A sweet simple paddle on the Yahara

Today was hard to beat. Standup paddleboard and a brand new paddle. Load up and go. Seven minutes later I am at Fish Camp Park on the Yahara. One other car at the put-in. New paddle immediately feels awesome. Distinctly different from its predecessor. Both are good though. River is wonderful. Water is clear. Looks clean. Most definitely NOT GREEN! There is grass growing in it, but it is a warm water shallow river. What should be growing? Lots of sand patches and the occasional rock. Lots of little fish. Didn't see any big fish this time out.

Chased this around for a bit. The first fall leaf. It had to come sooner or later I guess. Brought both paddles along, in case the new one didn't feel good. It did feel good though. So did the old one. Really like standup paddleboarding. While I've been in canoes for about 35 years now and love them a bunch, a canoe is a sitting sport and one that I associate (still) with the BWCA. But this paddleboard stuff....it's an all over workout, it's on the water, with a paddle. More intricate than paddling a canoe. More of a whole body thing, plus balance, plus a great angle to look into the water. With canoeing water too far away for daily use, a SUP and the Yahara is PERFECT.

Mud Lake is a good halfway point for my usual paddle on this stretch of the river. While there is a good bit of grass in this lake, the water is clear. NO MUD was evident at all. Not sure what the heron was up to. Didn't look like a nest site, not quite right for fishing. Must have been guarding the lake. Another mile or so upstream from this point is the Hwy 51 bridge crossing. Had the whole stretch of the river to myself this afternoon. Could have been the BWCA. Quiet, soft wind, perfect water, perfect sun. Great paddle today. Minutes from the house. Couldn't ask for a better setup.

A great video showing both kayak and SUP

Really like this video. good stuff. great place. don't know the guys, but I like their style.

Lake Michigan salmon like fisherman in Ultimate kayaks

I just read through a nice note from Keith Gelhar, a Lake Michigan kayak fisherman who we interviewed for "inland waters kayak fishing". He's been out in his Ultimate this summer and sent me a great article about a kayak fishing run of good luck he had on Lake Michigan. The picture above should take you right to it. Good read.

nice article about poling a kayak

poling, paddling and fishing all in a Native Watercraft Ultimate kayak. From a demo day that a kayak shop in Wilmington, out on the East Coast, put on a few months ago.

Devils Lake snapping turtle

Very impressive snapping turtle we encountered on a little walkabout we took at Devils Lake State Park. Almost garbage can lid size. It was right on the sidewalk, sadly right next to the edge of the road. I think she was trying to get a bit further inland and lay some eggs, as it looked like it had given up trying to get over the edge of the walk and had started to scratch out a hole with a VERY impressive set of claws on its left rear foot.Heat, bright sunshine, car traffic, people walking by, boaters, snorkelers, none of it seemed to phase this very impressive and prehistoric looking creature from the deep. I just hope it made it back to the deep. It was big enough that I was a bit nervous picking it up and walking it down to the water. I'm told turtles have surprising long necks and I did not want to confirm that.

Paddle And Portage 2009

Finally, this year I was in town and not tied up in soccer tournaments, vacations, and projects. So after a six year break, I did the Paddle & Portage again. This time around my kids were big enough, so Hayley did the first lake and half the portage. At the Capitol Square we met my wife and Lindsey took over from Hayley and did the rest of the portage and the second lake.The paddling was nice. I love the motion of a paddle moving through water. Even on a windy day with crosswinds and waves for most of the way. The first lake was really blustery, with a fairly large number of canoes meeting Davy Jones, although I don't think anyone actually sank. But they certainly got wet in some nasty looking green water. The portage was a good workout. I actually trained a bit for the portage. My neighbors were probably wondering what I was doing running around the block with a canoe in the weeks leading up to P&P. This is a great event. With at least 325 boats doing it this year, many other people seem to think so to. Put it on your calendar next year and come and give it a try!

Kayaks and Redfish along the Gulf Coast

Like peanut butter and jelly, kayaks and fishing go great together. Whether in the Chippewa Flowage up in Wisconsin or down on the Gulf Coast, kayaks are just right for all sorts of places and conditions. People too. Pictured above is Gary Taylor bringing in a nice redfish somewhere in his spot on the far side of Lake Borgne near Slidell, LA.

To the right is Danny Wray our Grand Isle guide and one of the redfish he brought in during the day we spent with him and his wife, Kristen (who I think may have caught a few more than he did...)

Down in the near-tropics of Port Mansfield Texas,
we hooked up with Ruben Garza and two of his co-guides for yet another great day on the water, in kayaks, paddling and poling after speckled trout and redfish.