When to Say When in the Wind

Fishing in Texas, wind is inevitable. The problem with it is the constant change and knowing when to say when. Knowing when can be the difference between frustration and potential disaster.

Recently I had a day off midweek and decided I was going to fish no matter what. I received a tip of where some good fish were staging and made the trek to the lake. I looked at the wind forecast and knew it was going to be a little windy (15mph SSE). As I pulled up to the launch the forecast proved wrong. It was closer to 20mph with gusts to what I can only assume were nearing 40.

Decision time. I brought the Commander with me. It has a rudder but no scuppers so I would need to be careful. I knew it could cut the waves and with my anchor trolley I could position my bow into the wind. I did drive all the way down so I figured, let's try it.

The launch was uneventful. As soon as I started heading into the wind the Commander did what it was made to do. The rudder helped with steering and it was fairly effortless to get where I was going. I found my offshore spot, slid my trolley up to the bow, slipped the anchor into the water and started fishing. I won't lie, it was pretty rough. I could feel the waves below the boat as they were parted and spray was hitting me in the face as the rocker split break after break.  Just 15 minutes into fishing I had a decision to make. The wind was gaining speed, the water was visibly accumulating in the bottom of the kayak and to get back to the launch I was going to have to turn broadside at some point to get turned around or try to go Paris Hilton style (backwards) for the 200 yards back to the ramp. 14 feet of kayak is a lot to turn even with a rudder in this chop but I also knew there was a good chance of damaging the rudder once I got near the launch if I went backwards. I opted to paddle away from the launch and turn broadside for only long enough to get going nose first toward the launch.

This should have been my first clue

Now only 20 minutes into my trip I pulled my anchor and started digging into the passing waves. It was a struggle. The wind was pushing 25+ now and apparently some onlookers had gathered. I paddled fiercely and deeply for another 10 minutes and made my turnaround point. As I swung the rudder and plowed the paddle down for the turn a wave smashed the side of the boat soaking everything. I shook it off, made one more hard stroke and had my nose pointed at the launch.

Maybe an overreaction but glad they came to look

It was now evident how dire my situation looked. Someone from the bank had called the cops. A cruiser was pulling up to the launch as I made the turn. I raised my hand to wave at him and gave him an ok sign. He seemed good with that and pulled in to park and watch. With the wind now at my back the paddle back was quick and uneventful. As soon as I made land I waived at the officer, he waived back and headed on to more important things. A few of the onlookers dispersed and a couple came and visited for a bit.

As I loaded up the kayak the wind continued to build. I bailed a little more than 64 ounces from the kayak. It wasn't a dangerous amount of water but that number would have grown quickly had I stayed. Knowing when to say when made a potential disaster story really nothing more than a long blog post and a lot of frustration. That's a lot better than what it could have been.

Should i have attempted it? Maybe not.

So the lesson here is knowing when to give up, regardless of the investment in time or potential benefits. Swamp out my gear to catch big fish? No thanks.

You have to know when to say when in the wind.

New to Kayaking? Check the Law.

In the state of Texas, you don't have to register your kayak in most cases. If it has a motor, trolling or otherwise yes, but in most cases no. Laws are different in each state so make sure you check them out carefully before venturing out. Here is how it reads in Texas:

The following vessels when on Texas public water are required to have current registration, including when docked, moored, or stored.

• All motorized boats, regardless of length;

• All sailboats 14 feet in length or longer or any sailboat with an auxiliary engine(s); and

• USCG Documented vessels (New — see section below).

• Exempted vessels — Non-motorized canoes, kayaks, punts, rowboats, or rubber rafts (regardless of length) when paddled, poled, or oared and sailboats under 14 feet in length when windblown. Adding an outboard or trolling motor to one of these types requires titling and registration.

• An exempt boat may have previously been titled as a motorboat. You can check whether a title has been issued for free.

That is great news but slow down for a second and let's really look at this. Just because you don't have to register your boat (as long as you meet the above criteria) doesn't mean you can stroll down to Mariner-Sails and pick a boat and a paddle and be on the lake before sunset. There are some other things to look at within the laws. 

Just to get on the water you need to read this:

All vessels, including canoes and kayaks, must be equipped with one Type I, II, III or V wearable PFD for each person on board. A Type V PFD is acceptable only if used in accordance with the specific instructions on the label of the device.

Need some help picking one out? Visit a kayak dealer and try some on. For more info, check out this post here. And if you want a direct link to a recommended manufacturer? You should check out NRS or Stohlquist. PFDs are what they do. 

If you are going to paddle at night:

Remember that you must carry one bright white light that can be exhibited in time to prevent a collision. It is recommended that you carry a lantern, flashlight, or other attached white light that will be visible from 360 degrees. Regulations state that canoes, kayaks, and all other manually driven vessels may exhibit sidelights and a sternlight, and shall exhibit at least one bright light, lantern, or flashlight from sunset to sunrise when not at dock.

Need some help? For the absolute best you need to look at the YakAttack VisiCarbon Pro Light. You can find it here with a Mighty Mount (others are available). It also has a hi-vis flag so people will see you during the day as well. 

A general warning to have your safety items:

Operating Vessels without Required Equipment is Prohibited - No person may operate or give permission for the operation of a vessel that is not provided with the required safety equipment. An operator may not permit a person under the age of 13 to be on board the vessel while the vessel is underway if the person is not wearing a USCG approved wearable PFD. Marine enforcement officers regularly perform vessel safety checks to ensure the safety of boat owners and passengers.

One more thing you will need by law:

Any vessel less than 12 meters in length (39.4 ft.) is required to carry a whistle or horn, or some other means to make an efficient sound to signal intentions and position in periods of reduced visibility.

As you are thinking about total purchase price, a weekend trip down the Brazos, Guad or just a play day at the lake, make sure you have a PFD (life jacket),  whistle, and if paddling at night, a 360 light. 

Stay safe, not only will it save you money but it might save your life!

Investments

Stock markets rise and fall. Instability is a worry for many and uncertain futures leave many questioning where to invest. How do I secure my future? How do I make sure everything is ok?

Money isn't the only thing you can invest.

Admittedly, I was late to the party for Mumford & Sons. Sometimes new music doesn't get as much time as it deserves. I've been burned too many times (freaking Nickelback). I gave them a try, liked them and last month downloaded their  "Live at Red Rocks" album. I like all of it but one particular song haunts me. Literally. I'll wake up in the middle of the night with the lyrics singing in my head. I'll be at my desk and bubbling up to the top of my consciousness come the same words. The song is "Awake My Soul". The slow bellowing of the title lyrics is bad enough to cause a haunting but the bridge inspires and taunts me.

"In these bodies we will live. In these bodies we will die. Where you invest your love, you invest your life."

Let that wash over you for a minute.

You get one go. One life. Whatever you choose to love is what your life will ultimately be about. Chase the dollar, that's your legacy. Stand for family, your legacy is that. But it's not just what you want it to be. It's where you actually INVEST your love.

I think of guys like Jim Dolan and Dave Potts with Heroes on the Water. That is a true investment and no doubt part of their lives.Every conversation I have ever had with these gentlemen has been about helping our wounded soldiers get on the water. The healing that this organization does is a monumental example of investing in others.

For me I struggle with irons in the fire. I have a lot of them. Do I love my 8-5 job? Not really. I invest time there to pay the bills. I do that out of love because I want to provide for my family that I love so much. It's an investment, albeit a small one.

My real love investment comes packaged as time. My kids ask very little of me except for time. I am blessed that they love the outdoors as much as I do. Sharing time on the water with them is a huge investment I want to make more deposits into. Seeing my  eight year old son manhandle a kayak in rough winds and grinning ear to ear while doing so radiates a deep warmth in the caverns of my soul. It awakens me to love and life. It combines two strong loves to create what I hope to be my legacy one day.

When it is all said and done, where will you invest your life?

Not What I Wanted

“Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.” 
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture


With a two hour window Sunday afternoon, I decided to see if I could get in some father-son fishing time. I packed the camera, hawg trough, net, gear, baits, paddles and all the other necessary gear to have a great time. If I could nab some extra Kayak Wars it would be a huge bonus but I really wanted to catch some fish.    

I had located a schooling spot for some whites and hybrids last week so I figured it would be the perfect spot to take Z. We loaded up the tandem and headed out. Launching was fairly uneventful and before long we were setting up on my spot. I lowered the anchor and we started fishing. The wind, boat wakes and open water made for a pretty bumpy time and 10 minutes into fishing I decided to pull up anchor and move. As I tugged on the line I knew something was wrong. I could pull the anchor toward me but it the weight didn't equal what I knew I had tied on. With my polarized shades I could see a large shape rising, an old folding chair, that had tangled my anchor line. This was not what I wanted. With the chop, the added weight and being unable to free the anchor I had to disconnect it. Safety is always paramount and the situation was worsening so I did what needed to be done. 

The next ten minutes I tried to hold us in place to fish against the wind and chop but soon realized fishing in this spot was no longer a possibility. The only way to have a shot at fishing the spot was to bank the kayak, get out and try to make long casts so we did. Again, not what I wanted. A few minutes into bank fishing I could see Z was getting bored. He had constructed a tower of rocks, was milling about and had his head down looking for something interesting in the rocks. Ugh. Not what I wanted. I had to do it. I had to ask about home.

"Z, do you wanna head home? This isn't really panning out for us today," I sheepishly commented, dreading the answer.

"Not really. I was hoping you could show me how to skip a rock," came the answer.

His answer caught me off guard. It seemed pretty simple but teaching an eight year old to skip a rock can be difficult. My patience was already on the short side and this really wasn't what I had envisioned for our trip but ok. Sure. Let's work on skipping a rock. 

A small physics lesson later and a couple of tries he did it! Even better he was able to repeat it. Cool. 
A few tosses later he said he was ready to go home. We piled onto the tandem and shoved off. I had stowed all the gear underneath so he decided to stretch out a bit. I took a quick picture and then paddled for the ramp. 

After I loaded the kayak on the roof rack and started up the hill I asked if he had fun, again dreading the hem hawing that was about to commence. Again, Z surprised me. He said he had a lot of fun. 

Less than two hours removed from the house, no fish caught, little paddling done and me feeling like a failure on what I promised the day would be like this day had been a failure to me. Not at all what I wanted. I had to know more. Was he just being polite?

When I asked him, he said he really liked being able to paddle some, he finally learned how to skip a rock and it was sunny. He had no expectations of catching fish and didn't really care. He wanted to paddle and skip rocks. 

Kids and experience are amazing teachers if you will just listen to the lesson they are teaching. I viewed the day as a failure but to the one who really mattered it was a great success. He had accomplished a new milestone and got to paddle too! 

I included the Pausch quote today as a reminder of what my attitude should be when I don't get what I want. I wanted to catch fish. I wanted him to catch a bunch of fish. I wanted to paddle quite a bit, take some pictures and maybe even bank some KW points. He wanted to paddle and learn to skip a rock. I am so far from being a great dad but I am getting plenty of experience. I hope I can accidentally stumble into more good times for him when I don't get what I want for me. My son is a great teacher. He just doesn't know it yet.