Essential outerwear for kayak fishing

Ditto ndogg. Depends on weather plus what type fishing I'm doing. If I'm just anchored(trolley syst)say for dino's, it's: Kokatat Super Nova(always on the Sound) and Patagonia
capilene long john bottoms(med or light wt) and either a light wt capilene top or med wt samo
with turtlneck zip. May add Polarfleece 200 pants if real cold.Fleece jacket. When trolling(Mirage Drive), I'm usually in Lt wt capilene underwear and maybe a fleece vest. Get real hot quick. I always carry extra stuff in a dry bag stowed away in case a change up is needed. Usually will wear long wool socks over a poly foot liner and NTS neoprene booties.
  Summer Bass fishing: usually nylon swim trunks, wicking T-shirt,Tevas.
  The Sound or the ocean will be benevolent if it gives you that ONE chance of survival. Don't
forget your head. Baseball cap or wide brimmed OR hat. If real cold, fleece balaclava or ski hat. Also.Consider chapstick and sunscreen as outerwear.

Thanks for all the sobering replys. The take home for me is that I should continually assess & test what I'm wearing specific to the gear and conditions. There are a couple of unknowns for me from my last test and the big one is water temp. I don't know how a dip in the really cold water will impact my ability to re-enter the kayak since my test was in Lk WA. Anyone want to schedule a controlled test in the Sound?

Seriously, is there a way to schedule or plan a cold water survival clinic where guys can test their gear in an environment that is safe (rescue swimmers, change of clothes nearby and waiting, warm fire on the beach, etc.) I'm guessing the liability is a bit too high:)

I'm guessing the liability is a bit too high:)

You guessed it.  Good luck finding a shop/organization to oversee that! Even a signed liability waiver isn't a 100% guarantee someone can't be sued depending on the circumstances.

Thanks for all the sobering replys. The take home for me is that I should continually assess & test what I'm wearing specific to the gear and conditions. There are a couple of unknowns for me from my last test and the big one is water temp. I don't know how a dip in the really cold water will impact my ability to re-enter the kayak since my test was in Lk WA. Anyone want to schedule a controlled test in the Sound?

Seriously, is there a way to schedule or plan a cold water survival clinic where guys can test their gear in an environment that is safe (rescue swimmers, change of clothes nearby and waiting, warm fire on the beach, etc.) I'm guessing the liability is a bit too high:)

I'm down to meet at golden gardens, build a fire then paddle out and dunk ourselves a few times. Come back in and huddle by the fire. Right now it is about 35 degrees out and I'm guessing the water is about 50.
How dry is your dry suit?

I'd think the surface temp in the Sound would be closer to 45 than 50 this time of year. Its been hovering at around 46 or 47 out here on the coast since late Nov.  It isn't any warmer than 46 in the Strait, either. I think the coldest water I've felt in WA (at sea level) is off the mouth of the Elwha.

I have not fished in the ocean yet but hope to this year. I'm still gathering the proper apparel. So far I have a 3mm farmer john like Chet in the story plus the booties and was planning on getting a dry top to go with it. After attending Spot's class awhile back and talking to my friends who surf and scuba dive, I am wondering if 3mm is adequate. Any thoughts? It seems others' suits are thicker. Or, can I layer something under the farmer john? Does anyone use a farmer john and dry top combo? I'm making my kayak gear shopping list. Thanks.

I have not fished in the ocean yet but hope to this year. I'm still gathering the proper apparel. So far I have a 3mm farmer john like Chet in the story plus the booties and was planning on getting a dry top to go with it. After attending Spot's class awhile back and talking to my friends who surf and scuba dive, I am wondering if 3mm is adequate. Any thoughts? It seems others' suits are thicker. Or, can I layer something under the farmer john? Does anyone use a farmer john and dry top combo? I'm making my kayak gear shopping list. Thanks.

Why not a waders and dry top combo?  It seems like that's what most start out with(including myself) and it works great. 

I started out with a 4mm wet suit. It works for some folks but for me it plain sucked.  Once you are wet, you are wet and with any wind you are now cold. Granted you can cover with rain pants etc to block the wind but I didn't care for all the extra bulk.  On the other side of the coin when its 65-70 and sunny on the salt  in the summer you roast alive and sped more time splashing water on yourself than fishing.  On long hard paddles in the heat I used to just plain cook! And lastly with no relief zip you have two choices, run back to shore every time you have to pee or go in the suit and sit in it all day. If its all you have go with it, but if I were you I would consider what Rawk mentioned above (waders/drytop) or even look at dry suits. The Stolquist Bpods are often on sale and aren't unreasonable for the level of protection they provide.

I have not fished in the ocean yet but hope to this year. I'm still gathering the proper apparel. So far I have a 3mm farmer john like Chet in the story plus the booties and was planning on getting a dry top to go with it. After attending Spot's class awhile back and talking to my friends who surf and scuba dive, I am wondering if 3mm is adequate. Any thoughts? It seems others' suits are thicker. Or, can I layer something under the farmer john? Does anyone use a farmer john and dry top combo? I'm making my kayak gear shopping list. Thanks.

Why not a waders and dry top combo?  It seems like that's what most start out with(including myself) and it works great.

Yes, I've been using waders already for lakes/bays. Guess I'm still needing the top.

C-run, I just bought a 3mm NRS Ultra John ($90) and  a thinner Hydroskin longsleeve top (to layer under it) for wearing when using my SOT in the ocean here AFTER it warms up late this coming Spring. Its too cold for that kind of garb right now, especially if you think you might capsize in the surf. Right now, I would suck it up and squirm into my 5/4 winter surfing wetsuit if I went yak-fishing on my Tarpon.
My new NRS ultra john has a 2-way (unzips from either end) relief zipper running down the front.
Following is a rather long and rambling discussion of wetsuits, etc:

By itself, with no top, a 3mm farmer john doesn't have the full coverage and is not thick enough for being in the water very long when the water temps fall below the high 50's.
for example, I prefer a 4/3mm for temps ranging from 57 F up to low 60's for surfing, and don't even own a full 3mm surfing wetsuit, since the water doesn't get warm enough often enough for one here in the NW. Summer temp ranges on the WA coast average 51 to 58, and it rare to see 60+ water along the coast, although we do get that briefly at times during the late summer, especially in El Nino years.
For surfing here, 4/3mm full suit has a wider range and is money better spent. (My spring/summer suit is a 4/3, which has 4mm torso and thighs, and 3mm arms and lower legs).

My 5/4 winter suit felt much too warm one day when it hit the 80's here and the water was around 59. But I was warm and loose while surfing, and that's better than being cold.

But I' always wet and immersed when out surfing. Do a lot of "duck-diving" under waves.
That's not the story when yak fishing. If I don't capsize my SOT, I stay dry above my knees.  And if I do capsize, I am confident that I can get back on my yak quickly enough to avoid hypothermia from the cold water, even if I'm wearing only my new 3mm farmer john and Hydroskin top combo. Then I would just have to worry about wind-chill.  My splash top or cheap packable or lightweight rain gear (not the heavy pvc stuff!) are decent wind-chill protection when worn over a wetsuit.

On warm days in the late Spring, Summer and early Fall, a 5/4 full surfing wetsuit has felt like overkill every time I have opted to wear that out in my yak. I got the 3mm NRS ultra john and longsleeve Hydroskin top  for wearing on those kind of days.

I think I can avoid capsizing on flat water (since I won't go out fishing in high winds with big chop), so I would be tempted to wear my 3mm farmer john, Hydroskin top, and Splash jacket over that if I were going out on the Sound or Canal, except for when its as cold as it is right now, with more snow in the forecast.
That combo would be what I choose to fish inside the Harbor entrance here after it warms up some.  I would also bring along some cheap rain pants to wear over my farmer john on cooler breezier days, for protection from splashes and wind chill. Those shouldn't hold in water if you have to haul yourself back onto your yak. I feel much safer in a wetsuit with rainpants over it than I would in breathable waders with a belt.

When I'm paddling up certain tidal creeks in my Ultimate 12, where I often get out and wade, I wear my breathable waders, since I know I'm not going to capsize the U-12 unless I start chugging beers or whiskey and then stand up to fly cast while attempting to sing like Joe Cocker. (Might even lose it and fall out without capsizing under those circumstances). Water warms up in the creeks and estuaries here in the summer, anyway, and then I wear board shorts under lightweight rain pants (sun/bug protection for the legs).

Right now, however, its so cold (water 46, air in 30's, more snow on the way) that I have absolutely no desire to launch a yak anywhere. If I did, I would opt to wear my 5/4 winter surfing wetsuit with rain gear over it for wind-chill protection, but I'll gladly wait until it warms up again.

If I had the extra $$, I'd go out and buy a Kokotat Angler Suit or full drysuit, but if I wait until it warms up a little, I can get away with using my wetsuits.

I am self-employed with no set schedule, and always have plenty of other things to do at all times. I can pick my days to fish. So I have been in the habit of cherry-picking my go-outs based on decent weather and conditions, rather than having to fish just on weekends or picking a known "day off from work" in the future, and then having to head out then, regardless of the conditions, if I want to go at all. I can actually attempt to schedule my work around the good surfing and fishing! 
 

So A full Wet suit is OK with a windbreaker? Should help My loose a few Pounds...

I have not fished in the ocean yet but hope to this year. I'm still gathering the proper apparel. So far I have a 3mm farmer john like Chet in the story plus the booties and was planning on getting a dry top to go with it. After attending Spot's class awhile back and talking to my friends who surf and scuba dive, I am wondering if 3mm is adequate. Any thoughts? It seems others' suits are thicker. Or, can I layer something under the farmer john? Does anyone use a farmer john and dry top combo? I'm making my kayak gear shopping list. Thanks.

Why not a waders and dry top combo?  It seems like that's what most start out with(including myself) and it works great.

Yes, I've been using waders already for lakes/bays. Guess I'm still needing the top.

I ruled out a full wet suit for myself due to the amount of restriction of arm movement.  I tried a few on, and immediately found that I did not want to paddle with rubber restricting my arm movement.  I did consider a Farmer John wetsuit mated with a dry top, but finally found I was comfortable with breathable waders (I already had) and a dry top with latex neck and wrist seals. 

My first trip to the salt was a steep learning experience for me (remember that Rawkfish?).  I was dumped over backwards on my way out through a relatively bumpy surf day.  The dump was in 10-15 feet of water, and I went completely under water, popped up, found the kayak, and quickly remounted and finished pounding out past the surf zone.  I felt completely dry. 

Again, on the way back to shore the waves where surfing waves and I got some cheers from the kids on shore for my vertical "huli".  I was dunked a few times as waves crashed over my head on the way in, and I was completely dry and comfortable in the end.  Not a drop got past my seals.

Only thing better would be a dry suit. And until I get lose some weight and can keep it off, I'm going to stick with my current setup.

Yes, a full surfing wetsuit is a bit restrictive on the arms when paddling yak, but not that bad if you don't have to paddle very far, like under a mile or so each way. I wouldn't want to do an all day long distance paddle in one. I did about 6 or 7 miles in the Sound with it, and it wasn't bad. They are designed to allow a lot of arm movement, though. A diving suit is really restrictive.

C-run, I just bought a 3mm NRS Ultra John ($90) and  a thinner Hydroskin longsleeve top (to layer under it) for wearing when using my SOT in the ocean here AFTER it warms up late this coming Spring. Its too cold for that kind of garb right now, especially if you think you might capsize in the surf. Right now, I would suck it up and squirm into my 5/4 winter surfing wetsuit if I went yak-fishing on my Tarpon.
My new NRS ultra john has a 2-way (unzips from either end) relief zipper running down the front.
Following is a rather long and rambling discussion of wetsuits, etc:

By itself, with no top, a 3mm farmer john doesn't have the full coverage and is not thick enough for being in the water very long when the water temps fall below the high 50's.

I have the NRS 3mm Farmer John also (it's the grizzly model so it will fit ) I wear a dry top with it. I've been looking at getting a 2 or 3mm wetsuit jacket to wear with it.  That would be 5mm on the torso, but only 2 or 3mm in the arms.   I haven't been to the open salt, just bays so far but find the farmer john comfortable.  The one time I tried a drysuit, I thought I would pass out from the choking latex on my largeish neck.  My dry suit has latex arm cuffs but the neoprene neck and is very comfortable. 

Indyflyer, I might just get the NRS jacket to wear over mine, so I'll feel better protected when its cold.
I really don't like to subject my expensive surfing 5/4 to the rigors of paddling an SOT yak. Its made from the newest, stretchiest lightweight neoprene (allows incredible freedom of movement, like its hardly there), and can be torn easily if it hangs on something sharp or pointy.  My older 4/3 full suit might be a little tougher in that regard, but I think the farmer john and top would be a more versatile and comfortable combo for paddling.
Way too much stuff sticking up on a yak that could easily snag my suit if I'm not careful. My surfboards are all incredibly smooth, and I try to never let the fins hit me.