How To Choose The Best Fishing Life Jackets?
Accident happens accidentally!
When you commence a fishing journey, you need to think about your safety. You might get injured through diverse reasons, such as, you might miss the glimpse of another fishing boat that is coming up from the rare side of your boat; or a massive size rock hidden beneath the water might hurt your fishing kayak. That time you or your team must need  best fishing life jackets.
If you are an adept navigator or a great swimmer, then you can handle any unfavorable experience on the water.
However, if the knock of another boat or rock makes you unconscious or injured, then you will not be able to use your great swimming skills to save your own life.
In such a situation, a fishing life jacket can ensure your safety.
Though a fishing jacket cannot completely save the angler from drowning during a fishing journey on water, it can certainly help the angler in floating over the water surface.
A PFD (personal floatation device) jacket device can keep the angler’s body afloat; even if, s/he is injured and too weak to swim. Moreover, every 9 out of the 10 drowning victims didn’t wear life jackets.
I have a recommended list of fishing kayak, but if you want to know the details on how to choose one for you, here you go:
Table of Contents
Consider the Life Saving Feature
At first, check the features of the life jacket, especially whether the design is capable of keeping your head over the surface level of the water.
This feature will let you continue breathing, even though you become too weak to swim. And always have sun-glasses cause life jacket can’t save your eyes anyway.
At Next, check the manufacturing details. You need to be assured that your chosen life jacket has got approval from the Coast Guard authority of the U.S. Usually, this information can be found in a tag that is attached to the body of each life jacket product.
Consider the Child Safety
Many people love to take the children during fishing. Therefore, if you take children with you, then make it sure that the each child is wearing a PFD of it’s appropriate size. Because an adult-sized life jacket or life vest will not provide safety for a child.
Consider the Appropriate Size
You have to choose a life jacket that provides a cozy fit to your body. Otherwise, it would be uncomfortable for you to wear it for long hours.
Moreover, too big or too small life jacket can’t provide you proper safety on the water.
Check the Rips or Leakage
While choosing a life jacket or life vest, make it sure that the jacket doesn’t include a single rip or tear. If the jacket includes a leak, then it runs the risk of being waterlogged.
Consider the Aesthetics
Choose a life jacket that bears a smart look. It will encourage you to wear the life jacket throughout your fishing journey.
The traditional life jackets or life vests were produced in red, blue, etc.; but at present these products are available in multiple designs, creative styles and amazing colors.
Consider the Special Design Features
The most vital feature of the inflatable life vest or jacket is whether this garment can keep you afloat at the moment of necessity. The inflatable vests provide the best service for the anglers during kayak fishing.
During kayaking the anglers run the risk of lean and fall from the Kayak upon the water all of a sudden.
The special features of a life vest, like fanny-pack style offers the angler to slip the jacket’s collar through his/her head upon necessity.
This special feature is suitable during kayaking or trolling at slower speeds.
Consider the Manual vests
The manual life jackets are easier to maintain; as those products bear less Âcomponents. While choosing the manual life check you need to check whether the CO2 gas cylinder is intact. It will make your chosen life jacket much Âusable.
Check the Shell & Inflation Bladder
While choosing a life jacket, you also need to check the shell as well as inflation bladder. You need to remember that the fishing hook and any other sharp equipment, such as, a knife can penetrate the bladder.
Therefore, you can use an oral-inflation tube to check the functionality of the bladder.
Consider the Buoyancy Rating
To choose the best life jacket, buoyancy when Âpurchasing an inflatable vest. For kayaking in the offshore area, you need to choose a life jacket that offers about 35 pounds buoyancy rate.
This feature will help keep you in keeping the head over the water-surface combating the big waves.
If you are an expert fisherman for the bay areas and flats, then chose a life jacket with 22-26 pounds of buoyancy rate can be a nice choice.
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