river kayaking dangerous?

[mnfisherman]

hey guys my parents somehow became convinced that kayaking on the river is too dangerous for me, i understand that it requires more skill and knowledge of the current. but now they wont let me fish on the river with my yak. the minnesota river or at least the parts that id be going on are about 50- 75 yards across. what are your thoughts on this?

[mcca78]

May I ask a few questions, first off how old are you?? How long have you been kayaking?? Taking how you worded the question I am going to assume your young and still living under your parents roof so what they say goes and thats the bottom line. Now maybe you could try to convince your parents into some kayak lessons from a certified instructor on the river and learn basics skills/saftey which is a must. Your parents are just putting your saftey above everything and thats a great thing, it might not seem like that now but you will later on .

[Fletch]

Couple of things come to mind for me. Now I have been whitewater Kayaking with friends who were experienced (one was instructor certified) and the few times we went I was in class II-III rapids. I was new to sport this year. I flipped in the rapids and was able to get out of my little kayak but things happened so fast.....when I came up from underwater I had traveled 200ft. Got banged up good and swallowed alot of water....to the point of almost drowning. That was from shear panic and crashing waves. Since then I've flipped a few times and stayed calm. But I always had a life vest on and my friends were quick to help out and grab my kayak while I swam for shore...lol. Now I know what not to do and how to swim in currents.

Having said that:
Need to know a few things. Sounds like your under age (18). Are you fishing alone? What type of kayak do you have? Obvious...do you wear a life vest?

Rule #1
NEVER KAYAK ON RIVER ALONE!!!!! No matter what the current. Things happen.
And its nice to have someone to help you out or call for help if needed.
And just because you have a life vest doesnt mean you cant drown. I know from experience in my first whitewater swim...even with life vest you can still get sucked under by current/hole and if water is moving fast you can still get exhausted from swimming even with a life vest. TRUST ME!!!! I was so tired besides swallowing in water... the swim almost drowned me. Gave me a whole new respect for rivers, going with others, and being safe. Not to mention if you are fishing and have all that tackle and flip and get tangled in the rods or anchor line it wouldn't be pretty lol.

As a parent myself I wont allow my son...who wants to go whitewater kayaking... go until he takes a class on it and learns his roll as well as water safety. And he wouldn't be able to go by himself or with anybody. It would have to be a certified guide/instructor as well as a group.

I don't know the river you speak of but that's a wide river and would most likely require a good swim to shore if you flipped. Current or not. I think your parents are right on this....but......maybe you could talk to them and look into a guide taking you and your dad or mom for that matter. So you can become familiar with the river and find some others that fish it . Maybe then they would feel comfortable. I'm not sure its what you wanted to hear but.....trust me.....rivers can be dangerous if you aren't familiar with them or don't respect them.

[mnfisherman]

im 15, i have decent experience kayaking/canoeing. i wear a life vest. ive been going to that river for about a year and a half now and know where the current is fast and slow. also where the shallows/sandbars are. i dont go alone and 99% of the time im not fishing out of it on the river. just haulin gear to a spot on the bank. never seen anyone kayak on the river but ive also never seen someone kayaking in real life lol i have a 10' sit in kayak

[mnfisherman]

oh and there are no rapids whatsoever

[oubassman]

Now maybe you could try to convince your parents into some kayak lessons from a certified instructor on the river and learn basics skills/saftey which is a must. Your parents are just putting your saftey above everything and thats a great thing, it might not seem like that now but you will later on .

Good advice here for your situation. They are definately looking out for you, as kayaking in a river does have the associated dangers that a lake doesn't. All it takes is fighting a fish while slowly drifting with current, you hit a rock, lean the wrong way, & over you go. Or simply paddling & hitting a section of strong current wrong

Even though there are no rapids, there could be rocks or something just under the surface that can be missed, especially in dirty water, that could "catch" a kayak.

All you can do is sit down, talk to them again about your confidence level & bring up the point about proper instruction. Maybe that will tip the scales in your favor.

[mnfisherman]

only one problem with the lessons, the nearest one is 203 miles away :l

[Fletch]

I traveled 4 hours for my clinic...but then again I drive. I went to Zoar outdoors and they were awesome and it wasn't cheap but then again you cant put a price on safety. It was a whole day lesson. I spent 8 hours in a kayak on the water. But it was worth it. The rest of what I learned was being with friends who have been kayaking for many years. Not sure if there are any guides near you at all either. Might be an option. They might be able to give you some directions or advice on where you can go. Just a thought. But if your parents could look into taking you it might even make them feel like you'll be safer.
But its also not only taking a class but being smart and going with more than yourself. I think if you combine that with the class your parents might be more at ease. As for me ...even if my son took a class....he would either have to be with me or another adult(s) if he wanted to fish a river. But talk to your parents and look into traveling to that place for the class. Do your parents kayak at all? If so it might be something that they could use as well.

[mnfisherman]

no neither of my parents kayak let alone go fishing, it would be pretty hard for me to convince them in letting me do it. i wanted to join a bass club and they didnt want to drive me to the tournaments so i couldnt even do that. to be honest, im the first of my friends to get into kayaking. one of my friends is getting a canoe this week though so at least ill have a partner lol also i hate going fishing or doing anything by myself lol it makes me feel as if im being watched lol

[Jdunlap807]

I river fish alone myself. Not for lack of a friend but enjoy the quit. The main thing is I known my river very well I have been canoeing and fishing it from a very young age with my dad.
I think most importantly Is that you know the rivers depths,current,downed trees , and nearest safety point. Al so make sure someone mom dads girlfriends known your rout and planed time of trip In case of emergency. As for a safety class that would be a very good idea for your benefit. It is amazing how much you could learn for a quality instructor. That again is strictly up to you to decided.

I have found the getting on the water as much as possible to be the best learning for me. I have researched my tactics and safety videos to give myself the best knowledge for what I am doing if a problem came up, but again a trained instructor is your best resource for question and demonstrating.

As for mom and dad it's true your safety and health is the biggest concern at all time I have a four year old and she is my life. If some thing happened to her it would be hard to deal with. So it is hard for them to understand. My best advice would be to do the small lakes and things they are ok with you doing. I'm sure the fishing will still be good. Overtime and at 15 there is no time to wait ( I am 28 and it doesn't change ) they will see you become more confident and skilled and hope more understanding of your wants.
Good luck