I Forgot the Paddle!

One of the first things I learned when I started kayak fishing was that I was going to make a lot of mistakes.  I can laugh at myself and I'm quick to admit where I go wrong in this Kayak fishing addiction.  Forgetting equipment is a very bad habit I've developed.

I've forgotten tackle trays, paddles, and the kayak seat.  On one of my first trips, I got all rigged up - net, poles, stakeout stick...but I'd forgotten my Plano boxes. I had a gold spoon on one rod and a soft plastic on the other that I'd tied on the night before.  Turns out getting skunked is just as easy with two lures as with multiple tackle trays.

Second, I forgot the seat to my Ocean Kayak Trident13 on a trip.  It was me and the kid and we got all the way to our destination without realizing I would be seatless.  The fishing spirits were smiling on me though, because we were launching from a relatives canal house and my Hobie Odyssey Tandem was in the garage and it's seat actually worked on the Trident13!  I had to do alot of adjusting of the straps but in the end it worked out just fine.

Third, I got several blocks away from home with Harry in the car and trailer in tow when I realized we didn't pack the paddles. I was lucky my mental rundown only a few blocks from home caught this one - there'd have been no recovery of driving a kid over an hour only to discover Dad didn't bring the paddles! And finally, we forgot one paddle on a trip with two kayaks.  Again, I was saved though.  We were meeting up with some new friends and they had an extra paddle we borrowed.

So four times I've forgotten something and all four times I got lucky.  The next time, it may not end so well. The simple lesson is to always do a thorough double check that you have all gear that is needed, even if you're itching to get on the road, because its not worth the several hour drive to find you cant fish...without a fishing rod.

Stuff I've forgotten