The Most Overlooked “Essential” Kayak Fishing Tip

Link

There are a lot of great kayak fishing tips out there. The sport has grown so much that we have several influencers who are all at the top of the field and put out great content. I don’t feel like they hit some of the really important stuff. The stuff that some would call “boring”. None of them really talk about kayak fishing safety.

Safety seems like one of those things that are boring and almost pointless, right up until it isn’t. At that point it is too late. Something bad has happened and you were not prepared and something that could have been prevented or much less serious ends up being potentially life or death for you or a friend.

When fishing out on the rivers, you generally have a put in and take out. Those points are often miles from each other with no real civilization in-between. In Missouri, where I live, we get the extreme hot and the extreme colds of each season. So, in the summers, it can get very hot here. It is also very humid, usually. This can spell disaster if you are not properly prepared. In this video I go through what to do in the “worst case scenario” where you or your friend end up having a heat stroke while out on the water. Prevention is the best policy when it comes to safety, however, so here are a few tips on how to prevent ever getting to the point of heat stroke:

1. Drink water. No coke, alcohol, cool-aid, sweet tea, coffee or anything else. Your body needs water. Don’t wait until you are on the water to begin hydration either. If you do, your body starts off in a deficit. I generally start drinking large amounts of water 24 hours before a long hot day out on the water. You should also drink water thought your time on the water
2. Include some kind of electrolyte. Gatorade, Powerade and other “sport drinks” are good to include with your water intake. I try to keep it around 50% water and 50% sports drink if that is the route I choose. I also will take multi-vitamins the day before and the morning of that have large amounts of magnesium, potassium and sodium. Salty snacks help as well.
3. Have some kind of carb. I don’t generally eat a lot of carbs however carbs are great at helping hold water in your muscles. Chips, fruit and peanut butter sandwiches are all things that I regularly take with me as a snack but to also help keep my hydrated.
4. Pay attention to your body. You need to be paying close attention to how you are feeling. Regularly hit the shade, even if you don’t need to. Watch for indicators like cold chills, your complection turning pale and your body no longer sweating.
5. Take a swim. This seems obvious as most people who fish on the rivers generally end up swimming anyway. Not everyone does, though. For instance, I don’t think that I ever have. I have guided many people and none of them have either. When you are focused on fishing it is easy to forget to have fun. It is also easy to forget to take care of yourself. Thankfully, if you do this once or twice on your float, you are doing both!