Beaver Lake, Arkansas March 23rd, 2011, Table Rock Lake, Missouri March 24th 2011: Wind and big fish the story

Beaver Lake, Blue Springs Use Area, Arkansas March 23rd, 2011

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I got chance to kayak the lower arm of Beaver Lake on March 23rd.  It really got warm which means it really got windy.  If you get a chance to click on the short video, you see what I mean.  I basically kayaked and fished the cove.  The ramp had quite the pitch and a lot of traffic, so this gave me an opportunity to give my kayak cart a try (works much better with my sea kayak then my heavier, wider fishing kayak). 

The video was shot when I attempted to get up on the main channel.  The waves were just too much for me, so I turned it around and headed back towards the bridge.  The kayak was cooking!  I swear I must have been going 5 knots by the time I got to the bridge.  After that, I decided it was time to call it a day and head back to the ramp.  I am anxious to come back to this area under some calmer conditions.

The next day I had a couple of hours to paddle Table Rock Lake in Stone County, Missouri.  Conditions the next day were much nicer.  We still had a little wind, but it was more manageable.  This paddle trip was more about the fishing.  I kayaked about 2 miles, and had a lot of time to fish some of the coves.  I caught one of the biggest Largemouth Bass I have ever caught (full story at http://www.fishmissouri.org/ )  It is truly amazing how incredibly clear the water is at Table Rock Lake.  This is one incredible lake!

Paddle ON!

MLT

Finger Lakes State Park, Boone County, Missouri: Great place to Kayak in Mid-Missouri

We had a great day of kayaking at Finger Lakes State Park just north of Columbia, Missouri on March 20th, 2011.  This is a reclaimed Peabody Coal strip mine.  There are miles and miles of old trenches that have been converted into lakes.  I caught a really nice crappie at the end of one of these last year, so when I come back I will need to bring a fishing pole for sure.
We did about 6.8 total miles. I am going to tally up all the miles so far this year and set up some sort of a paddling goal for the year....should be fun, and a good way to keep in shape. 
The area has a lot of evergreen-type trees, so it kind of reminds me of what Canada could look like....I would love to kayak the boundary waters in northern Minnesota/Southern Canada real soon!

Paddle ON!

MLT

Finger Lakes State Park, Boone County, Missouri: Windy yet incredible kayak adventure

Finger Lakes State Park, Boone County, Missouri

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Surf Illinois! Kayaking Horseshoe Lake, Madison County, Illinois, March 17th, 2011

If you get a chance, watch this short clip all the way towards the last few minutes.  All I have to say is that there is a reason we paddle against the wind to start.  The waves started to wip up and white cap with some incredible waves (at least for Illinois) and we rode the kayaks all the way in.
Landing at the dock was a challenge, but we were able to get it done.  This lake is REALLY influenced by the effects of wind shear.  Great time kayaking!

Paddle ON!

MLT

Urban Kayaking! Nameoki Slough, Horseshoe Lake, Illinois: Urban exploring with kayaks!

This is the first of (2) videos shot at Horseshoe Lake, Illinois in Madison County, Illinois.  The first half of the kayak trip was dedicated to exploring the Nameoki Slough that empties into Horseshoe Lake.  I always wanted to know what it would be like going under roads and railroad tracks with a kayak....now I know!
Horseshoe Lake is a very urban paddle.  You can see the skyline for metro St. Louis, as well as see, hear and smell the U.S.Steel- Granite City Foundry.  The main part of the slough is very shallow (I would guess 2 feet or less), so this would not work with a traditional boat. 
The second half of the paddle we explored the main lake.  It was INCREDIBLY windy, and so when you watch that video, you will see us almost surfing the kayaks back to shore.

Paddle ON!

MLT

Horseshoe Lake, Monroe County, Illinois: Great urban kayak trip- wind made paddle very interesting!

Urban Kayaking-Surf Illinois! Horseshoe Lake Illinois

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This was a great trip...I am producing (2) film clips.  One is of us kayaking under road and railroad tracks in the Nameoki Slough, the other film is kayaking the main lake and then the "surf" we road coming back to shore.  Very, very enjoyable trip with my good friend, Ray Schroeder.

Paddle ON!

MLT

Fourche La Fave River, Arkansas, March 9th 2011: Quick evening paddle on the Forche in Arkansas

This was a nice, quick paddle.  The temps got a bit low, but that was alright due to the fact that at this point we were out of the wind.  Got a chance to paddle with a Great Blue Heron in front of the kayak the whole trip.  I also saw one of the healthiest Red Foxes I have ever seen.  Seemed real unfortunate that so many have used this river as a trash can.  Could really use a stream team to clean it up.  Seemed to have pipes dumping right into the river as well.  Could be a real scenic river on the east end if it was just cleaned up a bit....a real shame.  Seems like a river with some real potential.

Paddle ON!

MLT