Meremac River- Pacific Palisades CA, November 21st, 2012: Short but awesome trip- not exactly serene

Kayaking the Meremac River, Pacific Palisades CA, MO

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near St. Louis, Missouri

This is a conservation area I tried to kayak last year and never could seem to find the boat launch.  Technology and smart phones have so helped out the efforts to find boat launches.  I looked this one up and found it and decided I had a couple of hours to kayak before it got dark, so I went for it.  One of my favorite routes is just downstream at the Route 66 SP (see prior post).

The boat launch is nice, but you almost cannot find it (it is not signed very well from the main road).  I saw on a chat board in doing research that the launch has occasional problems with people breaking into cars and such.  I can see where that could take place here...very remote.
Earlier this year I heard a newstory about a teenager who drowned in these waters.  I can see, after kayaking this part of the river, how that would happen. The current in this part is medium, but the depths seem to go from 2' to 12' suddenly in many places.  The section that has the boat launch is right in the current and appears to be deep.  There is also an old gauging station about 300' upstream from the ramp that has a lot of old wood pilings and concrete blocks, but above and below water.  This is not a good place to swim!

I paddled up stream toward the Silica plant.  The railroad tracks are on the starboard side as you paddle upstream, so my title "not the most serene" comes from the noise of the plant and the railroad tracks.  I personally do not have much of a problem with this, but I have friends who would not want to paddle this section because of this (I consider myself to be a bit of an "urban kayaker" so I am good).  When you get up to the plant area, the river shallows out to about 2' and turns into a quick run.  I paddled it across, and could have gotten out of the kayak and portaged to go further, but I was running out of daylight, and wanted to explore the lake-inlet area of the CA.
What is cool about the Pacific Palisades area is that there is a lake in the middle of it that connects to the river.  I think it used to be a gravel quarry or strip mine of some sorts way back.This provides for a really nice wetland area right in the middle of the conservation area.  I padded a bit into it, and there were a couple of guys throwing decoys to duck hunt, so I turned around and headed back to the ramp.  Saw a nice herd of deer in the distance as I was heading back (I think the duck hunters scared them).
This will be a great place to come back in the summer time and explore some more.  I fished it a little, but did not have any results

Paddle ON!

Mike

Kayaking Meremac River between Route 66 Sp and Big River: Beautiful day chock full of wildlife!

Big River Confluence point

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!

Mike

kayaking the Meremac River from Route 66 SP to the Big River Confluence

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near St. Louis, Missouri

Best of July kayak bass fishing...Stockton, Beaver, Dardenelle, and Lake Sherwood

We have not had a lot of posts in regards to kayak touring over July...It has been so hot, the only way for me to do it is to use my Moken 13 SOT fishing kayak and get out and fish....and beach it on occasion and swim.
July was a great month in bass fishing....enjoy the video.  We have some trips planned with the sea kayak once it starts to cool down a little on us

You can see some cool fishing stories at www.fishmissouri.org

Paddle ON!

Mike

Missouri River Kayaking- Weldon Spring to St. Charles June 2nd, 2012

The trip was outstanding!  Ray and I have been wanting to do a "big river" trip for the last couple of weeks.  The Missouri River stage is really down right now, so it is a very quick and fun paddle.  Stage when we went out Saturday was about 12' gauge hght. and 66,000 flow (cfs).  I am marking this and saving it....I have paddled this river at different stages and this one had to be my favorite.  I think if they had the Race for the Rivers today, some records would be broke.

If you watch the film, when Ray comes up on the Page Extension Bridge,  I caught an Asian carp flying across his bow.  He had a couple of major carp come flying in front of his kayak, but unfortunately, my camera was off when it happened.

The slough that we went through just past the 40 bridge just beside the Chesterfield bottoms was outstanding.  It had a real nice flow running through it (we clocked about 4 mph) the entire stretch.  There is something about paddling the big rivers that just excites me.  I am already planning another trip, possibly the Alton Lock and Dam to the Gateway Arch.  Maybe this will be the summer we make it happen?

Paddle ON!

Mike

Kayaking the Missouri River- Weldon Spring to St. charles, Missouri

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Missouri

March Kayaking on the Little Red River, White County, Arkansas: Great 5 mile paddle to the falls!

The kayak has been grounded for a month or so due to some costly car repairs, so this trip was much needed and appreciated!  Our last kayak trip was on December 31st, which is way, way too long to wait to paddle.  Glad to be back!

This river is one of my favorites in Arkansas.  If you are looking for extreme kayaking or that kind of stuff, this would not be the river for you.  I have found it to be very calm with a slight current, and an easy paddle to get some milage in, as well as some fishing.

I decided to take it all the way to the dam/falls from the put in point (see map below for details).  The weather in Arkansas/Missouri has been incredibly mild this late winter.  The temps were in the 70's.  I decided to wear my Kokatat dry suit, due to the fact that I know the water temps are not that warm yet.  I brought my fishing rod, but did not have much success....still early in the season.  I spoke with a gentleman on the ramp who said they had walleye in the river, which sounded real intreging!

Life is better on a kayak!!

Paddle ON!

Mike

Kayaking the Little Red River, White County, Arkansas

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Arkansas

Team kayaking on Dardenne Creek/Mississippi River, St. Charles County, Missouri December 31st 2011

What an amazing last day of the year in the St. Louis area!  I am usually a solo paddler, however, on this trip we had a nice team of friends.  We put in at an old boat launch next to the new bridge by Kampville, MO.  Evidentally, the launch point used to be a really rowdy biker bar  that burned down (in other words, I do not know if it is really a public access point proper).  We paddled a mile or so up the creek.  There was a log jam that we just could not get around, or else we would have gone farther. 

We then proceeded to turn around and head back and kayak the Mississippi River.  The day was so incredible weather wise.  We get some pretty incredible days in Missouri sometimes in the winter time.  The Mississippi part was gentle...we had a little chop due to wind, but nothing major.

Ray and myself are thinking of doing this paddle again in spring/summer, and kayaking around Dardenne Island (refer to map below) and camping on the island for a day or two this upcoming year.  I think it would be great to set out from the launch point, kayak around the island, and set camp.  This seems like it would be a great, close, incredible adventure.  I have something for the Mississippi River...must be all the Mark Twain books I read as a kid!

Paddle ON!

Mike

Trip Miles: 5.7 miles

Kayaking Mississippi River/Dardenne Creek on the last day of 2011

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near St. Louis, Missouri

Little Dixie Lake, Callaway County, Missouri, December 27th, 2011: Windy winter paddle on a stumpy lake

snow= time to kayak!

We woke up on December 27th with about 2 inches of wet snow on the ground.  I decided that snow would not stop us from another winter paddle.  I was really dying to get out and try out my new Kokatat dry suit, so I was determined to get out.  Little Dixie Lake is located in the Little Dixie Wildlife area just before you get to Columbia, MO. off I-70.  I have fished this lake in the past, and it is a good lake to do so.  Incredible catfish lake, as well as a nice largemouth lake.  The lake is chock-full of stumps.  As you paddle to the back of the lake, it gets more shallow and has a lot of timber.  I am not the biggest fan of stumps since my experience with the sea kayak on Lake Conway in Arkansas (I got caught in a stump field and centered up on several stumps, almost tipping).  Especially in cold weather with cold water (dry suit or not)

View while eating lunch...amazing!

Took a quick lunch break and packed some soup.  Quick cooking tip:  if you have some instant rice cups, put them into boiling soup, seal up, and by the time you get ready to eat it, the rice is cooked into the soup- yum!  As I was taking in the scenery, I got a chance to watch a family of bluebirds as well as a red-headed woodpecker in action.  As cool as it was, the day was beautiful. 

The winds really started to kick in, and that provided the biggest challenge on this paddle.  I originally was going to go to Mark Twain Lake, but the winds were even more intense up that way.   I left the house when there was still snow on the ground and the winds were in my guess about 7 mph....by the time I got through the paddle I would say they were about 18 mph.  This difference really effects the lay of the lake.  Towards the end of the paddle, the lake really started to swell up, but not enough to white cap.  I decided to take it in and call it a day....this trip was a short one.

my new Kokatat dry suit

This is a great lake to kayak fish. I look forward to coming back with my SOT fishing kayak and doing some fishing here in the spring

Paddle ON!

Mike

Winter kayaking on windy Little Dixie Lake, MO.

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near Columbia, Missouri

Lake of the Ozarks, Camden County, Missouri December 16th, 2011: Great quick winter paddle- and had the whole lake to myself!

Lake of the Ozarks is a great flatwater lake to paddle in the winter months.  If you get a chance to hit it, especially in the winter months during the week day, you have a good shot at having the entire lake to yourself.  This trip was just about the paddle...I left my fishing gear at home for this one.  I was on my way back from Springfield, MO to St. Charles, MO., so I figured it would make sense to stop for a couple of hours and get a quick paddle.  I put off in the McCubbins point area of LOZ, located on the south side of the Lake of the Ozarks SP.
The weather was cool, but sunny, with a mild breeze.  Where I set out was flat and shallow.  I stuck with shoreline, which I think is something to consider in the winter in regards to safety.  However, I could not help myself once I saw the giant limestone cliffs on the other side of the lake, so I paddled over to the other side.  It was worth the view, as the film shows.
I think I got a mild case of either motion sickness or sea sickness.  I was looking down at my GPS or camera, or something, then I looked up at the cliffs, which I was right next to.  Next thing I know I felt a little dizzy, and my heart started to race a tad (I really think that part was maybe mental on my part).  I also think when you are kayaking you can "freak yourself out" sometimes, especially when you know the water temp is cold and you are all packed in, dressed in layers, spray skirt and all.  I decided to just paddle it out, drink some water, and not freak out.  I read a great article once about sea sickness and kayaking (which is a bad combo in a kayak, especially solo paddling).  The article suggested you keep your eyes on the horizon, and you can sometimes work out of a "situation".  This is what I did, and about 1/2 hour later , I started to feel a little better.  By the time I got the kayak back to the car, I felt just fine using that technique.  Note to self:  make sure not to fool around with GPS/camera stuff and look up suddenly.
Beautiful day, saw several great heron birds and several areas with fish rolling subsurface (next time a fishing rod is in order).

Paddle ON!

Mike

Lake of the Ozarks, McCubbins Point area

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Missouri

Incredible winter paddle on DeGray Lake, Hot Spring/Clark County Arkansas December 13th, 2011

DeGray Lake is located near the town of Arkadelphia, Arkansas about an hour south of Little Rock and about 60 miles north of the Texas/Arkansas border.  I was on a kayak fishing chat room and was told that DeGray has Alligators, however, I did not see any on this trip.

This lake is absolutely incredible!  It is speckled with little rock islands covered with various trees, many of the conifer variety, which, when I see these pine like trees, always reminds me of either northern Wisconsin or Colorado.
I did a little over 5 miles, setting off from the boat ramp at the state park and paddling around one of the larger islands and then crossing the channel to go around one of the smaller, rocky islands.  This time of year you can see a lot of different variety of ducks.  I hear that this lake is also known for its bald eagle winter population....I did not see any, but I am sure they are out there.  On the paddle back to shore, I heard the call of a wipper-will, which really gave the whole trip a nice effect...there was no one out on the lake, and it was incredibly calm, so the whole trip had a nice "zen-like" effect (which is what I really needed)

I would like to come back when it warms up and camp on one of the islands with the kayak.  I will be looking into what the exact regulations are in regards to that.
If you are down south, you owe it to yourself to explore this lake with a kayak or canoe

Paddle ON!

Mike

DeGray Lake Arkansas- excellent winter kayak trip

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Arkansas

Small stream paddling on the Loutre River, Montgomery County, MO. Sept 5th, 2011

The beginning slide of my Youtube video shows my 14' sea kayak attached to a kayak cart.  I debated even bringing this along....I am thankful I did!  I ended up doing about 4.5 miles, but much of it was dragging the kayak along the rock/sandbar to get to small pockets of water to paddle.  This would NOT be an enjoyable trip for an inexperienced paddler, or someone who was out of shape, or had any kind of joint injuries. 
So why did I continue to portage and move along the river?  I call it "Commitment to the paddle".  What else was I going to do that day, anyway?  Sit on the couch and watch other people be physically active?  I had told myself I wanted to explore this river.  I guess I get it from my military experience or something.  Seems like when you set out on a trip, you need to go all in...or don't go at all!

One of the rewards was the satisfaction of the trip.  This was a river I have been eyeballing for several years, always thinking "man, I would like to see what is up the river."  The second reward was getting on a bunch of fish towards the end of the trip (most were small, but I caught more than 10!).  I feel like it was a good day to get up on this river due to the wind anyhow.  If I would have been on, Horseshoe Lake, Illinois, for example, I probably would have had to "surf" the kayak back to shore.  Rivers and streams are much nicer on windy days.

Kayaking and Portaging the Loutre River, Missouri

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Missouri
If you ever want to know the difference between a stream and a river, the Loutre will help you to define the difference between the two.  It is a stream for sure!

Paddle ON!

Mike

Kayaking the Kaskaskia River, Randoph County, Illinois August 21st, 2011

Kayaking the Kaskaskia River Illinois

This put in spot for the Kaskaskia River is right next to Baldwin Lake in Randoph County.  I had set out on this trip not only to get some miles in, but also to get some fishing in as well.  The river has been channelized (I believe they did that in 1969) so there is the main channel, and a ton of old river channel going in all directions.  My friend Ray and I had made an attempt in the winter to access the river at this point, but this area was frozen over at the time, so I was grateful to finally have a chance to paddle this spot.
The main channel has a ton of ski boat/ pleasure boat traffic on the weekends.  I was able to navigate through this with the kayak.  It was fortunate that the put in area of the river is a no wake area.  I paddled across the main channel and followed the original channel until the end of it.  The place is TEEMING with asian carp.  If you watch the Youtube video below, watch very carefully when the jon boat goes by.....you can see a couple of them jumping out of the water on the back end of the boat.  I had one jump out right by the kayak (I was throwing a rat-l-trap lure real fast in hopes of snagging one of them- I scared one right by the yak)
This is an interesting river....I would say that the attributes are more like the Mississippi River than a small stream (same kind of river fare in regards to the fishing).


This would be a river I would like to continue to explore.  I think we could do some major miles on this going into the fall and winter.

Paddle ON!

Mike

7.8 Mile paddle on the Little Maumelle River, Arkansas August 9th, 2011

This was one of those trips where you leave the fishing gear in the car, and just push yourself to see how far you can go.  I have been "eyeballing" this spot (you can see it from the interstate) all winter long.  They have been building a cycle/pedestrian bridge to connect the shore with the island on the other side.  You could not have asked for any better weather, although be it a bit warm.

Kayaking the Little Maumelle River near Little Rock, Arkansas

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking near Little Rock, Arkansas

I really enjoyed the houseboats about 1/2 way through the paddle (they are on the video) as well as all the incredible beauty of the trip.  There is something about pine trees next to water with big hills all around it.  Blue herons abound, with the cool old trees sticking up out of the channel.  My goal was to get up close to Pinnacle Mntn., however, in keeping an eye on my watch, I had to turn around at some point.  I think this would be a great all day paddle sometime, and would definitely be a good winter paddle.  Also, I think when I come back next time, I will go for less miles and fish it extensively.

Paddle ON!

Mike

Elk River, McDonald County, Missouri: Nice 4.5 mile paddle, will be great fall/winter paddle!

We had some weather moving through, so I was not sure I was even going to be able to get this paddle done, due to that, but I decided to take a chance.  The Elk River in Missouri is interesting, due to the fact that there does not seem to be a lot of access points (very much like some of the rivers in Arkansas).  I went to a couple of points that were on my paddlers guide, that ended up being dead ends.  The area I went to (near Blue Eye, Missouri) was not even on the map as an access point.  It was located right next to a canoe livery/campground.

My title says it all.....ton of canoe traffic.  I do not mind other people on the river, but unfortunately this time of year, you get some people that do not have much of a respect for the rivers....they view Ozark streams as places to get drunk on, throw beer cans and trash all over the place, piss in the water (amongst other functions) and generally be loud and stupid.  I know for a fact all people that rent canoes are not like that, but it is the rest of them that gives it a bad name.  I was able to pick up a couple of pieces of trash and stow them until I got to shore, but this river really needs a clean up.  You would think that the canoe liveries located around the area would have some people a couple of times a week form some sort of a "stream team" to help out....it would be good for business!

The fishing was a bit off, but the paddle felt good.  I am looking forward to coming back to this place in the fall/winter when all the traffic dies down.
Paddle ON!

Mike

kayak fishing the Elk River, Missouri

Share your Adventures with SpotAdventures

Bourbouse River, June 26th, 2011: Tough paddle with storm on back

I have to say I love each and every single opportunity to kayak, especially on rivers.  It seems like when you step out on a river, there are always new lessons.  This river and put in point is special....It was the first river I kayaked when I got my first kayak a few years ago. I wanted to come back and check it out again and do a little fishing.
The current on the Bourbouse at this point is somewhat strong, but what makes it a challenge (in regards to paddling up stream) is that it is skinnier and has a lot of debris in the current.  There was one point I had to get out of the boat and portage, get back in and paddle 75', then get back in, repeat process.  I almost think sometimes that will wear you out more than anything.  As I stopped at the last sandbar, it had looked like a storm was moving in, so I got busy getting back to the car with a sense of urgency.  That is the reason I paddle upstream when I kayak alone....always a wise move.

Paddle ON!

Mike

Kayak Fishing off Hatterras Island, Pamilico Sound, North Carolina: Wide variety of saltwater fish in the sound!

This is the video I posted to our http://www.fishmissouri.org/ site.  North Carolina does not really count as the "Midwest", however, we go out there every year for our annual family vacation, and I just had to post it.  If you get a chance to ever paddle the Outer Banks in North Carolina, you owe it to yourself to do so.  I did quite a few miles up and down the sound, and just basically fished and enjoyed the experience.  I ended up renting a Necky sit inside kayak in lieu of bringing either one of the kayaks from St. Louis.....I thought it was a good choice and really enjoyed the experience.
The sound is such an interesting place to paddle.  You can be at shore and it looks calm, but get about 1/2 mile out, and the waves can be pretty intense due to the wind (especially when they are going from east to west).
I cannot wait to get back and get on even more Outer Banks kayaking next year!

Paddle ON!

Mike

White River, Washington County, Arkansas June 4th, 2011: Great 6 mile kayak trip on the White River

Upper White River, 6.5 mile Kayak paddling trip

Share your Adventures with SpotAdventures

Really enjoyed my time on the White River, just south of Beaver Lake in Arkansas.  This is a very docile river, at least at this stage.  Lake is still high and so is the river- high and slow.  There were some pretty incredible back bay type areas, chock full of White egrets and Blue Herons, as well as an abundance of Kingfishers.
I fished it as well in preparation for the kayak fishing tournament I entered for the next day.  On the map where it ends, there was a really nice, fast run.  If I was to continue on, I would probably portage it to the other side.  Instead, I parked on a rock bank and swam for a spell in the river.  That felt good considering it was in the mid 90's.   I will be coming back again to paddle and fish this stretch of river.  Check out the video below to see what I mean.

Flow(Cfs): 400 cfs
Guage Height: 11'

Paddle ON

Mike

Illinois River, Benton County, Arkansas: Challenged the kayak on a faster upstream paddle

The reason I went out to hit this water was that I was fishing the riverbass.com kayak tournament.  The actual fishing part was slow, and was an epic fail...however, I was really proud of the fact that I got a little more aggressive on the kayak on some swifter waters.
This river really reminds me of the Meremac River in Missouri near the Steelville area.  Access points for this river on the Arkansas side are a little harder to find, but when you find a put in, it is well worth it.
I kayaked up stream, and portaged and fished the shoals and runs.  Did about 3 1/5 miles, but it felt like 7, for sure.
This river is very, very beautiful and well worth the paddle!

Paddle ON!

Mike

Illinois River Arkansas- Kayaking and fishing

Share your Adventures with SpotAdventures

Evening Paddle on Table Rock Lake, Stone County, Missouri May 31st, 2011

Check out how high the water is as I kayak through the Aunts Creek Corps of Engineers playground.  Sometimes the best of paddles are the ones where you do not think you have enough time to kayak that day, but you do so anyway.
I love this time of the year due to the fact the technically you can paddle well past 8:00 p.m.  Got a couple of nice shots...hope you enjoy

Paddle ON!

Mike

Creve Coeur Lake, St. Louis County, Missouri May 10th, 2011: Quick paddle/fishing trip in between rain storms and flood waters

The rain and water levels have been so incredibly bad in the Missouri/Arkansas/Ozarks area over the last couple of weeks.  Table Rock Lake hit a record high, and there has been rain more days than sun.  So, the paddling in this part of the country has been a bit "challenging".  One of the funniest post I saw on facebook was a kayak shop that sent a quick reminder out: "kayakers please note- Flood water is NOT whitewater".  I found that to be quite humorous.
I did get a chance, however, for a quick paddle and some fishing at Creve Coeur Lake in St. Louis County, Missouri in between out of town trips.  My original intention was to fish and paddle Lake Sherwood in Warren County, however, I got about 1/2 to the destination, and realized that I did not pack the paddle....hmm....  I am glad I just laughed at it, turned around,  got the paddle, and then went to Creve Coeur.  Life is too short to be angry!  Just had to laugh......

Paddle ON!

MLT

Lake Sherwood, Warren County, MO, April 17th 2011: Fishing a little Slow, great day for a kayak fishing trip!

Lake Sherwood- kayaking and fishing

Share your Adventures with SpotAdventures