Everyone go check your inflatable life jackets. I had a real brain fart. I bought a boat a couple years ago that came with 3 Inflatable life jackets, As well as several regular vests. One Inflatable was out of the package and the other two were brand new still in the plastic. I never owned an inflatable jacket before but liked the idea of wearing one since they are not cumbersome at all like a normal Vest. So, I pulled one of the new Inflatables out of the package and started wearing it. I wore it every trip last year. Well, I was talking with my father in law and he said we should check the Vests because you need to change something out every few years. I did a little research and found that the Bobbin needs to be replaced at least every three years and more if you use it regularly. Well, I opened up the vest that I wore all last year to look and the air cartridge wasn’t even threaded into the actuator. Apparently I was supposed to do that when I took it out of the package. That was totally my fault and i should have known better. The other vest that was already out of the package when we bought the boat had the air cartridge threaded into the actuator but I could see that the red warning indicator was out. I unthreaded the cartridge and it had a hole in it. I’m not sure how it had a hole in it and never inflated the vest but it did. So, The moral of this story is to check your equipment and make sure everything is ready to go. I ordered new charging kits and will replace the Bobbins every year just in Case. Hopefully everyone else’s Inflatables are good but I would be willing to bet that there are others our there that have issues that they don’t know about.
Good info. Most inflatable vests have a manual inflate tube located in a velcro pocket opposite the auto inflate cartridge. I always check and update my auto inflate cartridges as needed; good idea to know how to access and use the manual inflate… just in case.
Safety first, the vest is useless unless you wear it. 
Everything Anglinarcher said 
darn right . I personally operationaly tested my auto inflating PFD at Mantua last year. Not on purpose, but I got “tossed” off the back of my boat. Fortunately it was August (I think) at least it was warm, I wasn’t moving. And my PFD went off just as advertised. I had owned that one for 6 or 7 years, and had been in the habit of replacing the whole charging kit every 2 years. Each time I replaced it, I would pull the manual lanyard, inflate the vest, and let it sit a few days to be sure there were no leaks. Then deflate it, install the new cylinder and thimble, pack it all away, and ready for the next 2 seasons. I never did actually have it on when I inflated it those times. So when I got launched off the boat last summer I learned something valuable. The size of auto inflating PFD you use really needs to be a good fit to your body size. Mine inflated, so I knew I wouldn’t drown. But it inflated up so tight around my neck, it almost strangled me instead. Had to unbuckle it to release the pressure on my neck. Then once I got a good hand hold on the boat, had to take it off in order to climb back in over the motor.
I have since moved up in size. The right size auto inflating PFD can be rather spendy, BUT HOW MUCH IS YOUR LIFE or the life of a family member worth ?
Elkantlers, if you still have the packaging that the new ones came in, there should be an owners manual in them. I recommend you keep that somewhere for future reference. And not all CO2 recharging kits are the same. When you do buy one, be sure it is the type required by YOUR vests.
After doing a little research, the alka seltzer analogy is the way I understand it.
There are several types and brands of auto-inflate pfds. Fit, comfort, reliability and function are all considerations when buying… well, cost too, maybe. I think Kent was right on in his descritpion of how they inflate… at least that is how mine inflate. The cartridge and bobbin are shielded from rain but they inflate as soon as water touches the bobbin. Mine inflated on me when i fell getting out of my kayak… scared the crap out of me as it was late at night and I knew the Utah Lake monster had me for sure. Another time in my kayak I took mine off to shed my coat and in the process the vest touched the water and exploded open. I happened to be fishing with Tube Dude at the time and he had to blab all about my misfortune, along with a photo, on the BFT board. 
I agree with Forest, get the best you can afford… safety is not something to skimp on. My vests are made by Mustang and they cost over $200 each. They are durable and have served me very well for several years. Again, ya gotta wear 'em… Nothing sadder than a tragic drowning where vests were available but not worn.
OK, I may have not kept up with technology. Mine would not dissolve; it had the more expensive pressure sensor. It was a Mustang.
If they dissolve, it had better dissolve pretty fast. I will need to do some more research on that, if I ever buy another one.
[font]They DO dissolve quick :D, when I launched off my boat last year I was in about 4 fow, south - east pocket of Mantua. I had gone in head first, and I have a vivid memory of my head coming back above the surface and at the same time wondering why my vest had not inflated, then…POW…it inflated:exclamation:. Total time in the water from impact to inflate couldn’t have been more than 10 seconds.[font]
Hey Lynn, I think I remember hearing about the episode falling in the dark, but I never knew about the one with Pat…looking back those incidents can be funny, maybe even a bit embarrassing maybe. But they are all good examples of how valuable a auto inflating PFD is. I switched from a standard life jacket to an auto inflating one the same week that the man drowned at Willard several years ago. Where his boat was found still running at the wall, his life jacket still in the boat, but he wasn’t found and recovered for about 3 days.
I not only switched to auto inflating pfd’s in my boat, but made a hard and fast rule for ALL boat occupants…If you are in the boat, your PFD is correctly worn. And have stuck to that rule ever since. Darn glad I did last year 
I leak-check mine by using the manual inflate tube.
I can find replacement CO2 cylinders for under $10 - but the “recharge kits” are double that - and the only thing in them besides the cylinder is the little green plastic safety button (mine is a manual vest, no bobbin.)
There appears to be two types of automatic inflating PFD vests available to boaters. One uses Hydrostatic Inflate Technology (HIT) which uses water pressure to actuate the inflate function. This eliminates any chance of the vest auto inflation from any source of moisture. These are expensive and cost over $200 each.
The other type uses a water soluble bobbin that dissolves in about 2 to 3 seconds to actuate the inflate function. These are the most common types and can be purchased for about $90 up to about $160 - depending on brand and features.
Cabela’s/BPS sells both types and the cost runs from About $90 up to $250. I have 4 of the water bobbin types from Cabela’s that I bought on sale for around $70 each 5 or 6 years ago. I used to store them in a below the deck storage box until the moisture level in that box inflated one in storage. The higher humidity level below deck was enough to erode the bobbin enough to set it off. They are now stored in an above deck seat box and have never inflated in storage there.
3 bobbins for $23
https://www.amazon.com/Inflatable-PFD-Bobbin-Replacement-Kit/dp/B002O76J66/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=inflatable+life+jacket+bobbin&qid=1587919003&sr=8-10
Wonderful for automatics. Can you get just the green safety buttons, too?
Doing some further research, I found bobbins AND clips are available for the Halkey-Roberts ALPHA INFLATOR[sup]®[/sup] MANUAL/AUTOMATIC that came in my Cabela’s suspender type vests. Both are made by Leland and both are available from West Marine 0n-line. I also found the bobbins & clips on Amazon. Click links below for prices.
NOTE: These are for the Halkey-Roberts Alpha units only.
AMAZON: Bobbin (3-pack) Clips (6-pack)
West Marine: Bobbin (3-pack) Clips (6-pack)
I forgot to mention - my bobbins have Mfg date of 2013. I should probably change them out. My CO[sub]2 [/sub]cartridges were made in 2011. Probably should change them out as well. 
Sounds like a great trip Mike, even if you guys lost some of the bigger fish, great pics too. I’m guessing this is a dumb question but do sea trout taste anything like freshwater trout?
Spent some time in Louisiana and fished for the Speckled Sea Trout a lot (Calcasieu). Still, I am Utah born, Intermountain raised, so I know my trout species.
I suspect they are called “trout” because they resemble a washed out sea run Brown Trout so much, and their size is more like a trout, until you look into their mouth. Some awesome vampire teeth, a yellow tongue, and a fun fish to catch.
I will defer to my wife on this one, and she insist that they do not taste anything like a trout, or any Salmonid., They taste more like fresh water white fleshed warm water species, but, at least in my opinion, a lot better.
I had a feeling that was the case but since I have never tried one I was curious.