# PFD's - When and where?



## TheFishinMusician

cjbfisher said:


> And also when does the location dictate that you should?


if your arse is located in the yak, the PFD should be on your back!
no exceptions.

honestly, i dont even notice mines on, dosent hinder my fishing one bit.


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## FishinRod

I always wear mine when on my kayak - no matter where I am. It's got a couple of pockets in it for carrying pliers, camera & other small things. I don't even notice I've got it on. I did a surf course with kayaksportsmark earlier this year. It. along with helmet were a requirement for the course. After you'd been knocked off a few times, it was good to have it on to help you float.


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## troutfish

30% off PFD's at anaconda at the moment too, they have a couple that are designed for the kayak...


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## jokinna

yeah. gotta hav it on. if ya dont like the foam ones, then geta inflatable. you wont even notice an inflatable. but since i fish inshore. i have the foam one. pockets are a necessity for me: phone, camera, safety knife, whistle, water bladder, juice popper, muesli bar, braid scissors, mini measuring tape, and car keys. all come with me attached to my pfd when fishing inshore. i now tether myself to the yak with a 1m of vb cord. ive noticed its a not easy to swim with a foam pfd on, and if the wind ever blew my yak out of reach when ive fallen out.... well, kiss that yak good bye!

cheers 
jok

_ps. damn theres people everywhere! i couldnt get a park to my local fishing grounds this morning_ :evil:


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## mehi

Mate I wear mine all the time, if Im in the surf I wear it , if im in the broadwater I wear it when i'm up in the hills chasing
Bass in water thats 1ft deep I wear it you never know when you may hit your head, have a heart attack. If something
does happen as mentioned in a previous post like you become separated from your yak its easier to spot you when your wearing
a bright coloured pfd, stay safe dude


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## snapperz

Wise words from the Fishin' Musician.I live by the same rule.


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## WayneD

I am opposite to everyone else. I have never felt unsafe in my yak and wouldn't go out in conditions that I consider unsafe. I do not wear a life jacket and can't stand wearing one. The only time I have worn it was during comps where it was compulsory. The first wivenhoe convention was a good example. 30+ knot winds and meter high waves and I was glad to wear a life jacket, but normally I wouldn't have gone out.

Obviously this is a personal choice of each paddler. I cut my teeth on river and lake fishing and gained experience and confidence by doing this. In the last year I have started going offshore and I still don't wear one, because I have never felt unsafe. Mind you I have only been about a km offshore at Palmy. And a lot of other yakkers out there with more experience than me still wear them.

It's up to you (unless its the law).


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## HAWKEYE3

Manage the risk - wear a pfd at all times even when you feel safe. It is Plan B

Regards

Hawkeye3


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## WayneD

Not upsetting me Paul, I know I am against the grain on this one.


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## danh124

err its not personal choice any more is it?
I thought that it was now compolsary (NSW)
Can any one confirm this ;-) 
By the way i wear an inflatable PFD1 all the time......now anyway


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## gimp

The Marlin Bum-Bag PDF TYpe 1, you don't know you have them on. Everyone who goes on the water in any watercraft should be compulsory, only my opinion after seeing too many idiots that are accidents waiting to happern.


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## steeler

I have just found out that my PFD ( Ultra Angler PFD Type 3) is not legal for some of the areas I fish. Blowering dam

The NSW maritime has designated Alpine water users must always wear a type 1 or type 2 pfd.

http://www.maritime.nsw.gov.au/sbh/safety_equipment/lifejackets.html

For those that are unsure about alpine waters here is the NSW definition



> Alpine waters mean Lake Burrinjuck, Lake Eucumbene, Lake Jindabyne, Khancoban Pondage, Swampy Plains River, Mannus Lake, Googong Reservoir and navigable waters within Kosciuszko National Park (including Blowering and Talbingo Reservoirs).
> 
> Alpine waters present their own unique boating challenges. As with other inland waters, many hazards are not marked and as water levels fluctuate, more hazards may develop just under the surface.
> 
> The most common vessel operated in these areas is the small open runabout which is reasonably inexpensive to buy, easy to tow and used as a fishing platform. The majority of these vessels, however, are designed for calm water conditions only.
> 
> *Wearing a lifejacket is compulsory for all persons in a vessel less than 4.8 metres in length*.


I just returned from a week on the murray river on a houseboat out of Echuca. (got out of Echuca one day before the floods). I took my hobie outfitter with me and there is no way in hell I would have been on the water with the speed and height of the river without a pfd.

The maritime inspectors have been red hot in our area lately and they love nothing more than issuing fines for even the smallest breach by any watercraft user.

Hope this information is of some help.


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## TheKingyWhisperer

cjbfisher said:


> I know they can be uncomfortable to wear and fish at the same time, but with all the morons out there on the holidays, I'm trying to guage when people think the risk is too great to not wear one. And also when does the location dictate that you should?
> Cheers,
> Chris


I wear a Trek Pinnacle PFD and it in nice and comfy and doesnt bother me when fishing. Perhaps you are wearing the wrong PFD for you.


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## Kathy

occy said:


> You are correct Dan, it's compulsory here in Cockroach territory, and has been for some time.Unfortunately that ain't going to change the minds of people who choose not to wear one. .......


I wasn't sure if it was or wasn't compulsory in NSW. And what confused me was the that local boat shed who hires out kayaks and powered boats does not hand out PFDs nor suggest that hirers must have one. I asked for one for my daughter but didn't for myself.

Whether its law or not, I think PFDs are important and you should get use to wearing them. My daughter has one. I don't yet but have one on layby. But the incident I caused us at Camden Haven last weekend is enough to tell me that I need to get mine before I go in water like that again. I can't sink if my life depended on it but when my kayak flipped over I barely had the strength to treadwater and turn the kayak back over. And not being able to reach the bottom there was no way I could get myself back onto it. I wonder if that could have been different if I had a PFD. I know I am not a strong swimmer, so to have that bit of bouyancy might have made me less anxious about being stuck there. And I have not ignored your advice about Melina's PFD either. Finding a child-size one to fit her has been a challenge, but I might just have to fork out the $$$ for a more expensive one. Yes I am a tight arse but that's how it is with my living. We want to live but can't afford the luxuries. We make do with what we can afford until we acquire the money to buy something better.


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## Shorty

I read somewhere recently that in the U.S most deaths from kayak fishermen recently occured with 2 things in common,,there were fishing solo and were not wearing a PFD.


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## ELM

The Fishin' Musician said:


> cjbfisher said:
> 
> 
> 
> And also when does the location dictate that you should?
> 
> 
> 
> if your arse is located in the yak, the PFD should be on your back!
> no exceptions.
> 
> honestly, i dont even notice mines on, dosent hinder my fishing one bit.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better. Well I could have;
If your arse is located in the yak, the PFD should be on your back!
No exceptions. Honestly, i don't even notice mine is on, doesn't hinder my fishing one bit. :lol:


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## scater

I wear one offshore but not in estuary situations. Mine is a bcf cheapie and is bloody uncomfortable, I imagine if I had a stohlquist or similar it would be with me on every trip.


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## gimp

Bottom line is what price do you put on your life? If you cannot afford to have a PDF when kayaking you shouldn't be out on the water, its as simple as that! I live on the Camden Haven and will ask the boatshed why they do not supply PDF's, will let you know their reply.


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## eagle4031

many people have lost their lives by simply not doing the simple things- a pfd and notifying somone of your intended location


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## Kathy

I have mine now, and wear it even on low tide in our shallow river. I want to set an example for my daughter, and for it to become a habit to wear it every time means I won't forget when I do go out in not so calm waters. Mine is a cheapie from Big W. It pushes my hat down over my face but I exchanged my wide brim hat for a cap and although I find myself pulling it down every now and then, I feel more comfortable in the water, with it on, than I did without it.


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## cgmorg

Simple answer in my opinion.

When? When your a Kayak. 
Where? Everywhere on a Kayak.

No excuses, no exceptions.

CU Glenn


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## Barrabundy

I feel naked without mine and don't go without it ever.

Do you drive a vehicle without a seatbelt?


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## gimp

Kathy, I have asked the local boatshed about PDF's and they were horrified!! They have always supplied PDF's, that is the law, and have all sizes. They are not allowed to let people out without one, and children must be wearing them. Their boats are all lined up at the dock with PDF's in them and they have a pile there for the kayaks, so I don't know where you got that information from.


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## chelsea1

Timely reminder for all non pfd wearers to have a re think... Courtesy of Bigpond homepage news this morning.
********************************************************************************************************************************************
Lake Eildon search resumes for canoeist 
Monday, March 28, 2011 » 05:03am

The search for a man who fell out of a canoe while fishing with friends at Lake Eildon in Victoria's northeast will continue on Monday morning.

Police postponed the search for the 31-year-old North Melbourne man around dusk on Sunday.

The man was in the five-metre-long canoe with two friends when it tipped over about 60 metres from shore around 7pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Search and rescue teams, police divers, water police and the police airwing scoured the waters for the man on Sunday.

********************************************************************************************************************************************

My thoughts are with his family & friends right now......

According to the news article, the lake was still all day untill the wind picked up at around 6pm, the group had been fishing without drama untill the yak tipped. The missing man wasn't wearing a PFD!!! Locals have been concerned of the risk of entanglement with underwater debris that's now littering the lake, after recent record rainfall (of which most of us around the country have seen over the past few months) it's highly likely we're all floating above some form of man trap.

Wear a PFD people!!! and have access to a knife to cut away anything you might come across ($50 from most dive shops), even if it's something you drag up from the deep, haul it up and remove it. If it can't be hauled cut it up and reduce the possibility of others getting tangled. Anyone that's ever spent time under water on scuba gear will understand what i'm rambling on about.

Stay safe.

Gazza


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## Ado

Wasy. Always. No exceptions.

With exceptions you get exception creep.


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## Guest

Feeling safe and confident has nothing to do with being safe. 
The first is a subjective notion, and the second is a real world situation.
For example, if one drank a few beers on board their kayak, they'd probably feel even safer and more confident :wink: although their real-world situation would in fact have become more hazardous :shock: 
However, wearing a PFD can be really annoying, especially when the weather is hot. I guess the solution for people who can't stand common (foam) PFDs is to get one of those thin, lightweight PFDs that inflate automatically when you pull on a string.


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## Bretto

I generally don't wear a PFD while fishing bass systems. After Sunday I may start wearing one. While carefully passing the shore based white bucket brigade One decided to cast out. Almost hit me in the head with a big sinker. Wouldn't be the most thrilling way to go. Death by drowning due to incompetent immigrant dick head.

I'd put that on my grave stone too.


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