>>485896Top lel! Straps are for surf kayaks, and they don't hold anything in; rather they stop you from bashing your knees on the sides of the kayak.
Regardless of what kayak type you paddle, the very first thing you should do before you even dip your paddle is to spend about 3-4 minutes up to your neck in the water so your body can become acclimatised in the water.
When you're completely dry and capsize, the shock of cold water compresses all your muscles around your lungs and can cause panic breathing and all kinds of shit; acclimatising yourself greatly reduces any shock from possible capsize whih may be the difference between life and death for an inexperienced kayaker in average to lousy conditions.
There's some awesome fishing in winter, but for God's sake OP; I hope you're wearing your PFD and have everything leashed to your 'Yak.
If you don't, you're going to have a very bad time if you come off.
Pic related, from a kayak snorkel/fish trip yesterday, water was about 60F and pretty comfy without a wetsuit.
