Yes, it can save your life.  Yes, it can keep you afloat without strain.  But here's one I've never heard but I have seriously given this some thought.

Should you die for any cause and end up in the water, having the pfd on will make it easier for your body to be found.

I'll admit that I never used to wear mine.  The pond I fish frequently is small, and fished mainly in the shallows around the shore in depths of five feet or less.

Heck if I fall out or get capsized, I can make it to shore which is rarely more than fifty feet away.  But, if I drop dead, fall in the water, and the canoe is blown to the opposite shore by the wind, where do they begin looking for the body?

Hey, dead is dead.  It wouldn't matter to me at that point.  But, what about my loved ones?

Bad enough, or maybe good enough, depending, that I'm gone.  Do I really want to put my family through those anxious hours or days without really knowing what happened.

Do I really want to put the town's rescue services through the expense of dragging the pond, looking for my body?

Am I really that selfish?

Maybe it has been mentioned before in the reasons to wear a PFD, but I do not recall seeing it.

In my boat, when the big motor is running, anyone on board is wearing their pfd. Period. I remove mine when anchored or running the trolling motor for comfort though.

I said this in a post a year or so ago.  If I am fishing alone, I wear my PFD, for exactly the reasons you mentioned.  I want my body to be found.  It's the least I can do for my family.

very good point! and if someone is fishing a big body of water it would take alot of time to find a body if that person was fishing alone and offshore.

I wear my Pfd at all times when on my kayak 3 inches or 300 feet of water, it is always on. I like the idea of making easier to find your body if something does happen, really good if your ocean fishing!!

Badog

Sounds sorta morbid, but that is indeed yet another reason for wearing a PFD. Especially since many of us (me included) aren't exactly young anymore and sudden "cardiac events" or other maladys are not as far-fetched as they were when we were younger :-?.

My canoe is a one-man rig so I am always fishing alone...and I ALWAYS wear my PFD, even in the hottest part of the summer.

Another thing about fishing alone that was mentioned in an earlier PFD thread was that at a certain point, one may no longer have the upper body strengh to pull yourself back in your boat if you fall overboard - so you may end up spending a lot of time in the water until help comes along....

One thing for sure, there are LOTS of GOOD reasons for ALWAYS wearing your PFD, and FEW if ANY good reasons for not wearing one!

Yes this is a very good point. Here in Phoenix a scuba diver diving near the wreckage of a submerged old dam on Lake Pleasant never surfaced from his dive with a party of other divers. This was several days ago. The sheriff's office called off the search for the body today. This family may never find their relative's body. This was an experienced diver too. Sad story.

When with my dad this summer I  fished in alot of rapids on the river and in the kayak when I would flip the lifevest kept my head above the rocks and the lifevest acted as pads when my body got slammed against rocks.

Never even thought of this..........great advice! Although i wont need it anytime soon since i sold my rig!   :'(

Never even thought of this..........great advice! Although i wont need it anytime soon since i sold my rig! :'(

Ouch man.  You didn't get it all that long ago.  Hope everything is going ok for you.

Yea all is well but work has been overwhelming for a while now and i just don't have time for much! I'll be back though, believe that!   

Yea all is well but work has been overwhelming for a while now and i just don't have time for much! I'll be back though, believe that!

I think you should still wear your PFD around town. If anyone asks just say "it's so I can be found if I should fall overboard". I bet you would get some pretty funny looks. Heck I may try this just for fun. ;D