Winter Kayak Wear

[dalton]

Hello NCAnglers,

I have been browsing and posting a little on the site for the past few months, very neat forum. I've never done any fishing from a kayak but my Christmas present this year will most likely be a Heritage Redfish 14 with the angler package. I've read reviews of this yak and a few others, my other choice would be a Tarpon 120 or 140, but I have found the Redfish for a pretty good deal on sale.

On to the real topic, what do you guys wear during the winter on the yak? I have seen posts about wearing waders, which surely keeps you dry but seems pretty dangerous. I could definitely foresee falling out the kayak if a big boat 40mph+ comes by you on the lake (a common occurance at some lakes-in particular lakes that allow skiing, people still run these boats wide open in the winter) or a small wave comes by in the sound. Falling out with waders in deep water seems deadly. I have seen on other sites that the wear of choice is a drysuit, this looks optimal because it keeps you dry and warm, even if you take a dip, but they cost as much or more than the kayak. What are some other options? Would it be reasonable to wear waterproof pants, jacket and boots on top of warm clothes? This option should keep you dry while yaking and still give you the possibility to swim back to the yak (and get hypothermia) if you take a dip.

What do you guys wear, and why?