Cold weather kayak fishing clothes

Getting excited about getting out on the kayak soon for springer fishing on the Willamette. All of my previous yak fishing has been in fair weather. Late February early March can be pretty chilly conditions and wet. Looking for input on the best way to dress to keep warm and dry. Should I wear my breathable waders and boots (wader belt and PFD, Of course).

The best way to dress to keep warm, dry, and safe when kayaking in cold water and cold weather conditions is to wear a full dry suit, with appropriate amounts of warm clothing layered up underneath it.  Because your feet spend a lot of time in the water or wet when kayak angling, wear several pairs of warm fuzzy socks under your dry suit's dry socks, with footgear which is several sizes larger than the size of your street shoes so the footgear and socks don't construct your feet and impede their circulation.  Wet suit booties with side zippers are a good choice for footgear, but when they are wet and contain water, they don't contribute much to keeping your feet warm.  The socks inside your dry suit are what keep your feet warm.  The footgear protects your dry suit's dry socks.

Waders will keep your butt and feet dry when you're kayaking.  But if you end up in the water while wearing waders, even if the waders are belted, you'll get pretty wet even if you get back in your kayak promptly.  If you spend much time in cold water while wearing waders, you could be in serious trouble.  Invest in a dry suit.  It will allow you to kayak in comfort in cold, windy, rainy, and snowy weather.

To pmmpete:  which dry suit is the "best bang for the buck".  I'm moving to Washington but have been delayed about one year.  I plan to mainly salmon fish on the Columbia.  Is a dry suit too hot to wear in the summer?  Thanks!

Here's an article I wrote late last year that may help:

http://www.hobiefishing.com/blog/baby-its-cold-outside,643/

To pmmpete:  which dry suit is the "best bang for the buck".  I'm moving to Washington but have been delayed about one year.  I plan to mainly salmon fish on the Columbia.  Is a dry suit too hot to wear in the summer?  Thanks!

When kayaking, dress mostly for the water temperature, not for the air temperature.  Assume that you might end up in the water for a long time, and layer up an appropriate amount of clothing underneath your dry suit.  If you are confident of your ability to get back into your kayak quickly if you get tipped over or dumped out, in warm weather you can wear just a thin layer of polypro underwear under your dry suit for comfort, as long as you understand that the thin layer won't be enough to keep you warm if you end up in the water for an extended period of time.  If you get hot while wearing a dry suit, splash water on the dry suit or dunk your hat in the water.  Better yet, slide out of your kayak into the water and practice re-entering your kayak.

Rawkfish's article is excellent.  Read it and believe it. 

It's a lot easier to keep your hands warm in cold weather if you have a pedal kayak, because it's easy to keep your hands dry.  If you have a paddle kayak, your hands are going to get wet from water dripping down the paddle, or dipping your hands in the water. 

If you have a pedal kayak, go to Home Depot or some other hardware store and pick up several pairs of inexpensive polypro or acrylic (not cotton!!!) knit gloves, and bring a couple extra pairs in case you soak one pair.  This time of year you can also buy winter weight knit or pile polypro work gloves with rubber palms.  The advantage of these gloves is that you can handle wet gear or fish without getting the knit portion of the gloves wet.  Look for gloves which have some insulating knit or pile inside the rubber, as the rubber itself isn't very warm.

A slightly divergent opinion: a wetsuit is excellent cold water protection, too.

However, like many folks, I went from a wetsuit to a semi-dry suit (Kokatat Hydrus Angler's Suit with neoprene neck gasket) so I can change the base layers to match  different conditions, and I find it to be more comfortable for long outings than my wetsuit.  By a lot.

I still use the wetsuit in the coastal dune lakes and smaller, slow rivers to minimize wear-and-tear on the Kokatat suit.

Deciding which immersion gear is best for you is something you need to decide by understanding the pros and cons of the options available to you.  For example, my Kokatat Hydrus Angler's Suit can allow small amounts of water to seep inside around the neck gasket, and that could be a problem in very cold water, but I took the trade off from a full drysuit (latex neck gasket) for my personal comfort around my neck.

But, like pmmpete said: dress for the water not the air, and learn how to keep cool when the sun starts beating you down.

Excellent info!!  Thanks very much guys.  I used to work in Alaska surveying bridge sites and one day I decided to swim out to our anchored Boston Whaler just to see how much I could tolerate the cold in nothing but a swimsuit.  Probably 80 yards total out and back.  By the time I got back I understood exactly what hypothermia felt like.  I was in excellent physical shape at the time (1975) but I never tried a dumb stunt like that again.  It took quite awhile before the shivering and teeth chattering stopped but at least I didn't get sick.  Now, at age 68, I wouldn't last long at all.  I will follow your clothing suggestions to the letter!!!

For an under layer I actually use a dry suit undergarment from a company called fourth element.  I bought it when I was getting my Dry Suit Diving certification.  I use it all the time as an under layer whenever I wear waders or a rented dry suit.  These things are awesome I could be sweating my butt off in them and next to my skin will be bone dry so I stay really warm.  here is the link for the company, they are not cheap but worth every penny. like I said I use them all the time up here in Alaska as just a base layer for all my cold weather excursions period. 

http://fourthelement.com/technical/drybase/

I don't see anything that differentiates the Fourth Element Drybase from any other heavyweight, cold-water, polypropylene base layer on the market; not even their prices.

Nonetheless, it's always good to know about another manufacturer.

I used to work in Alaska surveying bridge sites and one day I decided to swim out to our anchored Boston Whaler just to see how much I could tolerate the cold in nothing but a swimsuit.  Probably 80 yards total out and back. By the time I got back I understood exactly what hypothermia felt like.

For the hundredth fucking time, and I guess it bears repeating for those who have trouble using the search function. What you were experiencing was NOT hypothermia, but COLD SHOCK. Cold shock is the body's preservation reflex to constrict blood flow to the extremities in an attempt to hold your core temperature above the level that will damage your vital organs.

Hypothermia takes HOURS to kill you. It is a long, slow, painful, and methodical shut down of bodily functions. Cold shock in an aquatic environment can kill you upon your very first breath if you are submerged and the gasp reflex is triggered. If you are not wearing a flotation device and have no insulation you will have mere minutes of meaningful moment before cramps render your arms and legs useless and you go under.

This video, posted again and again, is still the best at illustrating the clear and present danger of cold shock and why wearing a good PFD is so important. (Cold Water Boot Camp)



The USCG triple layers under their suits. Wearing waders is not inherently bad, despite what many less experienced people here will tell you. If you have a proper fitting dry top with good seals and the proper insulation under it all, you will fare just as well as those in a semi-dry suit.

Polypropylene is great, but it serves best as the base or mid layer for its moisture wicking properties. It doesn't really serve well as a true insulating layer. The USCG uses the higher-end version of these.

http://www.shopusia.com/exotherm-1-r/

Moral of the story is don't confuse cold shock and hypothermia and don't be lulled into a false sense of security by any suit without the proper insulating layers below it.

Also, don't be put off by the price of those undergarments. Good deals are easy to find on Craigslist and eBay for military surplus gear, and diving is a revolving door sport due to the rigorous physical demands.

Practice self rescue and get very good at it. Drill under the conditions in which you plan to fish, and with all the gear you plan to carry.

What it's called isn't as important as the end result of a long swim in ANY water below 60-70 degrees. Also remember when your looking at the price tag of emersion to think about this one simple statement if nothing else " What's your life worth to you?... Because this sport can kill you! "

What it's called isn't as important as the end result of a long swim in ANY water below 60-70 degrees. Also remember when your looking at the price tag of emersion to think about this one simple statement if nothing else " What's your life worth to you?... Because this sport can kill you! "

What it's called is important because not understanding the particular problem you're faced with may cause you to think and act differently than you should. 

What it's called isn't as important as the end result of a long swim in ANY water below 60-70 degrees. Also remember when your looking at the price tag of emersion to think about this one simple statement if nothing else " What's your life worth to you?... Because this sport can kill you! "

What it's called is important because not understanding the particular problem you're faced with may cause you to think and act differently than you should.

I know rawk but I never said it wasn't important  just "not as" IMHO as the end results for being  "cheap" when ones life is at stake. We all know how important safety is, I hope!

What it's called isn't as important as the end result of a long swim in ANY water below 60-70 degrees. Also remember when your looking at the price tag of emersion to think about this one simple statement if nothing else " What's your life worth to you?... Because this sport can kill you! "

What it's called is important because not understanding the particular problem you're faced with may cause you to think and act differently than you should.

I know rawk but I never said it wasn't important  just "not as" IMHO as the end results for being  "cheap" when ones life is at stake. We all know how important safety is, I hope!

Yeah, I think I replied a little too quickly.  You have a valid point.

If any of you didn't watch the cold water boot camp video which Ling Banger posted, go back and watch it.  It is a worthwhile expenditure of ten minutes.