Rainier, OR noob

I got a used old town predator a few months ago  and I’m here to learn how to not end up as a local news story while attempting to fish from it

Great place to sort that out! Appreciate that you'd prefer not to end up like that.

Probably the first stops are to learn about immersion gear options and practicing self-rescue.

What kind of fishing are you interested in?

Welcome to the NWKA forum.  Lots of great people here who share their knowledge.  Be sure to use the search feature to get a jump start on our learning curve.