Kayak fishing requires a buttload of gear, from transducers, paddle holders, and fish-finders to rods, tackle, bait wells, apparel, and more. But by far the most important is a properly fitting, USCG-approved PFD — so you can return home to tell your fish story.
Enter the latest safety video from the Watersports Foundation, “The Over-geared Angler.” We’ve all seen them: those people who seemingly have every fishing apparatus under the sun, down to gadgets for their gadgets. But whether it’s self-inflating, a new Level 50 PFD approved by the Coast Guard, or a regular Type 3 lifejacket, many anglers overlook the single piece of gear that matters most: your PFD.
More paddling deaths occur every year from people not wearing their lifejackets than from any other cause. In 2024, the U.S. Coast Guard reported 556 recreational boating deaths, including 143 from paddlecraft. Where Personal Flotation Device usage was known, 87% weren’t wearing one.
In this film, kayak angler Jereme Hall heads out onto Georgia’s Lake Oconee, smugly touting all the high-tech gear he’s brought along to “rip some lips.” “I ordered everything I could think of to make him look like the ultimate hobby shopper,” says videographer and producer Craig Kotilinek. “We had a technical consultant come out who knows kayak fishing inside and out to bring the rods, boat, and other gear.” Hall, whose family was featured in HBO’s Back to the Frontier reality show, was the right man for the job, down to his accent, which Kotilinek called “somewhere in the neighborhood of Deep South meets Sling Blade, but from the suburbs.”
But despite all the props and positioning, the most paramount takeaway is to always wear a PFD on the water.
Watch video here: youtube.com/watch?v=FFlnDTJ0i2U&feature=youtu.be
