I checked out local forum today and just read a sad story. Please be safe and wear your PFD. 
“Wind was blowing 15-20 mph and I caught a couple of nice fish, but it was a lousy day at Perris. My son and I were cruising the west side of the island across from the launch ramp, when we passed a kayaker. I mentioned to my son he must be good, because waves were coming over the bow of my 21 ft. Triton. We went down another 200 yds and dropped the troller. My son then says to me "hey that kayak is empty." There was another boater in the area who we believed was pulling up the kayaker. We immediately headed over to help and soon realized that wasn't the case. He had seen him in the water, but he wasn't able to get to him in time. We both frantically searched for the next 20 minutes until the sheriff arrived”

 

Finally they found the body of missing fisher man. 

https://www.pe.com/2020/03/01/man-missing-after-kayak-accident-at-lake-perris/?fbclid=IwAR1RGQGJF8KaHmDsVWWZI09xX4TduWq-dFJEvKMVV0BehD471qtnKo5UFnA

Man, I hate to read about this stuff.  I have a son who needs me amongst others, and I like to live.  I always wear my PFD.

 

Guys, keep it on.  If it's uncomfortable, buy one of the auto inflate variety.  Yes, it's a few bucks, but it's comfortable enough to not notice until you need it.  That's what I did.

 

That goes for ALL of you, not just kayakers.  It's very, very easy to end up off your watercraft and in trouble very quickly.

When I got into kayak fishing one of my big concerns was how comfortable a PFD would be and I wasn't willing to do this without one. The good fishing specific PFD's are really pretty darn comfortable. I wonder if people who don't like them have problems because they went the cheap route? I would feel naked without mine on the boat. It's my wading vest.

I realize that each state may be different, but when you're in a kayak, do you have to WEAR your PFD?  I sometimes see people that rent kayaks on lakes in the summer and I can see that they aren't wearing one.  But it could be in a compartment or they could be sitting on it, etc.  I have never used a kayak before so I can't comment on how easy they may be to flip over.  They've obviously gained a lot of popularity in recent years.

2 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I realize that each state may be different, but when you're in a kayak, do you have to WEAR your PFD?  I sometimes see people that rent kayaks on lakes in the summer and I can see that they aren't wearing one.  But it could be in a compartment or they could be sitting on it, etc.  I have never used a kayak before so I can't comment on how easy they may be to flip over.  They've obviously gained a lot of popularity in recent years.

Minnesota doesn't differentiate between a kayak, canoe or powerboat for PFD regs - just have to have one 'at hand'.

 

Still - I'm of the opinion that a PFD not worn is as useful as not having a PFD at all.

Humm I deleted the end of the quote. There was PFD still on kayak. Anyway be careful out there, be very caution when windy, we always have afternoon wind here in SoCal. @Jonas Staggs, i know you just got a kayak. I made mistake once, went out on my float tube when windy. I lost one of my fins tried to kick back to shore, luckily I live in private lake and able to call marine patrol to rescue me.

Comfort is key.  I spent significant time trying on different PDFs until I found one I liked and would wear.  I ended up with the NRS Chinook.  Very comfortable and can wear it all day.

2 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Minnesota doesn't differentiate between a kayak, canoe or powerboat for PFD regs - just have to have one 'at hand'.

 

Still - I'm of the opinion that a PFD not worn is as useful as not having a PFD at all.

So is it safe to assume that they don't even HAVE one in the kayak if they aren't wearing it?  Not like there's large storage compartments in a kayak like there is in a boat.  I know the law says "accessible" but if there's no place to store one and they aren't wearing it, I can add 1 + 1.

 

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

So is it safe to assume that they don't even HAVE one in the kayak if they aren't wearing it?  Not like there's large storage compartments in a kayak like there is in a boat.  I know the law says "accessible" but if there's no place to store one and they aren't wearing it, I can add 1 + 1.

 

Ya, I come up with '3' as well.

 

Far as it being in a storage compartment? I personally would NOT consider that as 'accessible'...on the deck, hanging on the back of the seat, yes - in a closed compartment, NO.

2 hours ago, Tizi said:

Comfort is key.  I spent significant time trying on different PDFs until I found one I liked and would wear.  I ended up with the NRS Chinook.  Very comfortable and can wear it all day.

I have some plain old Cabela's classic life vests. But I hope to get a nice one with pockets eventually if I can find one large enough for my fat ass.

24 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Far as it being in a storage compartment? I personally would NOT consider that as 'accessible'...on the deck, hanging on the back of the seat, yes - in a closed compartment, NO.

Most launches have them stored in bins or under benches on Mille Lacs and not once have they been cited for that.  When I worked for the DNR as an intern and went out on them all season, I questioned that.  The captains all said the same answer: they are accessible when needed.  I asked one of the CO's that was working that area (had his number on speed dial) and he said it was acceptable.  So based on this, I always had thought that a PFD in a storage compartment was satisfactory to the extent of the law.

 

What I'm wondering is if there is storage in kayak for a PFD.  I think its safe to assume they don't even have one if they aren't wearing it now.

7 minutes ago, gimruis said:

So based on this, I always had thought that a PFD in a storage compartment was satisfactory to the extent of the law.

Probably is based on the letter of the law...but I still don't consider it as such.

 

Personally - not wearing your PFD while on the water is playing Russian Roulette...you don't know what could happen that would prevent you from grabbing your PFD.

 

That was such for me even when cruising around Lake Bemidji on the family's 25' Cruiser. Ya, I took some grief from friends, but to me - better safe than sorry.

5 hours ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

Humm I deleted the end of the quote. There was PFD still on kayak. Anyway be careful out there, be very caution when windy, we always have afternoon wind here in SoCal. @Jonas Staggs, i know you just got a kayak. I made mistake once, went out on my float tube when windy. I lost one of my fins tried to kick back to shore, luckily I live in private lake and able to call marine patrol to rescue me.

thanks man, i need to upgrade, i grabbed a cheapy and it was very uncomfortable out on the water, so I took it off like the hard headed **** that I am. This post is a wake up call. 

I always wear my PFD and agree that everyone else should too. It is part of my everyday set up.

 

But there is something more to the story here. The lake is not that big, there is no mention that the water was extremely cold. After he falls in, why doesn't he just grab the boat? Even if this is a SIS, and so he can't self rescue, there sounds like other boaters right there to respond. While a PFD provides 15 lbs of flotation, a kayak is going to offer 100-400+ lbs of floatation, you can grab a handle on the kayak and hold on, presumably for hours, even if there some reason why you can't grab the PFD. So in this emergency, keeping a hold of the boat is significantly more important than grabbing the PFD (both is the best of course). It is possible that the boat can blow away in the wind, and I have long wanted to test that situation in the worst conditions, my experience is that flipping the kayak even in strong waves and wind, you should be able to swim back and still catch the boat (and ideally self rescue if you are on a SOT; practice this in waves).

9 hours ago, Tizi said:

Comfort is key.  I spent significant time trying on different PDFs until I found one I liked and would wear.  I ended up with the NRS Chinook.  Very comfortable and can wear it all day.

I have a NRS Chinook also and it's great for kayakers. I always wear it when out on a lake and even wear most of the time when I'm on a shallow river that's only a couple of feet deep, just because I keep a lot of my tools in the pockets. The rare times that I don't wear it, I just use the waist buckle on them and attach it to the bungees on my kayak.

@michaelb, we don’t know the situation so let it be. Perris Lake is about 8200 acres with depth up to 100’ smaller than DVL but not small by any mean, my home lake is only 400 acres. 
SoCal wind is pretty bad in the afternoon, especially that day if I remembered correctly we got wind gust pretty bad up to 25mph, I had to stop fishing after 30 mins. The water temp is about 60 and depth in that area could reach 30-50’ If The guy wear a full suit for cold without PFD, that might be the cause to pull him down fast. He wasn’t behind the island so that could connect to 35mph zone. 
Another reminder no jeans or sneaker when on kayak people. I always wear water shoe and light weight long pants.
 

Anyone on my boat wears a pfd at all times until they get ashore.  Things can happen quickly on the water and a pfd is never more accessible than when it is being worn.  Another rule is no alcohol on the boat.

On 3/4/2020 at 8:27 AM, Tizi said:

Comfort is key.  I spent significant time trying on different PDFs until I found one I liked and would wear.  I ended up with the NRS Chinook.  Very comfortable and can wear it all day.

This is good to know.  I bought one for my Pontoon float tube but haven't used it yet.   I never go near the water without one type or another.  I'm old and don't do well in cold water.