Accidents are never planned for, it happens even with the slightest mistake. You never can predict when it will happen, but you can always mitigate it. having a life Jacket on is one sure way to achieve this, but the, you need to know how to choose the best fishing life jacket.
No matter how experience you think you are, even if you are an expert when it comes to swimming, it still makes sense to plan for safety on water. This is important to consider especially when there’s is an accident that results to unconsciousness, then you can always stay safe floating on the water. Why will you ever get on water without a life jacket? In fact, we already mention life jacket as a must have fishing accessories. You can take out time to read our list post.
Before talking about choosing a life jacket for fishing, Lets highlight some possible accidents that might happen. Some water environments are contains massive rock beneath them, even a small rock can cause a boat to capsize. Though most inflatable kayaks are designed to bounce off on collision with rock, it still necessary you don’t solely depend on that feature for total safety.
Fishing Life Jacket
A life jacket wouldn’t completely safe an angler from drowning, but its sure going to keep you floating till you get the attention of other for a help. Statistics shows that every 9 out of 10 drowning victim didn’t have a life jacket on. So by now you should have seen every reason to invest in a life jacket. There are really not expensive as you think, so why don’t you consider saving some bucks to buy yourself one.
How to choose the best fishing life Jacket
Now you are convinced that you need a life jacket as part of your fishing gear. But you wouldn’t just buy any one you see on shops. Not all life jacket will suit fishing purpose even though they are designed to provide safety. When it comes to fishing jackets, there are some things and features you will want to consider.
- You will want to check out if the jacket can provide a head support. By this we mean if the jacket is capable of keeping your head floating. This feature is necessary to keep the unconscious victim breathing before a help comes.
- Another thing you must watch out for on the jacket is its approval tag. You can find this on a tag attached on the jacket. Just browse through the jacket with your eyes and search for every tag you see on it. This approval tag is usually endorsed by the Coast Guard authority of the U.S. if shopping online, you can always leave a message to the seller to confirm this before triggering a buy button.
- Size is also another factor to consider especially when it comes to taking a child for kayaking. Never assume an adult size jack on a child because it will never provide that safety you so desire. So you will want to ensure the child is putting on the required size. Not to forget to mention, this also applies to adult. Ensure that the jacket properly fits the body. Apart for the fact that a loosed jacket feels uncomfortable, it wouldn’t give the adult the optimum safety if there is an accident. Hence size is very important to consider. If shopping online, you should as for the size and ensures it fits your body.
- When you get a hold of a life jacket, check through and ensure there is no rip or tear. This can make the vest or life jacket to be waterlogged and of course the purpose of safety defeated. Never put on a life jacket or life vest with a rip, never compromise.
- Everyone loves attractiveness and choice differs from persons, so there is really no recommendation for this. Just buy what seems attractive to you. This will make you want to put it on anytime and leave it on throughout your activities on the water. However, when it comes to color, we’d suggest opting in for something that is attractive and easily seen. I believe that is the reason most tradition life vest comes majorly with a blue or read color. But you have the choice to go for other color, only make sure its attractive can be easily seen from a distance.
- If you find yourself in a situation where you have to choose between a manual and an automatic inflation life vest, we’d recommend a manual one since it’s easier to maintain. However, while choosing a manual vest, ensure the CO2 cylinder is intact.
- We mustn’t forget to mention buoyancy. This is one feature you must check for. When kayaking in offshore area, the recommended buoyancy for a life jacket should be around 35 pounds buoyancy rate. If you are an expert angler, then for bay areas and flats, consider a buoyancy of about 22- 26 pounds. This feature will help keep you in keeping the head over the water-surface combating the big waves.
Conclusion
After considering all these factors, you will certainly be able to purchase a life jack or life vest that will be best for kayaking and fishing. You will get some good life jacket under $100. We can assure you will not regret having one if you duly follow your guide here.
