Paddlin’ with Madalyn: Keeping Hypothermia at Bay
Story and photo by Madalyn Roberts
It’s always prudent to take extra precautions when fishing in cold temperatures—all the time— but most especially when kayak fishing where chances of capsizing are much greater than when fishing from a boat.
If you are someone who kayak fishes regularly in cold temperatures, one of the smartest investments is purchasing a drysuit—a suit made to protect the body from the neck down in the event of water submersion.
Mustang Survival is one of the most reputable brands in the market for drysuits. The price tag does come with some sticker shock, but many times brand name drysuits can be found at outdoor retailers at a discounted price. If you’re like me, someone who can’t justify the drysuit investment at this point because you don’t do a whole lot of kayak fishing in the cold, consider buying a StrikerICE bib and jacket combo that is not only extremely warm but also doubles as extra flotation with Sureflote technology in the event of capsizing. Although the combo isn’t waterproof upon submersion, I believe it’s the next best thing aside from a drysuit.
The Striker Suit keeps my body warm with adequate base layers underneath. Sock cap, neck gaiter and a hood are all a must for head warmth, although I haven’t found anything that keeps my face completely warm on the coldest, windiest of days.
A good sturdy pair of boots and heated socks or insoles I’ve found are sufficient in keeping my feet feeling fireside toasty. My hands, however, are another story altogether.
With resignation, I’ve decided that cold hands are simply a sacrifice that must be made for cold-weather fishing. Fingered gloves are the warmest, but they make fishing the most difficult. My solution is to layer up with disposable vinyl gloves, with hand warmers between the vinyl glove and top of the hand, then fingerless wool gloves on top. Then when they are completely frozen, I take a pair of mittens out of my coat that house super jumbo hand warmers. Pop my fingerless gloves off before sticking my hands in the mittens for a few minutes, and my hands are good as new. Or if you want to avoid cold hands altogether and your kayak setup allows, Mr. Heater makes a portable golf cart heater that fits perfectly into almost any cup holder.
Because I do get out some in my kayak in the winter without a drysuit, there are a few additional safety precautions I take. First of all, I am selective about how far away I will travel from my put-in location in the event I do capsize, and I always have a spare change of warm clothes in my vehicle.
Someone has always been made aware of my fishing plans and has my location in case of emergency.
Finally, I always have a thermos full of a warm caffeine-free, alcohol-free beverage. Nothing like a sip of something warm to bring you back to life and ready to hunt those slabs under any conditions.
(Madalyn Roberts is from Kansas City, Missouri although she considers herself a southern transplant having lived in Kentucky for 16 years. She serves her Louisville community by working for a non-profit organization facilitating free home repairs for elderly and disabled homeowners. In her spare time, she enjoys being in the outdoors in all capacities, especially fishing, hiking and camping.)
