re: Kayak fisherman drowning

quote:

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I'm just curious, but do you fish with a lifejacket on? Almost 100% of fishermen that I know do not wear lifejackets when they are not running their outboards. I would argue that fishing from a kayak is really only slightly more dangerous than fishing from a boat.

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I admit, I don't fish with a life jacket on when I'm in a boat. But in nearly 60 years of fishing, I haven't unintentionally gone into the drink even once. How many kayakers can say that? Once you're in the water, anything can happen. Some people can't handle the thought or the feeling of underwater snags, murky water, snakes, and so forth. So they panic! Panic is what kills most swimmers. So just based on the probability you will end up in the water in a kayak, I would say there's a great deal more drowning risk in a kayak than a boat.