bad..


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## Entropy (Mar 9, 2008)

red_fish said:


> shit if there aint a 50% chance of not making it back i aint going gotta live on the edge brotha


i like living... 

though, i suppose ive done worse things than kayaking.


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## Rockstar (Jun 23, 2004)

red_fish said:


> shit if there aint a 50% chance of not making it back i aint going gotta live on the edge brotha


if yer not dumpin' $50 worth of bait and ice on the way back from Smith Island in 15-20kt. winds yer definitely not livin' on the edge. haha gimme a holler man, we gotta hit it hard in the spring.


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## ledweightII (Apr 4, 2008)

I went surf fishing between tybee and lil'tybee while walking up I noticed a few marines swimming rather way out on the outgoin of a spring tide. Way out about an 1/8th mile I saw what I thought was some show off jarhead swimming against the tide. Everybody was watching him. After about 20 minutes or more this guy became more visiable. He had a lifejacket on. He finally drug himself to shore. I talked with him and he said he was on a kayak out in the breakers when the thing started sinking. He had borrowed the kayak from a freind. Dude looked the part of an expierenced kayaker. He said he was swimming against the tide for more than an hour and a half and his life vest was looked like it had past its shelf life. That guy was one lucky sumptin'.


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

most dangerous....

1. Couple summers ago, taking baits out at the point. I had just woke up and caught a big cobia. I was so excited that I said the hell with it Im taking out another bait. Rob and another guy ask me to take them out a bait too.... I was taking baits out right by the tip of the point. With 3 lines... Bad move. I got caught in the current. I got dumped... I was holding on for life. I went from S.S of the point to the N. Side. Lost my sight casting rod. Got reeled back in by 3 lines until I could hop back in. Scariest moment on water for me ever. Couldnt see anything but water in any direction.

2. Same trip: Was yaking on south beach taking out baits with a guy from NJ and Marshall. We were yaking baits like 400+yrds. All the other guys had dropped baits. I wanted mine past that bar that was there and she was coming over the bar pretty good. I think to myself, if i wana be the one hooked up I gotta give it a little more... Well, as I try and go over I flip. As soon as I do i grab the kayak and realize i can't get back in bc Im tied up in the leash. Another wave, knocks me and the kayak back..... Get my knife and cut the leash, im free. Another wave, my kayak is a about 40-50 yards away from me now and Im sitting about 400+ yards away from the beach and Im thinking too much current, i lost my kayak, looks like they're gonna scoop my body up somewhere on N. Beach. Well I swear to GOD. I was just thinking about how screwed I was and I how I needed to get back to my yak(still had my paddle in my hand). Another wave was coming and All I could think was to boogie board(ride the wave) to get me closer to the yak and beach. One wave came by and I was withing 10 yrds of my yak... I swear to this day I don't know how this happneed.... Somehow Marshall and the Guy from NJ are now circling aroudn me and the yak. I get back in it and ride back in....

3. COming back in from yaking baits, instead of jumping out of the yak I decide to surf land. I flip and the yak hits my head and the other part of my head hits the beach... It hurt and I swallowed water. i remmeber coming up for air and thinking whoa... that coulda been REEEEEELy bad.

Most gear lost on a trip.

1. the trip NJ rags on me about. We were at sandbridge. Im talking about FLAT. Bluebird day glass.... My yak is loaded to the gills with stuff. I surf launch. I start seeing bluefish all over the surf. Im thinking Im gonna troll out of hte surf and have bait before NJ makes it to the shore..... well i am fiddling around with gear and trying to get a plug out since I had only stingsilvers tied to my rod. my kayak is facing parallel to the beach and i see a random rogue wave coming... WTF???? SO i try to right myself, but then again 15fters arent too good on that.... so i flip right there in waist deep water... LOST EVERYTHING, it was bluebird i didnt tie anythign down... Lost gear included

1. All tackle/king rigs (the stuff i use, so i was alll out of gear!)
2. rod/tld
3. rod/diawa 50
4. rod/pen525
5. rod/stradic
6. crate

anybody find these N. of lip somewhere let me know!!!!! Moral of the story, always tie your stuff down and get out of the surf!




scariest kayak incident not involving me was Jeffs first kayak experience.... Me and marshall talked him out into taking three lines on north beach and the current was terrible........ I'll let him tell it if he wants to..


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## jay b (Dec 1, 2002)

Neil all that college ed-u-ma-k-shun and you pull those stunts  

You need to stick to casting baits, Lord knows you do that well enough !!

I've never really had anything compared to those but did get a little puckered coming back from Smith Island after fishing it in the Club tourney last year. Wind got up and we ignored it for too long. Those flats aren't very friendly in 20 kts. of NE.

I did witness something up close under the Lesner that scared the crap out of me not to mention the person involved.The two of us were fishing the same pocket under the bridge for Flounder right at the beginning of the ebb and doing rather well but again stayed too long into the tide. If you've ever fished there you know the current cooks and on the outgoing it flows parralell to the bridge until almost the middle of the inlet where it turns and goes out. We were paddling under the bridge from the outside as far as we felt safe and drifting back out while hooking up. He hooked one that was a monster and lost it right at the boat knowing it was 'the one'. After getting a little greedy and going too far under the bridge trying to find him again the current caught his yak and pushed him down current into the next piling and when trying to get away he managed to flip.

I'm on the outside of the bridge watching the whole thing go down and hoping for the best. He did manage to get back on pretty quickly even with all the current pushing him into the pile but managed to flip a second time two seconds later while trying to get back in the seat.

I paddled in to help get him out from under the bridge and held the yak steady so he could get back on. The second time was he was successfull getting back on so after making sure he was OK I paddled out to salvage all of his gear that was floating away with the current.

Same lesson as Neils and others, respect the current, try and fish with a buddy and learn your spots for all conditions. Needless to say we still fish that hole, just not as far into the ebb.


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## mud (Sep 23, 2007)

what kind of yak do you use NTKG?

I just got my first yak and havent been out in it yet but want to have a good story not a horrible experience. 

To get to the thread subject I did have to rescue a couple boaters one time where there modified motor mount (made completly of 2x4's...yes wood) for there larson 40hp completley seperated from the boat and fell into the drink. They were still afloat but had no motor and one paddle for a 18ft boat and about 2 or 3 miles from anyone in a bad current...if all that counts


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## NTKG (Aug 16, 2003)

mud said:


> what kind of yak do you use NTKG?
> 
> I just got my first yak and havent been out in it yet but want to have a good story not a horrible experience.
> 
> To get to the thread subject I did have to rescue a couple boaters one time where there modified motor mount (made completly of 2x4's...yes wood) for there larson 40hp completley seperated from the boat and fell into the drink. They were still afloat but had no motor and one paddle for a 18ft boat and about 2 or 3 miles from anyone in a bad current...if all that counts


well half of it is because we go out when we shouldn't. or with too many lines and drag attached to us... make that 3/4

i've been yakkin for a while now, have had many of the kayaks that have been out. those stories were with a OK prowler 15. I now use a trident 15. The long boats are just not good for surf entry and exit. the short boats are good for that, but its way too much work to paddle them, and they suck in any sort of chop or wind. i surf launch and land with a much better sucess rate, those were just a few of the dummy moments i've had. I can't say enough about the prowler 15, best surf boat there is.


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## SkunkApe (Dec 9, 2006)

*More Trouble*

Another hair brained situation I was involved with took place on the Eastern Shore. We (5 yakkers) launched at the creek just NW of Raccoon Island. This was about noonish I'd say. 

After a very lengthy paddle over open water and over some chopped up shoals we started to fish a bar off of Adams Island. We had planned to hit the outgoing tide to get a good drift out, then paddle the incoming tide to get a good drift back in. Well, after a lackluster showing of the Drum, three yakkers split. However Surfva and I decided to stick it out. 

I cannot say enough about how quickly the tide moves around those islands. One minute I'm standing in knee deep water, the next minute it's chest deep. Surfva had beached his yak on the bar and was landing little doggies about 50 yards away. By the time he got back, his yak was floating away and his paddle was no where to be found. We recovered his yak, but no paddle...five miles from the launch site...

Well, if you know me, from my flying days, I've got back up after back up after back up. Lose an engine, there's always another one to get you home. Surfva is sitting there, hands in the air and declares that I have to tow him back to the launch. I said "Fork that!", and handed him my smurf paddle, a small canoe paddle I always have on hand. 

Being a good wing man, I stayed behind him as we made the way back. It's a trip how precise you have to be when navigating the shoals. 3-4 foot waves breaking in what was dry land, and a small cut to snake through where the water was too deep for the waves to break....in the night time. Not part of our master plan. 

A light fog set in as we reached open water and the bridge lights were no longer visable. Surfva had brought his hand-held GPS and marked waypoints on the way out (good man!). A good three mile paddle back over the open water was exausting. Zigging and zagging as the current pulled us towards the NW. Paddle, paddle, check the GPS, paddle, paddle, check the GPS, repeat 100 times over. We made it back. The creek we came from didn't exist at high tide. Completely covered up by water, no grass, nada. 

*ALWAYS* pack a back up paddle, or you're up chits creek without......a paddle...

Skunk


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## Caught Myself (Sep 14, 2004)

I love your avatar, Skunk. That's a picture of a guy that has only one hope...BAIL OUT!


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

friend of mine(will remain nameless ) dumped about 1/2 mile outa bogue inlet on the shoals, total yardsale, lost rod/reel, pair of costas, lots of tackle etc.

in the summer atleast it was warm, but our shoals are absolutely covered in sharks..so....

he got lucky, when he flipped, his anchor fell outa his crate,and the line got tangled somehow, keeping his yak anchored while he got back into the yak in chest deep water...

hehe


Jesse


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