November and December can provide some of the best opportunites for incredible kayak trips. I have kayaked this route many times (it is close to where I live), however, each time it seems to provide another type of kayaking opportunity. This is an interesting time of the year....the sun goes down so quickly (I believe as of late Nov. it is setting around 4:45 pm. or so). So in regards to kayak trips, it seems like to experience an entire day, a person needs to set off early.
Deer by river
beautiful view on the way back
I got off to a late start on this trip, but still wanted to get a paddle in. There were a couple of people in boats messing around (I think they were just going out for an hour or two). I was really surprised to see anyone out on the river in a boat. The paddle was excellent! It could not have been a nicer day. I stopped at the confluence point to head back, being mindful of the quick sunset. It is interesting how the river has been changing over the last year at this point. This is an area that used to have a large sandbar and a quick run next to (Meremac side). Most of the sandbar is gone, and the run is not quite as "skinny"....however, it seems the river at the confluence point is quite a bit more dangerous now then it was a year ago. You call tell when you paddle over there are more undertows and side currents then there was a year ago.
The wildlife were out, as you can see in the video. Came up on a nice pack of deer, one was at water level getting some water, as well as a small flock of wild turkeys (caught some nice shots on camera in the above video). This part of the Meremac River, although in a semi-urban area, has retained quite a bit of it's natural beauty. That is probably why it is one of my favorite paddles.
The river awaits you!
Paddle ON!
This is a trip from a week or so ago. We had a nice little warm up (windy, of course) and I got a chance to hit this beautiful lake in the heart of the Mark Twain National Forest, just south of Potosi, MO. The water at this lake is "gin clear"....I have fished it before and it reminds me of Table Rock Lake in southern Missouri.
It was a quick two hour paddle. I was fighting some wind and mild swells (minor white capping) so I stayed fairly conservative in exploration of the lake. I am like that when water temps are really cold, just to be safe.
This was just what the doctor had ordered! It had been a couple of weeks since I have paddled due to pulling a muscle in my back and the crazy schedule...this was excellent! It was super hot, so I took my time in the initial put in. I put in at the Route 66 State park ramp and went upstream. Caught a medium sized largemouth on a Chomper Hula Grub with a stand up jig in some structure and shade. I did not have a lot of fishing success the rest of the day.
It is amazing how much the gravel bar at the Big River confluence point has changed. The heavy current comes a lot further and has some weird undertows.
I took a quick break and did a quick swim....that is the greatest thing about kayaking in the summer time on river. No matter how hot it gets, as long as you can bring some water and can get in it, you really never have to worry about overheating.
I paddled up the Big River to the bridge. I got on film these huge carp that were laying in the sun. I was able to sneak up on them and scare them a bit. I stopped at the bridge due to an old rock dam/levee. I could have portaged around it, but I figured it would be good to get back (glad I did- about 15 min after I got out of the water, we had a thunderstorm).
Quick note: the real shame of the Big River is how much man made debris is on the bottom of the river (i.e pieces of metal, concrete stuff, etc). You can tell it has been like this for awhile. I would image it got there from attempts by people up river to keep the banks from eroding....at least I would like to think that is why.
This was the maiden voyage of the new Feelfree Atlantis 14 sea kayak. The temperatures were in the 50's and very windy. We paddled from the Route 66 State Park ramp to the confluence point of the Big River. This was a "getting to know you" paddle for me and the kayak. We had a few challenges getting the rudder controls adjusted, but other than that, it was a magnificent paddle
