Hey man, one thing I always recommend to people that are new to kayaking. I did this myself. I took the kayak out without fishing gear. Practiced rolling the kayak, turning it back over and getting back in. Knowing how to do that, will be beneficial, and your less likely to freak out if you do turn it over or fall out.

One of the best kayak advice videos I’ve seen this far. Touched on a lot of overlooked things most don’t think of before hitting the water.

Really solid advice. Thanks for addressing these important safety issues. We had a relatively young kayak fisherman go missing this summer and never turned up. They did find his kayak, but no body. The area he was kayaking is notorious for extreme currents. Tragic yet preventable.

Great advice, best I have seen so far. I have not fished salt water before. I live in Maine, so our season with a kayak is not as long as most states. I fish alone most of the time, but the 1 and only time I was able to get out and fish, this year, I was about 10 feet from the dock when a pontoon boat ran right over the top of me. I strongly believe in the PFD, I lost some gear, went back with a snorkel next day and was able to recover my equipment. I had a hook in my back and 1 above my eye. I had helped a guy launch his jet ski and another launch his boat. Jet ski chased the pontoon boat down and the guy with the boat removed the hooks. I am glad people seen it and it was reported to the game wardens.

Fought the rollers with hurricane Fred and tropical storm Grace last year. Was brutal. This is gospel, brother. Great advice. All of it!

Great video sir!! Very informative and well thought out!! Keep up the great content!

Wear you pfd folks. Yes, go comfy. Every kayak is a paddle craft at heart. Such excellent advice

This is such a solid video man. Thanks brother 🤙🏼

I want to start kayak fishing this year thanks for great advice

Really great tips. Thank you

Really good information. Thanks for making the video.

Great video, great information for the new kayak fishing person. I’ve learned not to bring a lot of gear myself, I like to target a specific fish so I’m not bringing everything but the kitchen sink. 👌😀

Hey bro great vid and info. I'm heading into my 2nd season. Not fishing, but kayak fishing. I have a 2021 Oldtown 120 pdl, with a bixpy motor,, and I love this sport. I spent my 1st season on a small local lake approx 6 miles long by 1 mile wide. Veey min boat traffic. The max depth is about 12ft' I did alot of research, spent my 1st summer getting used to being on my kayak. Fun fished, figured out everything about the kayak. Jumped in the water, to re-enter. I Never leave without my bilge pump, pfd on me. Pdl drive, and my paddle are tethered or leashed. A emergency dry bag with 1st aid, batteries, water, compass, matches, lighters, and I do have electrical power for my FF, USB ports, vm. Now I'm comfortable on extremely large lakes and resevoirs, but still not to far from land. Now I'm on much larger lakes and resevoirs. If ever stranded, I'd have all I need to survive until help arrived. Any body of water is to not be taken lightly. God bless all stay safe.

Thanks so much I’m going on Monday to Thursday and I hope I have a great time. Thanks for teaching me

Excellent safety video. Thanks for posting.

Great points! Simple but right on point! The overloaded Kayak point is well taken. Keep it simple and only bring what is necessary.

Awesome much needed video THANKS

Great video good advice 👍

Boom!!! Man, I learned the hard way not to wear waders in my kayak!!! First time ever going out in my kayak, went over the side and damn near drowned and then battled hypothermia!!! Thanks for the video brother! Keep them coming!

Great list! Every few weeks I look at my yak + kit and ask myself if there is something I haven't used in the last 2-3 trips. If I can find identify anything like that, its off the yak right then (besides safety equipment). I carry one tackle tray under my seat + pre-tied jigheads in my PFD pockets and bring 3 rods total... Less is more when kayak fishing. You might think it looks cool to be decked out to the teeth with every accessory and piece of kit possible, but just know that experienced kayak fishers are looking at you with confusion, not admiration. Worse than that, its holding you back from being a better, more agile angler.

Brand new to kayak fishing. I will always wear my pfd, and will always have a paddle (teathered) on my peddle drive. Fishing Space Coast area, I'm really glad I was smart enough to recognize to stay close first time because wind and tide is no joke!

New to kayak fishing, I'm on the west coast, good tips and i'll keep them in mind when i go out, thanks.

Great tips, I just started kayak fishing and I'm taking things slow and steady, getting used to the kayak before I even attempted to fish out of it, I actually just did my first fishing trip and it was uneventful thank goodness, didn't catch any fish but that's ok.

Too much stuff on a kayak is just like the tacticool AR-15. I used to carry a big heavy tackle bag shore fishing. I quickly learned to downsize to a back pack bag. I could walk further, cover more areas and enjoyed myself. I just got a kayak and I will use the same game plan.

Great tips that were explained very well brother!

Good advice. Lots of new folks getting into the obsession. And, lots of bad decisions being made. One of the biggest inshore tips I know from experience is to not underestimate the tides and current swings. If you get into a tight creek or channel and that big tide swing hits, you need to be prepared. Someone new to kayak fishing can’t grasp how strong that current can be if you are pushed up against a bridge piling or anchored. It will wake you up quick.

Great advice and maybe will save a life. Since I don't do FB, I'm limited to finding a club or someone to kayak fish with. Living in Fairhope and just got a 2018 Hobie Outback. Now to find someone to fish with this old guy :- ) Great content.... keep up the good work.

Just thinking about getting into the sport and watched this video and it opened my eyes. I sure hope no snake crawls into mine! ... Thanks for the great tips.

Great video Nathan! Definitely guilty of a few of those, but experience has prevailed on most of them. I still take too much stuff out with me though. 😂

Thanks for the advice I'm a newbie and this was very informative.

I have a video where my rudder cable got unattached from the rudder and i had to use my paddle to steer my kayak while i was heading to the launch so i can fix it there. If i didn`t have a paddle just because my kayak is motor driven i would`ve been screwed for sure. Always have a good paddle regardless of having a motor or a pedal drive. Like you said on PFD`s. Get a great one and wear it all the time. I love my NRS Chinook. I carry a few stuff on it including my wild animals and pirates deterrent (If you know what i mean) and i don`t even feel like i`m using one. Thanks for the tips Nate. Most of the time i`m by myself also LOL!

I’m going kayak fishing this weekend with a buddy and came across your video. I’m from Mobile too! Haha crazy

Thank you for this video. I was telling a co worker about this video. and she shared with me her mother experience not having on her PDF. Her mother's kayak got flipped and she had her PDF with her but not on. She got stuck under a tree in the river and almost drain. Now everyone in her family make sure they all wear their PDF. Another thing was in one of my group this guy was discribing his PDF he lost and was hoping someone would fine it to return it. The big question was why wasn't you wearing it. I notice in your video you said that it is only require that you have it in your craft but, you don't have to wear it. My thought was that is the most stupiedest rule they could have made. Like you said once you flip over it will be hard to get it on. MY PDF is the first thing I put on before I load my kayak up.

go at a decent time .As a beginner I went to the other side of the lake paddle yak it was work .Not realizing how cold that water gets when the sun goes down

100% agree. Great advice.

You may know about Murphy’s Law. Murphy’s Law says that if anything can go wrong and you’re not prepared for it it will go wrong. Which covers most of your six things not to do when kayak fishing. You are definitely on point with these six basic rules. Very good thank you.

Thank you !!! I'm guilty of wearing hip waders . Very good tips.

Excellent

Not really a mistake but a helpful tip ive learned from fishing out of my yak alot if you can manage to use a rod holder behind you and face it forward and tilted at 45-50° you can slide your rod into it and work on your bait or quickly remove a fish without worrying about your rod .

The one thing I would add not to do in my opinion is failing to bring an anchor. The anchor rode may also double as a tow rope. Just like my motorized vessels, I always bring an anchor. In a motorized vessel dropping anchor when the vessel is rendered inoperable will keep your position. I suggest bringing an anchor on a kayak as well. Tie it off in the back of the kayak at an appropriate depth so it will hit bottom. Then coil the rode neatly and place the anchor in a back rod holder. If the kayak flips the anchor will drop and prevent the kayak from getting away from you. I mainly fish the flats in the Tampa area. My anchor rode is only 25 ft. I adjust the length using a loop in the rode and a carabiner clip.

All excellent points man, very well done tutorial. #5 (too much crap) really makes me laugh seeing loaded down yaks. I'm running a small 10 foot Native Slayer but even if I had a 13 foot Titan I would still travel with minimal stuff. One box, 2 rods and basic "track gear." Neat, clean and lightweight!

This is some good information. I’m guilty of a few of these myself.

Good thoughts on the PFD. As we’ve seen lately in Florida, people drive their boats like idiots and you’re not going to get out of the way of a boat speeding towards you. You’re not going to pull out your PFD if you’re knocked out.

"I won't say marks name" lmao 🤣

Hi, thanks for the info much appreciated, I got new fishing Kayak single seat about 4m, and I am located at the north of Somalia, Berbera port red sea gulf, I was doing many years fishing, but never on a Kayak, I seen many tips including your tips, but not a lot on if you loose or drop the paddle, how to secure the paddle, are there different ways, last thing is to not have way back and not have a paddle, the ocean is different to lakes, the Kayak type is close to (Freedom Single Fishing Kayak), not pedal drive. If you could touch base, on where to put baits, my one has 2 spaces front large, and rear screwing 6inch hole, and rear open space I assume for cooling box etc. This may amaze you ,I am the only or the first fisher person on a kayak in whole Somalia, Africa, dont go alone on a kayak fishing, is out of window, Also there are no shops selling for kayak gear, like in EU, Aus, I must buy this when I visit UK. On the beach there are very small fishes, I feel jealous when I see people fish at the beaches in Australia and catch big or reasonable size fish, In the south Indian ocean we do have good catch from the beaches, but not so good in the gulf, To catch little bigger need to paddle atleast 100m, and 100, is not head height, very tricky, what to do. Apart from windy season, it is flat nice to to swim etc. PFD I will wear, One last question, do I need anchor, or fishing drifting is OK. Thanks in advance Al

To the (PFD) hardheads one thing you can to to compromise is to add a length of 550 parachord to a caribener using appropriate knots and same for the opposite end. Attatch one end securely to (PFD) and other to some sort of body area. Wrist, ankle, belt, ect

Well the snake I haven't come up with that problem yet however I do have a bad shoulder so I have a double ended paddle and a broken handle paddle that I cut short and mounted a wrist brace too I call him Double Dutch because he's 22 in Long

I bought a large bass pro life jacket but it's to small I can't zip it up.

Great tips just sub.

Im guilty of the waders but i always wore neoprene and 2 sizes too big just so i could slip out of them. I need to get some simms but a nice sit on kayak would fix that water issue as well .

Agree with these. The problem I'm dealing with is that I have to wade up to knee deep water sometime to launch or retrieve my kayak. What do I wear that will keep my feet and lower legs dry and comfortable in 40 degree weather if not waders of some sort?

Hey Brother how's it going. I want to say I hope you and your family are safe from the storm. I thought about you going to reach out to you to see if everything was okay. I passed close by & was seeing a lot of flood damage. I'm delivery loads for the hurricane victims down in New Orleans. It's so sad brother. But I hope and pray that you and your family are okay. This video was very very good man. You name so many key points about being out there on the water in a kayak. And like you said even Pro Anglers make mistakes. My 5 sons is just recently got kayaks back in June and I'm teaching them the safety of being on the water. Some of the things I was telling them they thought it was a joke. I want to thank you so much for making this video cuz I'm going to show them this video to show that this is no joke. Especially going out by yourself. I went out one time by myself with a messed up foot and shoulder. Got to where I was going and was hanging out for a while. I was on land and my foot gave out on me and I fell on my shoulder and that all it took I couldn't stand up on my foot & I could not paddle myself back to shore it was starting to get dark and my wife was looking for me. My buddy called me looking for me and I told him where I was and I needed help. My buddy told my wife where I was and & grab his kayak & told my wife what the situation was and he rushed to the river to come help me. Very good video brother thank you for sharing this I'm praying that you and your family is safe.

Good stuff! … also, don’t get hammered while playing on the water 🥃 Couple of beers spread throughout the day is one thing but drinking like a fish is only good for fish.

Ascend 10 t just a slight swell and it flipped on me. I saved everything. But I think my cheaper ll bean could have handled it.

I fish lakes, rivers and creeks and most the time I'm close to the banks. I leave my anchor & line tied off to my kayak so if I ever do flip it'll dump my anchor preventing my kayak from drifting off. I use a fish bag cooler to keep my drinks and lunch cool putting my fish in gallon zip lock bags in the cooler. I do that for several reasons, I get multi use of the cooler and it prevents my fish stringer from attracting snakes and alligators.

Never understood the guys that didn't carry a paddle. Outside of potential for malfunctions (which you should also carry the tools to field repair it as well) that drive is always gonna end up in a situation where you need to pull it and paddle. be it shallows, rocks, logs, grass beds. I run a mirage drive and i pull my drive or lock the fins all the time to paddle out of crap, especially in mangroves. Not pulling it and trying to power through crap is a good way to bust up your expensive drive system. A full replacement Mirage Drive 180 Kick Up is something like 800 to 900 bucks.

Whichever way the head goes, is whichever way the kayak rolls. Learned that dodging a crankbait as it zoomed for my head lmao

I took my kayak out for the first time under perfect conditions .It was so hard leaving my fishing gear at home. lol

LoL and thanks for not saying my name Nate! In all seriousness, perhaps the advice, suggestions and tips found in this video when offered by a proven master fisherman will be taken more seriously than when offered by someone with fewer fishing credentials. It's great to see a guy that has proven his abilities on the water time after time remember some hard cold facts of basic safety and at times survival. Great job Nathan and my hands will be warm again this winter. However, did have to get rid of other unnecessary crap as a trade off buddy.

Ok so I was really thinking about getting a pair of weigters for my pro angler. Not because I want to wear them, but I have a condition that causes sores to develop on my ankles/lower legs. I am not supposed to get them wet with lake or river water. Any suggestions. I wear rubber boots but a couple times I have taken a step that was deeper than I thought and the boot is full of water. You mentioned bibs what's a bib? Looking for a good alternative for the boots.

I was worried that you would say no campfires. Ha

Been in about 10 years here too. I always wear my PFD. NRS chinook. I don't have a pedal drive, but I always have a spare paddle. I've lost a paddle turning over shooting rapids in creeks before. Fortunately I always found it washed up in an eddy downstream. But I either carry a spare full kayak paddle or an emergency collapsible single blade oar. The stuff about wader is a myth; kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aNNgktGS1paRoZc.html . We used to use waders as a poor mans dry suit for cold weather kayaking, before I got too old for cold weather anything ;) We would use a splash top and wading belt with them. Our concern was not sinking, but hypothermia if ice cold water got into them on a cold day. I went through too much crap phase, with a milk crate full of boxes and a forest of rods. Now i have paired down to 3 3600 boxes, 3 rods, and my PFD, and 1 cooler with food/drinks. I'll spend 6-8 hours on a creek and Having some food and drinks is a must. I try not to take anything I won't use. The NRS Chinook is a good PFD and even loaded with gear I have personally tested it at 240, 250, and 300 pounds ;)

One point about PFDs - any inflatable is not considered legal unless you are *wearing it* according to the US Coast Guard, which makes it mandatory for all states. So, like he said, wear your PDF!

Hey what the status on specks

I am brand new to kayak fishing. How do you become stable? I felt as though I was going tip over soon as I sat down. Jack

I know a guy (Eric Laguio) that doesn't wear a pfd and his excuse is " I'm a very experienced swimmer I trust my ability "..

For me putting fishing gear over safety equipment is the biggest mistake anyone could make. All the time I see kayaks cramed with rods, tackle, fish finder and every other electronic gismo, yet no flotation device,personal locator, tow rope, anchor, whistle ,and so on. The fishing is secondary, getting to and from the fishing mark without being in a body bag comes first

Two zebcos, a bucket that floats and small grandpa tackle box and wear the pfd. Keep it fun and simple

You lost me the minute I saw the Black Rifle coffee mug on your desk, sorry you support those hacks.

Yawn!!!!! Just kidding. Like I always say you are one of the most informational you tubers out there .if you save one life it was worth your time .I'm not even a kayaker and I can understand what you are saying.another great vid

It's crazy how much shit people take fishing...my pedal drive yak has almost nothing on it and I have everything I need... I'm always looking for more stuff to take off the yak

People hear the man "buy a comfortable PFD" and always wear it, don't risk your life.

Amen Rule 1 WEAR YOUR PFD, RULE 2 SEE RULE 1 get it! I fish 4 to 5 days a week (lucky I am to be retired young) Everyone around the Manasquan River knows who I am. I was out day before a hurricane passage in NJ not many boats around, Im in a Hobie pro angler, NEVER BEEN FLIPPED BEFORE A Hobie pro angler is very stable EXCEPT when getting hit by a swell from behind at 45 degrees. YOU WILL ROLL OVER EVERY TIME, if your PFD is not on it will be a shock to you how fast you enter the water And since the swell that rolls you in comes from a place you cant usually see ITS VERY ABRUPT, no time to think You are in the water You also need a rope with a hook attached to your belt otherwise you cant get back in I STRONGLY SUGGEST if you kayak fish PRACTICE flipping your kayak in 10 feet of water and then getting back in ITS NOT VERY EASY Im 5 feet 11 inches 180 pounds NOT FAT and in great shape I needed help from a boat that saw me get flipped to get back in WEAR THE PFD

I do in my kayak like I do with my surfboard. When conditions are rough I use a leash # leg rope. This will help with separation from flotation. Also your PFD can be used like a step to stand on easing reentry. And in a worse case scenario aids in recovery ¿

In Italia la gente fa gli stessi identici errori. Saluti da Venezia.

I highly recommend you go to an actual kayak dealer and test out your kayak before investing all that time and money you’ll be putting into kayak fishing. Budget will dictate most decisions but there’s levels of kayaks and knowledge will help you make the best purchase for you.

I won’t say Mark’s name, but- 😂😂

Biggest tragedy I've heard about in kayaking gentleman drop tanker started fishing tight started to go out about a half hour later a log of rolled straight up his anchor line. I literally watched a man chop his kayak in half that day. I have to admit I have never given that guy any guff about bringing a sword on a kayak since that day. These days he is named the kayak butcher he put bulkheads into kayaks and his main question that is the question he asked everybody how many pieces do you want your kayak back in.

please tell me about that fish behind you!!!

My biggest mistake is not knowing my limits

Buying a unstable cheap kayak

If you are in a kayaking you are wearing waders you deserve anything and everything you get grab a body glove or just wear regular clothing because you either want to drain or you never want to get wet to begin with

The number 1 mistake that I think kayakers make is spending too much or too little when starting off.

What if you have to poop and your pretty far out? Sincere question 😂😂😂

I love it 's not heavy and easy to handle but it took 9 wks to come . very disappointed on that

Buying something that looks cheap not realizing that looking good is most important part

Still waiting on the hat to hit the online store...

If you own a kayak with Pedal Power the power brakes and you don't have an or on that kayak then you are either going to have $100 for $1,000 you paid for that kayak or you do not own a kayak it has become Salvage. And anybody who is kind enough to drag you on to shore and still leave you your kayak is a better man than me and I am actually a really nice guy I just need to be paid for the work I do.

Two things 1. Have a tries on everything that didn’t float. 2. Learn how to rescue yourself.

What the hell is a bib

Don't dangle your legs over the side and be careful when pulling a fish onboard as there are BIG PREDATORS that can suddenly appear in the blink of an eye.

Biggest mistake is not taking a kayak lesson before kayak fishing.

Waders help you float not suck you down.

Stand up in a kayak

What degree of idiot would go out on a kayak,without a paddle??

I cant stand facebook, anything else?

#1 thing not to do is take your wife or girlfriend!!!!

You had me until you started talking about waders. Waders do not make you sink. Waders do not make you magically more dense than water and drag you to the bottom. Neoprene Waders offer decent flotation, and they don't fill up with water when you wear a wading belt. The whole "swamped waders" thing is a myth that has been busted many times.