good idea on the white light.
do you reckon the kayak community could adopt the use of a 6 foot orange triangle flag off the stern?
would make it a shit load easier to you blokes, most of us want to stay away, but when under way, it does get difficult to spot ya's!
cheers
lippa
You mean an orange sail for the little buggersOriginally Posted by lippa
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
I don't know about the flag. I know that some people use them and I can't see that it makes a big difference to their visibilty. Boat traffic in busy areas is a risk that must be considered when yakking. This is the reason I avoid places like the broadwater as some of the millionaires down there have more money than brains.
Whenever I use my yak in area where I know boats will be travelling at speed I always wear my PFD. In the pockets of my PFD I keep a mirror for signalling, if required I could possibly use this to get a boats attention if it were heading my way and I also have a sports referrees whistle for gaining the attention of oncoming traffic if required. I haven't had to use them yet so I'm assuming I am fairly visible.
Jeremy:
Thanks for your reply mate, not seeking any special treatment just highlighting the fact that kayakers seem to have been singled out in certain areas as FAD's. I was just wanting people to know this is not necessarily the case. Most kayakers and kayak fishing forums are now referring to the boaties in the same manner that the boaties refers to the jetskier, I sit on the fence here as I participate in both at times, and from what I can see there are knobs within both groups who I simply would not give the time of day to. This particular situation with me the other morning contained one of the said knobs and I was simply venting some of my frustrations of this event via my keyboard. Probably a crime we've all been guilty of at some point.
Kev
fair enough. I don't fish that area. Anyway, feel for you as I hate it when other boaties do it to me.
Jeremy
G'day
Have you yakers considered these for added visibility?
http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_it...AbsolutePage=5
Dave
It was looking alright until I read the bit that stated "Not Waterproof" this makes it as ood as useless for kayak fishing if you ask me as everything I own and use on the yak gets wet at somepoint.
Kev
put a signal mirror in my eyes when i'm doing 30+ knots, 2 things are gunna happen, 1 i'm blinded and turn into you, 2 if i didnt run over ya, ya's get a spray like ya never had before, and possibly a tap on the chin.
etec owners are never gunna hear your whistle over the racket their motors making!!!
i reakon go and get the flags, you can buy them cheaply at bicycle stores. 30 bucks could save your life
they make a heap of difference sitting from my helm, you guys need to be visable from at least a 100 meters, 30 just aint good enough.
by the way, i'm thinking seriously of joining your crew for them stealth missions, and im gunna get me a flag!
cheers
lippa
I too regularly fish from my kayak at Redcliffe and nearly every trip have some clown in a powerboat come roaring past at leass than 20m in a hurry to hit thier fishing spot. For me it is not the wash, the visibility of me or the noise they create, it is the pure ignorance and arrogance of these idots that shit me to tears.
I choose to fish from a kayak for the quietness and the solitude it brings as well. As soon as a boat with some waveslap on the hull nears about 25-30m from me (even if it is on the drift) the fish definitely go off the bite. Sounders also create a similar pattern on about a 6m radius (yes some boats do drift within about 5 metres of me on a regular basis) and the fish noticeably go off the bite until the sounder has moved on.
I doubt a flag will make much difference at all as far as visibility of a kayak, its rider and fishing gear goes, we do stand out quite well in most conditions. I believe it is the inattention of the boatie that is of greater concern, some of them do not have a clue where theyare going or what is in the way. One in particular about mid january missed my kayak by about 30 metres at full noise doing about 30 knots and managed to sideswipe the green bouy at Klingner Road reef!! Obviously not a clue where he was travelling.
The other ones that annoy me are the comp fishers and the ABT guys in thier skeeters and testosterone boats with no freeboard, no end of throttle and no brains to drive them. In mid January there was a comp happening and the idiots came through and actually weaved through the 8 or so kayaks out there that morning fishing the shallow reefs off Queens.
At night a good small bright light like a tektite diving light as an all rounder is definitely something that should be used continually regardless of where you are fishing as idiots often do not occur only in daylight hours.
I do not know what the solution is about how the kayakers can be safe or respected by the few boaties that have less prains than my parrot that cant talk regardless of its training, maybe they just dont have what it takes to fluke some intelligence??
Some mornings though everything goes to plan and you have no dramas at all with any boaties and the fish cooperate, giving the kayak fishing a really good reason to exist. Days like these you do not feel like you have to be armed with a weapon of sorts and thats a good feeling.
Jack.
The same people we're all complaining about here are the ones who cut you off (I drive trucks), blow red lights, play music at 3 am on Sunday night, get drunk on planes and abuse the staff, take undersize fish, steal from you, buzz fishos on jet skis, vandalise your possessions, you know the ones I mean.
The world's full of them, and kayakers don't have a monopoly on being shat/annoyed/put at risk by them.
This is not just an issue on the water. It is everywhere. The world is full of a$$holes, always has been. Trouble is now they have permission thanks to the bleeding hearted idiots who talk about their "rights". Next time you hear Terry O'Gorman going off, think and say the opposite to what he says, and thank him for the advice.
rant /off.
Tim
Carbon Really Ain't Pollution.
I think you hit the nail on the head. I remember a professor did some sort of statistics on this sort of thing about 20 years ago or so and came to the conclusion there is one in every 25 people who go through life with the sole purpose to annoy other people for no apparent reason. I think it is more likely one in 5 these days?
I am a boatie/ yacker/ diver/jetskier, generally all things watersports, and i have neally ran over yackers here in the bay, for alot of them blend into the water colour, with nothing but blue on, blue , gray yacks, blue sunshirts , ect. Please for my sake and yours, wear something bright, and dont carry out a conversation with all ya mates sitting in the shipping channels..be seen to be seen...
Forget the whistle kev..I know when I had the sports cruiser..2 V6's purring along there was no chance of hearing any whistle. The current 2 stroke is not much better.
I avoid places (dams) with boats when using the yak..so far only gone to Wivenhoe but will give the salt a go sometime soon.
I always slow down for the yak'rs in nundah creek. To be honest they would probably be better off if I passed them on the plane cause there is less wash, but i slow right down to a point where i think my wash is minimal.
I dont think anyone is alone when being hassled by idiots when snapper fishing (or any fishing for that matter). I quite often pick a spot away from everyone only to get some ######## motor up and drop anchor 6 feet away. Dont think you are the only one that suffers from this.
I know where you are coming from Kev. Im a yakker (OC 4.5 Prowler) and a boatie (Bluefin Bowrider).
When in the boat Ive been hassled by all sorts. The thing is when you are in the boat its not really a safety issue except for idiots doing really stupid dangerous things.
I'm always on the lookout for anything in the path of the boat and stay well clear of yakkers because I know how much noise tinnies make. When in the yak all you can hear is the banging of the tinny's hull against the water as they pass. Defintiely not stealth machines.
What Ive noticed recently is the yakkers using the flags. When viewed from the boat these flags on the yaks really do stand out.
Usually the yak is below the horizon but the flag is just above the horizon when viewed from the boat making it really stand out.
I'll most certainly be getting one for my kayak.
Cheers
Stue
sshheeeezze...i heard yak fishermen caught more fish also. 3 yaks later, i still cant catch nothin!!! you mean you still have to actually know somethin about fishing to catch fish??
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