Being visible in your kayak is important, especially on those busy weekend days with watercraft of all types enjoying the beautiful waters of Door County!   With kayaks having such a low profile, they are sometimes hard to see. Often pleasure boaters have several people in the boat talking, laughing, and probably not always looking for or able to see small watercraft like kayaks. For this reason, I have liked having fishing and recreational kayaks that are brightly colored. Bright orange, lime green, chartreuse, white, red or a combo of these colors are very visible with darker green, gray, brown and tan less visible as they tend to blend into the water.  Also, my PFD is blaze orange giving me added visibility.  Nicely, many kayak paddles come with blades in bright colors like yellow, orange and white, which adds to your visibility.  If you are out early or late with low light you should have some sort of light attached to your kayak.

Part of being on the water in Door County is being out in the sun. Most of us have most likely had far too much sun exposure and don’t need any more.  I’m on the beautiful waters of Door County many days a year and see the barely dressed to people like me who take protection from the sun to an extreme.      

For me, whether out in my fishing boat or one of my kayaks chasing smallmouth bass or just enjoying a pleasant paddle on the lake, I’m protected from the sun.  Starting from top to bottom, I always wear a hat with brim, polarized sunglasses, a gaiter to protect my ears, neck and part of my face.  I wear a good sunscreen of at least 50 SPF on any exposed areas, including areas of my face not covered by the gaiter. I wear sun gloves, long sleeve fishing shirts and pants that have UPF protection built in. Even with the pants and water shoes, don’t forget to put sunscreen on your ankles and the tops of your feet not covered.  When giving talks at sports shows I note that I’m on the water to catch and release smallies, not to get a suntan.  If the fishing is slow, I’m usually off the water, although I do enjoy recreational kayaking. 

As always, if you have any questions about kayaking or kayak fishing you can email me at kayakfishingwisconsin@gmail.com