Life Jackets for Shore Fishing

[shortcircuit]

I have heard of too many tragedies of people being swept off rocks while out fishing- so I want to look at getting a life jacket to wear when out on the rocks.
Could anyone recommend a good model that is not too bulky but doesn't cost the earth (without compromising safety)

I would also be interested in hearing any experiences that people have wearing them out fishing. Do they bug you? If you are spinning off rocks, do they interfere with your arms while constantly casting and retrieving?

[JimC]

I wear one all the time in the boat. A lot of the time I'm casting just as you would from the shore - lure fishing.
You get so used to jackets you would not even know you are wearing one.

They vary in pricing.
I have a few different types. The Mullion Compact is small but chunky. It is dear too!
I have a Pamaris that is very comfy.
I'd say call into CH Marine and try on a few ... see what suits you. Compact or flat... Some are flatter than others.
150N is the norm. Watch the back where they touch your neck. Make sure they are soft and there is nothing "sticking out". Not a problm in the winter but in the summer it could drive you mad.

[shortcircuit]

Thanks Jim.

I would often wear waders when out on the rocks is there any reason why you couldn't wear a life jacket with waders ?

[JimC]

No. I wear breathable waders most days other than high summer.
The "they'll suck you under" is a fallacy.

[jw]

I have heard of too many tragedies of people being swept off rocks while out fishing- so I want to look at getting a life jacket to wear when out on the rocks.
Could anyone recommend a good model that is not too bulky but doesn't cost the earth (without compromising safety)

I would also be interested in hearing any experiences that people have wearing them out fishing. Do they bug you? If you are spinning off rocks, do they interfere with your arms while constantly casting and retrieving?

i wonder if you would be better off with a buoyancy aid? a life jacket keeps to pinned in a certain way
and might make it harder for you to scramble out. Either way its a pain to wear and i dont bother.
Sometimes i think the stories after an incident are understandably made to cast the dead people in good light,
maybe the real cause isnt "a rogue" wave swept them away

i recently bough a rugged waterproof phone with good coverage and long battery life and i put the sim into that,
people have been lost often by lack of a phone

[kieran]

FFS...

A lifejacket is designed to "pin" you upright in the water. This is a critical. If you are knocked unconscious in the fall from the rocks, you will "float" face down (as an unconscious person will) and drown very quickly. Even if you have mates with you, they may not be able to get to you in time. Its a matter of a few minutes only.

Unless its a full survival suit you have in mind, a buoyancy aid will NOT keep you from drowning. Your head is exceptionally heavy relative to the rest of your body.

There is a reason they are called LIFE JACKETS.
If you are buying a life jacket, buy a life jacket.
And whilst I'm on the soapbox, check the gas canister every year or get a technician to do it for you.

Secondly mobile phone coverage is VERY sketchy - certainly it is in Mayo - so a waterproof phone may not be enough.
Even a fall off a short cliff may drop you from in coverage to out of coverage.

The Irish Coastguard have a registration system for personal locator beacons (PLBs) and if you do a lot of rock fishing, it would be an excellent Christmas present for you and/or the anglers in your life. They are activated by immersion or can be activated manually and the first thing the Coastguard will do is phone you to check if you are ok.
If you are, grand. If they get no reply, a full scale rescue is implemented.

If you're lying face down in the water unconscious, because your life jacket isn't a life jacket, the only thing they will be doing is recovering your body.

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keiran
possibly the best reply to any question I have ever seen on this site.this should be a sticky excellent.