Tinker:
I haven't been feeling entirely up to snuff lately, but after ignoring all the begging and wheedling and shaming, and then having to listen to a grown man crying (real tears and everything) for fifteen minutes, I finally agreed to meet up and go fishing last Thursday.
I've always been known to be able to fall asleep anywhere at any time - it's a skill - so it surprised me when I couldn't get to sleep overnight on Wednesday. Ten o'clock passed, then midnight, 2 AM... nothing. Finally it was time to dress and get on the road.
High fog made the morning overcast at the ramp, but the forecasts claimed the fog would burn off in the late morning leaving a bright, sunny, day. Not quite.
The fish weren't terribly cooperative but I managed to catch a nice smallmouth. It was a bit of a disappointment, but not because of the fish. I was too close to the bank when I hooked it and it towed me even closer (it was a very nice smallmouth) and I had to hurry it into the boat to avoid drifting into a snag. It would have been much more fun if I'd been in mid-river because the fish put up a grand, albeit abbreviated, fight.
As is customary when fishing with that guy, he was a quarter-mile downstream and I had to shout down to him and hold up the fish to prove I'd caught something, although at that distance I could have held up a stick and no one would have been the wiser. If I were that kind of a guy, I mean. Which I'm not.
Side-by-side a few minutes later I said it was around 14" although it just barely passed the 16" line on my Hawg Trough. I do that, and I have no explanation other than saying that all fisherfolk exaggerate about the fish they catch, but I exaggerate downwards.
The sun finally burned through the fog around 1:00 and the day, which had been on the chilly side, became warm and comfortable. Neither of us had connected with a fish for several hours and I was drifting along, idly, rod stowed for the day, while the guy I was with continued whipping the river into a froth and issuing orders to the fish: "Don't just swim alongside [my fly] bite the darned thing!" and "You charge right at it then don't grab it? That makes no sense!" plus the always classic murmuring of "Here fishy, fishy!"
I drifted up against the only sandy bit of bank on that entire river and decided to back the stern into it to keep me in place while waiting for my companion to drift down to where I was waiting. I sat back and smiled while watching a pair of ravens harassing a hawk, then watched a gang of smaller birds harass the ravens, while the sun warmed me, and the next thing I knew, I was rolling out of my kayak.
I'd gone to sleep. No warning. No yawning. One moment I was sitting there, as peaceful as a lamb, and the next moment I was accelerating past a 45-degree angle, headed for the water.
I was saved by three things: I was in very shallow water, the bottom was sandy not soft muck, and I have astounding reflexes. My arm shot out, I planted my hand on the river bottom and pushed myself upright.
I also had a bit of luck on my side because the guy I was with had finally hooked a fish and it was keeping him busy, so he didn't see what had just happened. Or maybe he did but didn't say anything, not wanting to add to my mortification. Nah! He's not that kind of a guy - he missed the spectacle, otherwise the river valley would still be echoing with his laughter.
I thought I should post this in the "Safety First" topic, but really, do we need to remind anyone to not fall asleep in their kayak? Other than me, I mean.
pmmpete:
I have also become sleepy while fishing in my Revolution, and have wondered whether I would tip over if I fell asleep. A face plant in cold water would be a rude way to get woken up. Once I kind of dozed off and my rod slipped out of my hands. Fortunately it was leashed.
Falling asleep while driving could have much greater consequences than a face plant in cold water. Several years ago I dozed off while driving on the interstate. I woke up when my car drove into the grassy median. Fortunately there wasn't anybody in the left lane, and the median was low angle with no obstructions. I was able to stop, and then drive back onto the interstate and keep going. But in a large percentage of the area along that portion of the interstate, driving off the pavement could result in a serious or fatal crash. As a result of that incident, I really got religion about not driving while sleepy. I drink a lot of caffeinated beverages while driving, and I keep a bottle of caffeine pills in the console of my car for situations in which I really want to jazz myself up. And if I find myself getting sleepy while driving, I immediately stop and take a 15 minute or half hour nap. Much better to arrive at my destination a bit later than not at all.
[WR]:
Sounds like the perfect storm of tired, exercise, and warm. At least you didnt get a rude awakening when hitting the water
INSAYN:
Tinker, inst-asleep is a gift!
I too can fall asleep within seconds of laying down. What's the use of the time spent in bed if you're just going lay there and toss and turn? :-\
On a side note:
Several times over the years I have paddled up to my fishing buddy John's port side while out in the ocean and threw a leg over the side of my Revo. He did the same, where we locked ankles and just drifted as a unit. He would continue to fish off his starboard side, and I would slump down in my seat and take a quick power nap. Makes all the difference in the world to sneak in a quick 5-10 minute power nap while bobbing around on the water.
sherminator:
--- Quote from: INSAYN on June 15, 2019, 12:54:45 PM ---Several times over the years I have paddled up to my fishing buddy John's port side while out in the ocean and threw a leg over the side of my Revo. He did the same, where we locked ankles and just drifted as a unit. He would continue to fish off his starboard side, and I would slump down in my seat and take a quick power nap. Makes all the difference in the world to sneak in a quick 5-10 minute power nap while bobbing around on the water.