Surviving Wintertime Kayak Bassin with John Myers, Page 3

Winter 2023

MORE LAYERS

My hoodie is waterproof and made of polyester. In extreme cold conditions, I cover my hoodie with a jacket that has a fleece-lined inner detachable core.

To keep my hands warm, I like the fingerless wool gloves because they still keep my hands warm even if they are wet. I bring several pairs of wool gloves and keep changing them when they get soaked. This is especially important when fishing in the rain. Hand warmers are always inside of my kayak.

My head is covered with a waterproof hat and a wool cap covers the hat.

I have ski pants that are warm and water-resistant, and I’ll put on my rain bibs over the ski pants to help keep my body warm and dry. On those real cold days, layer with a fleece line jacket and always have wool gloves. I have found that wearing sun gloves and wool gloves over them gives you even more protection against the cold.

DON’T FORGET THE FEET

I wear wool socks, cover them with seal skin socks and a neoprene boot. I don’t wear heavy, waterproof hiking boots. They would function like a cement shoe if you were to end up in the water.

DRY BAG ORDER

Wintertime, I always bring a dry bag with a change of clothes and fire starter inside.

I pack my dry bag in a specific order so I can dry and dress without having to dump everything out of the bag.

This is the order:

• towel on top

• briefs

• wool socks

• Long Johns bottoms and tops

• sweatpants

• sweatshirt

• bottle of water

• snack bar or two

• and at the bottom toilet paper

• cardboard

• hand warmers

• fire starter with both a lighter and a magnesium

fire starter

Before each cold season, I repack my dry bag with new items and replace the water and food bars. Bu most importantly, I make sure my fire starter is working.

I place my dry bag in my

front hatch or on the back

of my kayak. I secure it

down tight and attach

with a karabiner.

Being prepared for

cold weather and cold

water before going

out during the winter

months can make the

difference in a trip. Get

ready and grab a friend

or two and enjoy the day

of fishing. •

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