So with the winter fading away up here in the great white North I was finally able to get my Coosa out for the first float of the 2012 fishing season. I decided to spend the day on what’s considered to be the Blue Ribbon section of the Bow River just south of Calgary from Mckinnon Flats to the Carsland Weir. It was a solo float and I spent most of day exploring the new holes formed over the winter. Some great holding spots have been created with the ever changing river and although early at this point in the season they will be home to some great catches in the future. I hooked up with a few good trout on the float with the highlight being an acrobatic Rainbow in the 22’’ range ,not uncommon for this section of the river. It made for a great start to the season. This is my favorite section of the Bow river and floating it in my Coosa is one of the reasons I’m addicted to Kayak Fishing. Here’s a quick Video of some highlights of the float.

http://youtu.be/Fw4jdi1WQWw

Stephen Laurie – Jackson Kayak Fishing Team

Click here to view the embedded video.

Once there we found out that the New River was actually dropping, and the epic waves of the New River Dries were not going to be high enough for us to surf. We were about a day too late. We quickly started to look around for what else might be running at the time. I was aware of a sweet wave called Surprise Wave located just upstream of the normal gorge run. Though all the locals told us the water was still too high for Surprise Wave, but with nothing else to do we went to check it out anyways.

What a surprise (no pun intended), the wave was in. We lucked out and got a sweet level on the wave, with no one else except Dane, Emily, EJ, Courtney and myself.

It was a super steep wave offering up some great airtime easy to stay on the wave. After a couple hours of surfing and hucking some aerial treats we headed down stream and finished the rest of the New River gorge, which on it’s own is an awesome run.

We finished the day off with a couple beers and some amazing pizza at Pies and Pints. We spent the night in Fayettville then Dane and I packed up again and started the 38-hour drive to California…

Picture taken of me in my Superstar – go pro fixed to the end of the paddle shaft. Got some great photos, but will have to change the lens that inevitably got scratched.

It has been a strange year adjusting to a life away from the Ottawa Valley and the Canadian Rockies, but, it has been an amazing journey.

My perception of kayaking in this area was poor, at best. But with the help of a few amazing locals I have been shown that this area has a lot to offer.

Red Deer, being only a few hours from some great class V creeking and next too one of the most perfect holes I have ever surfed has kept spirits high.

This month saw the start to snow melt. With that some friends and I have managed to get out and start of the 2012 season. There is a lot on the schedule for this summer so stay tuned. Here are a few screen pics…

http://foammagazine.com/articles/1935-q-a-kayaker-emily-jackson

1. South Branch of the Feather – 755 feet in one mile and 0 portages.

Fun fact – The South Branch drops 600 feet of that total in the final .6th of a mile and really only Chris Korbulic’s 199 Problems falls out of a very doable class V realm.

2. South Fork Silver Creek – 656 feet in one mile with one portage

Fun fact- The entire run is only a mile and can be done far quicker by boat than by car

3. Yuba Gap 561 feet in one mile with 0 Portages.

Fun fact - Most people make plenty of Portages through this the final steep mile of the run, but one bright sunny day a few year’s back Lane Jacobs ran everything.

4. Upper Cherry Creek – Possibly the best mile of Kayaking in the top 5 with 528 feet of gradient in 1 mile and only a few 5 + drops to contend with.

Fun Fact – Stretching your mile to 1.2 will get you 20 more meters of gradient and would put Upper Cherry in the third spot

5. Middle Fork Kings – In the Area just above the washbowl to well into the manky boulders below good morning gorge the middle kings drops 525 feet in a mile.  Only problem is the last .4 miles is very often portaged with one that is mandatory.

6. West Cherry – 508 feet in a mile including Graceland.

Fun Fact - This would be one of the steepest were it not for a quarter mile long meadow in the middle of this mile also I am pretty sure everyone has made a few portages through the manky slides in the bottom part of that mile.

7. Lower North Fork of the San Joaquin – 492 feet in a mile with one portage around 3 rapids.

Fun Fact – This stretch of the North Fork of the San Joaquin has only seen one descent because it requires the most grueling hike out in California kayaking in lieu of certain doom from high water in the Crucible.

8. Dinky Creek – 482 feet in a mile with one Portage.

Fun Fact – There is a really steep mile upstream that has been canyoneered but never attempted by kayak.

9. Upper North Fork of the San Joaquin - 476 feet in the first mile from Hemlock Crossing with one mandatory portage around a 40 – 50 foot falls.

Fun Fact – This could be one of the best run’s in California if combined with the lower.  Only draw back is hike in and hike out.

10. Bridge Creek (Salmon River) – 469 feet in one mile and is the only entry to make it in that is outside the Sierra Nevada located in the Marble Mountains of Northern California.  Recent reports suggest a once totally runnable mile is now choked with wood.

Honorable Mention:

Haypress Creek – (A note from Brandon Knapp) Haypress Creek next to Bridge has something like a 900 foot mile with only 2 or 3 portages. All but one of them would go on the right day. Not saying the run is worth doing though!

Upper Middle Consumnes – (A note from Daniel Brasuell) – 420 feet in one mile with only a single portage.  It is also worth noting that prior to the log flushing out of a drop called Tony Hawk it was a no portage mile.

Lower Silver Fork of the American – Drops 406 feet in one mile and the complete mile including Car Wash is one of the gnarliest and has only been run a hand full of times that I know of including a first descent by Scott Lindgren and later run by Brandon Knapp, Willy Kern, Tao Berman, and Alex Hotze.

Devil’s Post Pile San Joaquin – Below a mile long portage the river drops 400 feet in one mile that is game on!

Royal Gorge of the American – From above Heath Springs lead-in one mile down the river drops 360 feet with most of that drop happening in the first 3rd of that mile.

Fantasy Falls of the Mokelumne – Droping 356 feet in a mile and runnable with over a 1000 cfs, the mile of whitewater through the Total Reality Vortex Gorge is one of the finest in the World.

Courtney entering Knife's Edge

I found out on Wednesday about the Spring Moose Festival here in Lyons, New York, just shy of the Canadian Border.     We packed the RV and headed north as it has been so long since I have been here that I can’t remember when my last time was!

We arrived to a  very hospitable town, with Rocky leading us in to the local park to put the RV here for the weekend.    ”No Dogs” on the sign, but Rocky and the Mayor said, “Don’t worry about it, we want you here and you just park there and have fun!”   Sweet!

It was too late to run the river, but I saw on Google earth that there were some sweet ponds around in the river’s “Oxbows” that looked perfect for Bass fishing.    I pulled my Coosa off the roof of the RV and got my best spinner bait, and a Zara Spook out and went to a little pond that said “no fishing” on it and asked the guy who lived on it and owned it if I could fish there and he was more than welcoming… another SWEET situation!     15 bass and 90 minutes later, plus another 10 small pickerel and I was ready to get home as it was getting dark and I was hungry.

Another Awesome Coosa Day

View from the Cockpit

I took Kristine to the “Boondocks” restaurant/pub for dinner for date night.  I had the biggest philly cheese stake in the world!

Saturday AM- got up and met a bunch of folks who came in that night and we headed to the river.    Courtney and I in the Zens, awesome!

First slide into a big hit if you go underwater and it is hard to keep the bow dry there watching everyone get ripped to the back deck and flip.    Courtney found a hard left line that I followed that allowed us to hit a kicker that is mostly dried out.    I got wet but barely and will do that line today for sure as the boof was super fun and fast!

Each rapid has some good moves and the run was more full on than I remember.    It is a solid run for sure.     The day progressed with little incident other than one person in our group swimming out of the bottom hole in Sureform and his boat having to be pulled out with a tedious mid river rescue that took an hour.   Three or four swims in our group before it was all over (not Courtney or I, Courtney surfed out of that hole)

Last night was a fun spaghetti dinner by the town here at the park, plus some live music.  I brought “ladder ball” and we had our boats out for people to check out.  NY is a state where JK is an unknown brand for the most part.  Yes, people know of JK but they haven’t really tried them yet, so they don’t know what they are missing!   It was good for me to come and give people a chance to see the boats up close and today we’ll demo some out.    This is a perfect area for the Zen!

I was the photographer on this trip, so no pictures of me.  Here are some good photos of Courtney, from New Zealand, to New York!  I am fired up for another day on the Moose!

EJ

The Fun Runner is one of the most comfortable kayaks on the market.   I am 6’4” with size 13 feet and fit in the boat with shoes on and room to spare.  The boat has a large cockpit so I can pull my knees to the middle of the kayak to relax in flat water.  While short playboats are not uncomfortable to me, I still do not want to spend an entire day sitting in the boat without getting out and stretching.  The Fun Runner is as comfortable as a creek boat and I could spend a full day in one with ease.

The outfitting on Jackson kayaks is simple and easy to use.  The Fun Runner has an adjustable bulkhead that can breakaway in case of a piton.  No smashing your toes in this boat.  I threw a couple of hip pad shims in and was on the water in less than two minutes.

The performance of the Fun Runner was amazing.  The boat is not a creek boat but can handle like one.  The boat is not a playboat but can surf like one.  The boat runs rivers like a dream and is so much fun to paddle.  Catching eddies has never been so sweet.  The boat snaps in and out of eddies like a rally car on a tight corner.  The boat slips and slides down a river with a planning hull and solid edges.  You can use the currents and put the boat on edge and it tracks with precision.   I never back endered in the Fun Runner as the stern stays put when crossing funky currents and punching holes.

The kayak is incredibly fast and makes ferrying easy.  Catching waves on the fly is simple and I could surf green waves that a playboat would not stay on.  When planing on a wave the kayak surfs like a playboat.  The Fun Runner carves, bounces, spins, and can even blunt.  Enders and stern squirts are accessible.

The uses of the Fun Runner are endless.  The kayak is great at running rivers and playing on your way down.  I feel comfortable on easy Class V and the boat gives you so many options to play as you paddle downriver.  I cannot think of a better kayak for the Grand Canyon or other long river trips with big green glassy waves.  The ease of paddling and performance of the boat make it a quiver killer for everything except the hardest whitewater and the new-school play moves.

If you are in Jackson, WY check out Rendezvous River Sports http://www.jacksonholekayak.com/ for all your paddling needs and all the new Jackson kayaks.  Below is a quick GoPro edit of the Class IV-V Bear River in Idaho.  Notice how stable the Fun Runner is as it punches holes with ease.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Trey Leggett

   The following day was filled with game planning, socializing with other kayak fishermen, getting bait, and organizing tackle and gear for tournament day.  That evening all participating kayak anglers attended the mandatory Captain’s meeting at the Ramallah Club.  435 anglers registered for the event.  Drew Gregory was set up at the entrance door showing off the Jackson Cuda and Big Tuna, many of the participants stopped to check out the kayaks.  During the Captain’s meeting Drew was called up on stage to talk about Jackson Kayak and their participation in this year’s event by providing a Jackson Cuda for one of the prizes.

   After the Captain’s meeting Drew asked if anyone had a room to share for the night, since he had driven in town that day he hadn’t made any reservations and all motels/ hotels were booked due to the TPC, Funk Feast, and a ship came.  Steve Gibson and I were staying in the same room and told Drew he could use our floor space or room chair.  Back at the room, Steve and Drew began rigging for the next day and prepping their gear.  I won’t go into detail, but Drew needs an inshore fishing rod & reel sponsor!!  As we began to settle down for a few hours sleep, I noticed Drew airing up his camping pad so he could crash on the floor.  Steve gave him a blanket and we each threw him a pillow to ease his comfort.  I knew Drew was a trooper and hardcore, but just before I turned out the lights I saw that Drew had set up his sleeping quarters under the motel rooms vanity.  Wow!  I wish I would have taken a picture of his little encampment.  He said he was good and it beat the conditions he slept in for the previous few days camping along the Devil’s river in Texas. 

   Tournament morning came in a flash and off we were to the fishing grounds.  Steve, Drew, and I had chosen to fish in different locations.  Fishing started at “Safe Light”, which on this day was 6:10am.  I began the day throwing top water plugs in hopes of finding some trout and soon switched to soft plastic lures and popping corked plastics and mud minnows.  My first fish was a feisty 23 inch redfish that pulled my Jackson Cuda around for awhile before I got it landed and photographed.  My next fish was another redfish measuring 21 inches.  I landed several flounder tournament day, but all of them were below competitive measurements.  In true typical tournament day fashion, the winds blew angrily all day.  In spite of covering many miles on the water, the Jackson Cuda did just fine in the wind and currents.

   Many nice fish were caught by Jackson paddlers and the rest of the anglers in the tournament.  Congratulations to all the winners!  407 anglers actually fished the event and $35,000 was raised for the events charities.  Drew, Steve, and I talked to many anglers about the Cuda and Big Tuna kayaks, there was a lot of interest. 

Showing off the Cuda

 Here’s a graph of winners and top scorers.

Trey Leggett

Jackson Kayak Fishing Team

Sisterhood on the river is awesome!

In case anyone hasn’t heard, the 5th Annual Boaterchick Festival is this weekend!! The days (and nights) will be loaded with fun, food, and sisterhood. Everyone will be meeting and camping at Nelson’s Nantahala Hideaway on Friday through Sunday. Trips just for fun and plenty of learn-how-to (creek, playboat, slalom, SUP) clinics will be going out daily to local rivers like the Nantahala, Tuckaseegee, Ocoee, Cheoah, Chattooga, and even the Green Narrows! This is a great opportunity to experience paddling a new river in a easy-going environment with other ladies, get tips and progression help, make lots of new friends, and enjoy the weekend. There will even be a couple of competitions with prizes; a race on the Class IV Cheoah and a friendly freestyle competition during the playboat clinic. As part of the instructor line up, I will be teaching the Ocoee clinic and making the competition fun and exciting! From running challenging lines on the Ocoee to hitting that loop or cartwheel, I will be giving my full undivided attention to the ladies who want their best Ocoee day ever. I hope to see some new faces this year, and I can’t wait to see the ones I have missed since last year…

I am truly grateful to Anne Connelly for being the founder of this awesome event… it has created a cohesive bond between more women in the whitewater community than ever before, especially by bridging the gap between the regions! So come on down and join us for Boaterchick Fest… Boater dudes are welcome too!

So don’t forget:
All clinics (including mine) meet at Nelson’s Hideway Campground at 9AM on Saturday.

And for complete info visit:

Boater Chick Festival

http://boaterchickfestival.info/index.html

See you there!

-Kat Levitt

http://rockyoursoulkayaking.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/jackson-rogue-how-to-support-thyself-in.html

Boating is still great here in Idaho. I promised that I would send the video about my desert trip to the Bruneau River. Mike, Jim, Jon, & I waved good bye to our shuttle driver and began to hike into the river canyon. We were all getting dressed when I heard an oh-no. I turned in the direction of my friend Jim as he choked out, “I forgot my spray skirt.”

Here’s a link to what we did.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s to kayaking!

Devon, Mike, Jon, & Jim

Clair is currently living in Reno and boating with our local comunity. She just got off the Grand and I was super staoked to hear that she took the Fun Runner as her boat of choice for the trip. Here is what Claire had to say about the Fun Runner on her trip.

Testing out the Fun Runner, Grand Canyon style.

I’ve recently been lucky enough to take one of the New Jackson Fun Runners for the best test run ever.
8 weeks ago I was sat at home in the UK pondering over the big dilemma of the day! A great dilemma but a dilemma all the same! In just under 2 weeks I would be flying out the USA to paddle the Grand Canyon and I had no idea which boat to take. I had spoken to friends who had been before and the consensus from them was all the same. ‘You want a river play boat, something that will paddle really well on the big white water, be fast enough and fun enough to catch and surf the big water waves and will be light, fast and easy to paddle on the flat water days!’

Luckily for me this decision coincided with the release of two new Jackson boats over in the UK; the Zen and the Fun Runner. I took them both out for a test run at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham, the closest thing I could find to the Grand Canyon in the UK at the time. The 18 c/m/s 500m Grade 3 man made white water course in the heart of the beautiful world renowned city of Nottingham! had so many similarities (cough cough!) to the 15,000 cfs 282 miles grade 1 -10 Grand Canyon in the desert, one of the 7 wonders of the world! It was the perfect pre trip testing ground!
I jumped in the Zen first and loved it. It handled well, surfed and spun well especially for a river running boat and felt great. But then I jumped in the Fun Runner and instantly new that this was the boat for the trip. Super comfy (essential for a 19 day trip). Really fast on the flat and on the fluffy stuff. Loose through the rapids, tracking and holding its line really well, changing speeds on demand, carrying momentum and direction in and out of the eddies. And, most importantly for me, picking up every wave perfectly responding as requested to every move gliding, spinning, surfing and cruising around. The boat just felt great.

It had been almost 6 years since I last choose to paddle a river play boat on a trip, with more recent trend being for 2 boats (1 for creek and 1 for play), but instantly this boat felt right. It was great to be back to the world of ‘one boat does it all’.

I can defiantly say that the decision was 100% right. The Fun Runner didn’t disappoint when I got it in the Grand Canyon. From the boily mess that was the flat-water days to the steep, fast, big water grade 10 (Grand Canyons own unique grading system 1 – 10 instead of 1 – 4+/5). The boat handled like a dream. I surfed some of the biggest, steepest waves I’ve ever seen and some of the smoothest perfect smaller (1 foot high several feet wide) glassy, green waves. I didn’t try any of the big air modern day high scoring tricks that I would normally be trying in my play boat not because they wouldn’t go, I am sure with the right person in the boat they would, but mainly because I didn’t need too. The amount of fun that could be had from just surfing and spinning around in this boat was just insane. A few times I found myself being left behind as the group pushed on down the river as I tore up and cruised from wave to wave. And river running wise… it was perfect. It cut through the rapid effortlessly, tracking and holding lines, manovering around, over, under, through everything it met smoothly even on the more technical lines. Punching through even the biggest holes and wave it was just lovely and it rolled like a dream.

During the trip everyone (5ft -6ft4, 8 – 15 stone) had chance to jump in it and the responses were always the same. The bigger lads could tail squirt, blunt and ender the ‘60’ play boating their way down the rapids and eddy lines and the smaller paddlers in the ‘60’ and the bigger paddlers in the ‘70’ just all round loved it on the rapids, flat water and waves.

I would defiantly recommend anyone who wants a really great all round boat to try it out.
And if you do just so happen to get chance to test it out on the Grand Canyon I highly recommend that you run the right to left line on Lava and surf the 1 foot perfectly glassy wave on river right at about 85 miles on day 6, it is the perfect testing ground.

Photo Credit for both shots to Anna Pimpelle

This week was my first experience in the Big Tuna from Jackson Kayak. I put it through the ultimate test of a kayak here in Texas; I took it down the Devils River. Not that any trip down the Devils River is a regular trip, but this trip went beyond normal.

We took a four day trip and loaded two Jackson Coosas and three Big Tunas with eight people (seven non-Texans plus myself) and more gear than any logical person would take down a river. But what are you going to do when you need to get all that gear down river to film a TV show. Luckily most of us knew our way around a kayak and a river.

If you know anything about the Devils River, you know you have to drag your kayak in areas. With that much gear and with the water levels down, we had to drag the boats more than usual. I was a little bit worried about taking such heavy boats down the river with all the sharp limestone and fossilized oyster reefs. I have know of several boats that were loaded with normal amounts of gear, that ended up broken and eaten up by the Devils River. But what was I going to do except give it a shot.

Day one and two were spent dragging the boats over the rocks and through the shallow rapids. The bottom of the boats got cut up a little bit, but not one sprung a leak of any sort. I was dragging my boat with the sound man, his sound gear, his extra batteries, his camping and personal hear, and my camping gear all packed inside or sitting on top. Needless to say, the boat was not light with all this. I was amazed at how well it stood up to that abuse. We discovered that the stand-assist straps can be moved and attached to the front handle, making a “handle extender” and allowing you to pull the boats around without having to bend over.

There was enough water for most of day three that we did not have nearly as much dragging. But day three did include the likes of Dolan Falls as well as several class two and three rapids like Indian Creek Rapids and Three Tier. We portaged the falls, but ran the rest of the rapids. The Big Tuna handled itself pretty well in the sharp turns and short drops that are common throughout the devils. Only once during the trip did a Tuna roll over and that was a mistake of the crew, not the boats fault. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances of the trip, I was unable to play with paddling the boat from the solo position through anything difficult, so I can’t report on that. But with two paddlers, the boat handled itself wonderfully.

On the flat-water pools between the rapids, the boat tracked very well. We did not have a rudder installed, but the boat paddled straight ahead. It was surprisingly faster than I expected. It was also a very stable platform. I was able to jump in and out and climb all around the boat without feeling like we were going to tip once.

Due to the packing situation that we were faced with, I was unable to play with the seating positions much, but they looked like they were just about endless. Another cool feature was the “Tuna Tank.” It sits in the middle of the boat, between the two seats, and can easily be opened from either side. Even without drilling holes and turning it into a live bait-well, the tank will take on water. So do not make the mistake of assuming that this is dry storage. We did keep a bass in one of the tanks for a while to test it out, and it performed like it should. I will be interested in trying to put a five bass stringer limit inside the tank for a tournament. I wonder if it would keep the fish healthy. If it does, this could be a great tournament kayak to compete against power boat anglers. I think someone like Tray Collins should try this out.

There is some storage inside the hull of the kayak, but this is limited. It is more than you would need for a day trip, or probably even a regular camping trip, but it wasn’t enough to carry all the gear you need to film a TV show. But that is ok because there is plenty of room on top and behind the back seat.

I did not get to fish from the Big Tuna, but I did have the opportunity to stand in it quite a bit. I think it is even more stable when standing than wither my Coosa and the Cuda. I can’t emphasize enough how stable the Big Tuna is.

Overall that Big Tuna exceeded my expectations, but why would I expect anything less from fishing boat made by Jackson Kayak. I am looking forward to getting my own in the near future. I think it will be the perfect boat to take my son out in once he is a little bit older. I also think it would be a great guide boat for any of you kayak or river guides out there. If you have any questions, let me know.

-Pat Kellner

No, but this past week has offered us some amazing weather…. beautiful sunny days perfect for enjoying the amazing outdoors the Northwest has to offer.

Today at lake Sammamish, we finished the set-up of the Jackson Kayak booth for the Northwest Paddling Festival and had some on-water clinics with the awesome staff at Mountain to Sound Outfitters on the lake and it was great!

The staff was fun to work with and I think had some fun testing out the Jackson Kayak recreational & Fishing lines, learning just how fun and easy it is to stand up in the Cuda and Coosa.

We are super excited for Saturday, it will be 70 degrees F and sunny, so just the most amazing weather to some out and play on the water in some fun kayaks!

Bring your friends, bring your family, heck bring a stranger, it is going to be great!

There will be on-water instruction, classroom instruction, race series, on-water demonstrations, music, food and fun!

Here are some pictures from today.. come have some fun with us THIS Saturday at Lake Sammamish!

See you there!

A journey through the Grand Canyon is a once in a lifetime trip for many. However, the Colorado River as we know it today may not exist if it weren’t for the conservation initiatives over the years.

Take a journey through the Grand Canyon and a journey through time with Five2Nine, Airborn Athletics, and those who fought to preserve this natural wonder.

five2nine.ca

Big thanks to: airbornathletics.com

Archival Footage from: Riverrunners of the Grand Canyon

Yesterday evening the J.A.W. teamed up with Tommy Clapp to have a great paddling event up on the Bay’s Mountain Lake in Kingsport, TN!  Tommy brought his demo fleet of Jackson Kayak Recreational, Touring & Fishing boats for folks to check out and paddle.  I brought the J.A.W. for folks to check out and paddle several of Jackson Kayak Whitewater boats.

We were greeted by an eager crowd ready to get on the lake!  Once we got the boats unloaded and setup, I had a quick little talk with the crowd about safety and boat design.  After that folks jumped in boats and were off paddling all over the lake!  We had 17 boats for people to use and all them were in use the whole time with people waiting to switch out and try another.  Several other people also came with thier own boats to paddle too!  Good times were had by all in attendance and we were blessed with a mild sunny evening!

Click Here to see Event Photos

Notice that I said, “…was…” As in, “used to be.”  After paddling the Journey for the first time, however, that all changed; sorry, old boats!!   More of a delight to paddle than I ever imagined possible, the Journey is all that those “other” boats are, AND all that they are not.

Nimble and quick?  Like nobody’s business!  Edgy and punchy, yet smooth-like-buttah?  No doubt about it!  Able to handle big water as effortlessly as it does a tranquil, backwater lake?  Absolutely; matter of fact, the Journey comes into it’s own when it finds some big water in which to play! The obviously felt whitewater influence in the design of this boat makes for a delightful paddle regardless of the venue.  Oh, and those extended trips I so enjoy…  Guess what?  Despite a comparatively short length for a touring kayak, the higher volume of the Journey allows for easy handling of as much of a trip as I can plan.

And then there’s the length/weight factor to take into account…   From those used to nothing longer than a river runner, to the true touring aficionado expecting an 18 foot boat, the thought of a 13.5/14 foot boat may be intriguing on many levels.  All will delight, however, after the first few paddle strokes, especially when said boat is the Journey!   If there’s any boat out there that can suffice to tempt the whitewater devotees, as well as the paddling neophytes, all the while handing we touring folk the elusive perfect boat, the Jackson Journey is it.

All of that aside, do I absolutely love having a boat that I can easily toss on top of my car and/or portage after a long day on the water or a hard workout or what?   You better believe it!

Like any journey, the Jackson Journey is exactly what you want it to be, and precisely what you put into it.  There truly is something for everyone to be found in this boat, and I wouldn’t trade mine for anything.  THANK YOU Jackson!!!

Samantha Christen

Click here to view the embedded video.

SYOTR,
Jeremy Adkins

A few days ago my dad and I took a trip over to the Chattahoochee River. We weren’t expecting the water to be running as bad as it was. Even though the water was generating and flowing fast the Cuda did amazing! We put the seat in the low position and paddled on through the swift current. The boat was super stable and handled great, it rose up over the swells and boils with no trouble. It didn’t just shoot off with the current like some boats I’ve fished in. We were able to paddle up current really well to get to the calmer spots we wanted to fish . Even though we got what we didn’t expect the trip was still great and I got to really push my Cuda!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hunter K

Today we had a rare opportunity to not just paddle, but paddle alone in Sequim Bay Washington with some fun curious seals!

The early morning was calm and the tide was up since the moon was so full and the bay was quiet and peaceful. We pulled the Journey 14 & Journey 13.5 down from the trailer, geared up and had a lovely paddle across the bay with some harbor seals surrounding us and following in our wake.

Every time I get to paddle the Journey, I am reminded of how elegant and fun it is to paddle, so easy to turn and fast enough to keep up with Marty. If you get a chance, the Sequim Bay State park is lovely and you can get some great family caught shrimp on the way from port Townsend!

We are headed to Port Angeles then back towards Seattle for the Northwest Paddling Festival!

If you are in the area, this weekend, come check it out, it will be in the 70′s and fun!

http://www.scoutdoorsblog.com/2012/05/jackson-kayak-cuda-review.html

The Sierra’s have been lacking a bit of snow this winter, however the weather in Reno has finally changed, and what little snow we have has starting to melt. The Truckee River has been between 800-1700 cfs, and Hole #3 has been amazing. The Rockstar is the perfect boat for Reno and gives up the biggest loops ever!!! This is just a little video that shows what Reno is all about. Awesome moves from Reno locals Ruth Gordon-Ebens, Noah Frasier, Scott Sady, myself, and some lovable dogs. Another reason why I love this place.

Cheers,
Jessica Yurtinus
Regional Team JK

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We all get tired of sitting around all day in school or in the office. It is great to leave the grind and go kayaking. It is awesome to be in the Cuda because it gives you the choice to stand or sit extremely comfortably. The Cuda has great stability no matter what. The option of the standing is beneficial for fly fishermen because it helps get a better view of what you are throwing at. After being cooped up all day it’s a relief to be able to stand and stretch your legs. Even after getting rained on and not catching many fish it is great just to get outside and paddle!

With the open water season upon us up here in the Great White North it seems like a good time to talk about kayak fishing etiquette when it comes to river fishing.When kayak fishing a river you’ll encounter everything from other anglers in boats,anglers wading,non anglers in boats,power boats and on many of our local rivers in Alberta the occasional thirsty cow. For most this will be old hat but for new kayak anglers it will help to ensure your days are as enjoyable as possible especially on high pressured waters.

Etiquette -
1. The customs or rules governing behavior regarded as correct or acceptable in social or official life

2. A conventional but unwritten code of practice followed by members of any of certain professions or groups

Launching – Don’t clog up boat ramps. When arriving be sure to get yourself geared up well away from the launch area. When you do get to the ramp (wait you turn if there’s a line up)unload your kayak quickly and move it to a safe location out of the way while parking your vehicle.

Fisherman in Boats – Give other anglers in boats lots of room. As a general rule stay far enough away to ensure you can’t cast the same water. You can definitely follow other boats through good water just don’t be so close as to crowd them in any way. Never pass boats only to cut them off and hit good holding spots first. When finding yourself in highly congested area’s I find it best to stop and wade for a while,allow the crowd to pass and continue on my way.

Wading Fisherman – Give fisherman on foot the right of way. Do your best not to disturb the area there fishing. When in tight quarters ask them which way they prefer you go.

Non Fisherman in Boats – When encountering non fisherman in boats don’t crowd them. They may not always keep there distance from you but typically it’s because they don’t know what your doing. Usually a few polite words will do the trick.

Landing – Again ,don’t clog up ramps.Land your boat quickly and move it out of the way.Retrieve your vehicle, load your kayak quickly and move off the ramp so other anglers don’t have to wait for you.

Making the most of your day spent on the river is everyone’s aim so do your best to avoid river rage. As the saying goes,”Treat others the way you wish to be treated”.