THE (EVEN MORE) COMPLETE KAYAK ANGLER / / 15 SKILLS EVERY KAYAK FISHERMAN SHOULD KNOW 5»
Call MAYDAY
A billfish put a hole in your boat or you just impaled yourself on your fillet knife. To make a mayday call on your VHF radio in a life-threatening emergency:
1. Turn on your radio. 2. Set it to high power. 3. Switch to channel 16.
4. Press the push-to-talk button.
5. Say “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY.”
6. Say what you are (e.g., a 15-foot red kayak).
7. Say where you are. 8. Say what your problem is.
9. Release the PTT button and wait for a response.
10. If you hear no response, repeat your call until someone responds.
It’s important to say 6, 7 and 8 in order. If you get cut off, the Coast Guard can triangulate your position off your signal, but they need at a minimum to know what type of boat to look for. If the Coast Guard answers (chances are they will), they will probably ask you to switch to their working channel, 22a. Be sure you’ve fiddled with your radio enough to know how to switch channels.—Adam Bolonsky
6» Keep Your Cool Wearing a dry suit on a warm day can feel like the M*A*S*H episode where Klinger tried to get a Section- 8 discharge by donning a rubber re- ducing suit during a heat wave. Sui- cide-by-sweating is a bad way to get thrown out of the army and a worse way to spend the day fishing. To vent your dry suit, prop your gasket open with a homemade ring made from flexible PVC hose connected with a rubber stopper. George Gronseth of the Kayak Academy in Issaquah, Washington, makes these neck rings and gives them away with every dry suit he sells. If you dunk, you have to remove the ring or push it down before too much water enters your suit.
7» Repel Powerboats Homemade radar reflectors made of aluminum foil can be as effective as anything on the market. A study by the University of Maine found that an aluminum foil–covered hat actu- ally outperformed commercial radar reflectors. Te silver mylar bags that come inside four-litre wine boxes also work great. Because the bags have square corners they are easily picked up on radar. STEP 1: Drink the con- tents. STEP 2: Semi-inflate the bag and fasten it to your kayak, looping a bungee cord over one end so the bag fully inflates and extends upright. When it’s foggy, attach the bag to the end of your fishing rod in a rod holder. In our test, the coast guard spotted the bag on top of a six-foot rod at 1.8 miles.—Derek Crook
9» Fish Naked Wear sunscreen. We recommend a fish-friendly sunscreen like DriGrip Fishing Formula, which has been tested not to repel fish or harm fishing equipment or live wells (
drigrip.com).
10» Tell a Tall Tale Lying is cognitively taxing. Te body conspires to give away lies in gambling, politics, crime, love and fishing. In poker, it’s been shown that bluffs work best when there are fewer players at the table. Te smaller the audience to clue in on a lack of eye contact, altered voice, contradictions and odd taps and fidgets—all things to avoid, by the way—the better. Te best liars—lawyers, perhaps—will work truths into their story, which can be used as road signs to hold a course. Tere’s also much to learn from politicians: Good liars believe their lies are true.—Conor Mihell
11» Get Sponsored Tough it doesn’t usually pay to quit your day job, perks of being a sponsored pro include bragging rights, paid attendance at shows and some free gear. “We’ll typically kick them new products so they can try them out and be using the latest and greatest stuff,” says Ocean Kayak Pro Staff manager Dave Sanford. “Tat goes for PFDs, tech wear, paddles and boats too.” Here’s what it takes to get on the team: » USE THE GEAR: You have to be using the company products already and be able to evaluate gear and sell it. » KNOW THE BUSINESS: Many pros, like Jim Sammons of San Diego, have their own fishing companies. » GET EXPOSURE: Winning tourna- ments helps to prove that you can fish, but it’s only a start. Marketing ability is as important as fishing prowess, says Sanford. “You can be great at fishing but if nobody knows about it then who cares.”
kayakanglermag.com… 39 8» Pee from Your Kayak
During long days on the water, it’s important to stay hydrated. Don’t let nature’s call interrupt your fishing.
» CALM WATER: Stand up and let fly. » ROUGH WATER: Scoot forward in your seat, roll over on your side and aim overboard. » HURRICANES: Pee into the cockpit and give it a rinse. Tat’s what
scupper holes are there for. » WOMEN: Straddling two kayaks is generally best. To do it solo, see the hurricane method. » HINT: If you’re buying a dry suit, get a relief zipper.
PHOTOS: JOCK BRADLEY
PHOTOS: JOCK BRADLEY
PHOTOS: TOM WATSON
PHOTO: PAUL VILLECOURT
PHOTO: TIM SHUFF
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