If Nowhere is your destination, the Journey will get you there.

People are coming in from every corner getting ready for one of the classic events here on the Colorado Circuit, the BV Pro Rodeo. Not only is it a freestyle event but it is also Colorado Kayak Supply’s annual festival with discounted gear, boats and cheap clinics with a ton of the industries best paddlers. Each kayak manufacturer sends out their team of boaters to help sell kayaks, lead the clinics and show off in the events.

The water may be low but its not as low as last year and they are intending on holding the event in their hole and not on their wave. The hole is small but offers a lot of moves including mcnasties, loops, and blunts. It really does show off who can throw a boat around with their muscle and not using much added force from the water.

Dustin Urban spent his winter in Maine where he claims he has only paddled 2x in 7 months. Normally he would be the one you have to watch as the local boy really does put on a show. After his day today we will have to see how much muscle memory he can regain in time for the event tomorrow.

Dane, Nick, Alec and Hunter just got off the big waves in Canada so moving from one of the biggest river waves that people surf to a really small wave hole will be interesting. After a quick session yesterday they seemed to regain some of the smaller feature hole moves and are already nailing their big tricks such as Mcnasties.

EJ and Courtney just drove in from Dominion River Rock in Richmond, VA where they boater crossesd, sup’ed and did freestyle through the rapid. EJ is throwing big loop moves and the classic hard tricks as well. The long drive took even longer with their RV and trailer going on 25 up some of the passes. The full RV with KC, Kristine, and Dalmatians is now here. If you are interested in Demoing a karma, zen or maybe even the boat that rocked the waves in Canada, the 2013 Star be sure to stop in and ask.

We will have lots of athletes here to watch in the events but also learn from in the Clinics. Such as Stpehen and Clay Wright, Jackson Family, Hunter Katich, Sage Donnelly, Billy Bob Malesky, Adam Chappell, Alec and Hayden Voorhees, Ken Hoeve and Courtney Kerin.

Be sure to also check out Ken Hoeve’s SUP classes and demos throughout the weekend and they are certainly something you wouldn’t want to miss!

If you have any questions about anything JK or paddling related please feel free to stop any of our athletes and pick their brain! That’s what they are here for!

Happy Paddling to All and I hope we get to see you here in Sunny CO!

Here is the link to the full schedule of events and CKS’s official event website:

http://ckspaddlefest.com/

and here is a video from the event in 2011:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Started tournament day slow, with nothing but small trout and small flounder. The fish were there, just not eating like the previous days. After about 5 hours of nothing, we paddled to shore to re-group and think. We decide to go catch some live bait and change spots. As soon as we got to the spot, Donny catches a nice redfish in a huge school!!

After that, he headed to the deeper water to look for a trout for his slam, and I stayed in shallow looking for the redfish school again. Steak out pole down… slick calm water….waited 15 min and here they come. Hundreds of redfish wadded up in 2′ of water, like a dream come true. I stand up, and see the biggest one leading the pack and pitch the mirrodine on my 1000 sized shimano stella with 8lb braid and he inhaled it!!! 20 min later I net the money redfish and snap a couple pictures and send him back to fight another day.

In all the excitement and adrenaline, I forgot to pinch the tail in the picture for the weigh in….We cut it very close to the weigh in deadline, making it there with 15 min to spare and then started the waiting game. I knew I was in the money, just didn’t know how much. At the end, I tied for second. Had I pinched the tail, they said I would have took first place redfish. Oh well, thats how it goes, I still had a lot of fun fishing a brand new area and met some really cool people.

-Josh Henson

Lowrance Mark-4

Once I had the unit home, I had to decide where to mount the unit and the transducer, I started with the transducer. I read lots of articles on mounting the transducer in the yak with epoxy and letting the signal shoot through the hull. I did not really like this idea. First, it sounded like a lot of work and people complained about getting bubbles in the epoxy. The second problem was that the water temperature sensor wouldn’t work. In the winter, I sometimes fish a hot water discharge and knowing the water temperature is important. To do what I wanted to do, the transducer would have to be in the water.

I decided to mount the transducer in a scupper hole. To do this my Dad cut a small piece of aluminum and drilled a ¼ hole in each end. On one end we mounted the transducer and fed the wire through the scupper and pulled the transducer snug in the scupper hole. The transducer fit perfect, it tucked up in the hole and is completely protected.

Transducer mounted in scupper hole

Transducer held in place with a wire tie

Mounting complete

Battery installed and hooked up

The event was a combination event with a wave surfing element and a big water boater-X.

The big wave comp was the first of the two being held on the famous Gladiator wave on the massive Coliseum rapid. The wave itself is the largest wave an event has ever been held on, at 18ft tall. Hunter, Alec, Dane and myself all had great rides with a couple big tricks and combos like airscrew, panams, flashbacks and helixes. As the day went on the levels were dropping and the wave became more and more foamy, and therefor more powerful and bossy. After a great day surfing one of the best days in the world, the top 10 results ended as:

Dane Jackson 650

Nick Troutman 530

Kalob Grady 460

Joel Kowalski 400

Tyler Curtis 380

Hunter Katich 310

Rush Sturges 285

Hal Monkman 265

Ben Marr 230

Abel Thevenett 200

Next up was the Boater-x which was tournament style, of 3 rounds. First round was 6 heats of 8 people with the top 4 making it on. The Second round was also a mass start of 8 competitors and the top four making it to the Super Finals mass start race of 12 people. Each round was the same 6-minute course, paddling though some big wave trains and huge boils and whirlpools finish down the largest rapid on the river, Coliseum.

The Zen and Karma dominated the Race, with 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd all in Zen’s, followed by several Karmas. Dane won, while Kaleb, Alec and myself fought for 2^nd place. In the end, Alec and myself got tangled and Kaleb took 2^nd and I was 3^rd.

The top 5 finishers were qualified for the Grand Prix 2014.

1-    Dane Jackson

2-    Nick Troutman- Kaleb Grady

4      Tyler Curtis- Ben Marr

6- Marcos Gallegia

Jon Lugbill, 5 time World Champion in C1 slalom is one of the main organizers.

Jon Lugbill and EJ- both on 1992 Olympic Team together

Sports Backers is the name of the group who put it on.   Sponsors like Dominion (power company), Subaru, and Red Bull funded this production.   Jackson Kayak and Appomattox River Company brought the boats and staff to provide free kayaking opportunities for everyone.       I am guessing close to 1,000 people had their first kayaking experience this past weekend in Richmond thanks to the hard work of the ARC and JK staff there.     There were little kids, big kids, young adults and old adults trying it.   Jackson Kayak and Boardworks brought SUPs to try as well.   People seemed to love the SUPerNatural and SUPerfishal for their stability and ease of paddling.   I was honored to be able to get Snowy’s Dad on one at 71 years old and all of the way here from England!

ARC and JK Demo team... (Mary and family missing from photo)

We had a boatercross and a freestyle through a rapid competitions.     The boatercross was a tough race at close to 1.5 minutes long and 5 rounds if you make finals.

In Boatercross- the 9’ rule was in effect allowing anyone to race even if they don’t have a slalom kayak, etc..    I chose the Zen 65 at 8’ 6” long and an awesome racing kayak.    First there was a time trial to assure that the fastest paddlers were not in the early heats together.     I won with a 1:22 with my Zen, Chris Gragtmans was second with a 1:26, and then Snowy was third with a 1:27.   The first two rounds of boatercross was fairly easy as I was able to pull ahead of the other guys and not get tangled up.    The semi-finals and finals were much more of a battle with lots of contact and struggling for the lead.   I won the Semi-finals after shaking off two guys before the first island slot and then keeping clean lines to the finish.   In the Finals I was against Chris G for the first time, the second fastest in the time trial.    He lined up next to me and rode my wake on my hip at first and then drove up my wake straight into the side of my boat.  I had to paddle over his boat to get a stroke and it was all I could do to keep from spinning out.    Chris almost caused me to miss the narrow slot in the island but right as I was passing through Tom hit his boat and he bumped the rock which slowed him down and he fell off of my wake.    I got a lead there and was able to pull ahead down the past the next two gates to the finish line.   It was a tough battle two runs in a row and my arms felt like it after that race!    I videoed the race with my GoPro from the bow of my Zen with the normal mount that comes with the boat.    Here are a few shots from the race…

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeOm9oKwxos

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the Women’s Class it was Adrienne who won, followed by Courtney Kerin and then Katie Lemmet.

The freestyle event was on Sunday and the water was lower than last year but still a good level for freestyle through a rapid.     Dave Fusilli did a cool loop to splat on the bridge piling at the top that the judges liked.   I did a downstream pogo flip over the low head dam hole and then back into the hole for blast wheels as well as some flatwater moves.   Downstream before the 90 seconds runs out to an eddyline and then a sick rock-spin rock that is about 3 feet out of the water on the backside.   I missed the rockspin on my first ride after a good top section and realized that Dave was going to be beating me after that mess up.     Sure enough he was in first and I was in second.   Cooper Sallade was in third and Chris Gragtmans was 4^th and I can’t remember who was 5^th after first runs.    On second runs I got another good Pogo flip, flatwater,  a wavesurf, and I nailed my rock-spin 540/grab this time.    My score tied Dave’s for first place, but he beat me on the tie breaker which was the highest score on our other ride.     Cooper Stayed in 3^rd and Chris in 4^th and Issac Hull got 5^th in his Shooting Star, a local kid who keeps getting better every year I come.

In the women’s class it was Adrienne Levkenct who took first, followed by Haley Mills, and then Courtney Kerin.

They had some great local bands playing on the big stage all weekend, as well as some bigger name bands at night.    It was a big enough event that I saw Aaron Chase, a slopestyle mountain bike Red Bull athlete and friend of mine (we were on the GoPro/Harley trip together last year) twice while competing, but could never find him off the bike in the crowds.

KC is a big fan of the “Big Air Dogs”, where people bring their dogs to see how far they can jump into the swimming pool after a toy.     Good dogs jump 11’, awesome dogs jump 18’!    KC literally gives them a thumbs up and tells them “good job” every time they jump in.    It is very cute.

Between the Demo and competitions it is a very busy weekend!   After each boatercross or freestyle run you get to take out of the river “backstage” of the stage.  I stopped on each run to listen and watch a little as the bands were super fun.

Good job Sportsbackers and Richmond, VA!

J

EJ

SATURDAY

Since the event is Sunday, I was able to pre-fish on Saturday. Working off a tip from a friend, I hit a spot I’ve never been to before hoping to find trout and bull reds. The IFA is a CPR (catch-photo-release) tournament that scores an aggregate length of your biggest trout and redfish combined, so I wanted to find a spot that had the possibility of providing trophy sized fish for both species.

I didn’t exactly make it out at the crack of dawn Saturday, but I wasn’t too far behind either. After a long paddle against the wind I got to the area I was told would be holding trout. It was basically an island, surrounded by oyster reef, with a steady current of semi-clear saltwater sweeping around. I parked on the island and began to wade fish. First cast into the water was a 19″ trout. He was tagged and released, fingers crossed he’d be around Sunday. I then proceeded to catch, tag, and release numerous trout, some under size, others decent keeper size, but most under that 19″ mark. Of course mixed in with the trout were hardheads and gafftops, just to prove that there is still a downside to using Gulp. The important thing gained here was that I found a trout spot for the tourney.

Then I ventured into the marsh looking for reds. With the high tides and steady winds I didn’t expect to have much success finding reds by sight fishing, but I tried anyway. It may not have been the most successful scouting method, but it did work. It worked thanks in part to the good water clarity we had. I had no problems seeing silhouettes in a few feet of water because the water was so nice – by Louisiana standards. I even managed to catch a few with the fly rod. Tagged and released all of the reds as well, the biggest I had went 27.5″. Just over the slot, so not quite the bull I was looking for. If you’re keeping score, that would have been a 46.5″ aggregate. I figured I would need at least 45″ to break into the top 10, so that was my goal for Sunday.

After finishing up fishing on Saturday, my mind was pretty made up that I would be headed back there Sunday. I knew I wouldn’t catch the exact same fish, but I imagined I could find similar fish and have a similar agg. score. Chatting with other guys at the captain’s meeting only strengthened my decision on fishing the same spot Sunday. There was a lot of talk about dirty water and small fish, or even no fish at all, so I was feeling pretty good.

SUNDAY

I had hopes that Sunday would be similar to Saturday, but shortly after leaving the launch I realized it wouldn’t, the weater wouldn’t allow it. The wind was relentless on Sunday and of course where I wanted to fish was about a mile or two across open water, into the wind. After paddling at a snail’s pace for what seemed like an hour I got to my island and began fishing. Took me awhile to land a trout, but when I did it went 17.5″. Fishing was obviously going to be much slower than the day before.

Kept at it a little bit longer for trout, picking up one under size trout and a few catfish and after one too many hardhead, I headed into the marsh. My plan was to go into the marsh, pick up a slot red, then head back to the bay to fish for bull reds. That didn’t exactly go as planned. I thought, because of the success I had Saturday, that I’d be able to do it again, but I was struggling. I was on fire Saturday, I had osprey eyes and could cast like KVD, but Sunday I was Mr. Magoo and all my casts were crap. Well, all except one. In the last little marsh pond that I was willing to sightfish I finally put it all together, spotted a red hugging the bank and made a nice leading cast in range. It went 25.5″ and I couldn’t be more relieved. As some who prides himself in his ability to catch redfish, not having one at a tournament weigh-in would weigh heavily on my conscience, as it did after Redfish Rumble.

I still had time to go out and fish for an upgrade to either the trout or the red, and I did, but it was pretty unsuccessful. On a day like Sunday, I was really just happy to have caught one of each. My aggregate was 43″ and as it turns out, that was good enough for 7th, so I took home a check as well. Seems it was tough for pretty much everyone else as well, except for the winner, John Kay, who turned in an aggregate of 59.25″. His score was bolstered by catching the only bull red weighed in, at 39.75″. The rest of the results and your winners are below:

From left to right: Steve Neece(2nd), John Kay(1st and big red), Casey Brunning(3rd), and Marty Mood(big trout)

Congrats to the winners, having fished the same tournament I can tell you they earned it. Only 29/67 folks weighed fish, so a big credit to those who even caught fish. I’m thrilled with my 7th place finish, it’s not every day you get paid to fish. I look forward to the next Louisiana IFA event, which will be held out of Bridge Side Marina in Grand Isle August 25th.

But come tournament day, nothing. Fished for 10 solid hours straight without landing a single fish. Being a local tournament though, I still had a blast seeing all my old friends and making a few new ones. There were some great fish caught that day and my kayak wars team mates took second and third place in the offshore slam category.

-Josh Henson

Shuttle is not so simple with one car. Especially deep in Patagonia. The third canyon of Rio Baker is far from the road, and we hope for the best as one of the team hitch-hikes the twenty odd kilometer shuttle on dirt roads.

Wind whips across the river, Yoshi and I huddle down behind our kayaks to stay warm. Sunlight flits across as the clouds break. Patagonian weather has well deserved reputation as a fickle beast.

Some time later, Rok returns from shuttle. We all grin in anticipation. We have beta from a friend, and hope we remember it correctly. Somewhere down there is one un-scoutable rapid.

On the water we make quick time, enjoying the one of a kind character of the Baker, always changing and surprising. It’s not too long before we’re at a portage that’s been run once. It’s obvious why only once, the banks shake as the river cascades 60,000cfs through a thirty foot wide notch. What happens at the bottom is simply chaos.

We run the lead in to eddy out at the lip, which proves to be the most challenging part of the day. The eddy is thirty feet across, and pulses up, forcing us to take several rides around the edge of it before getting the right surge where we can paddle in. Thinking for a second we’ll have to run the portage, relief is palpable when we get out on shore.

The un-scoutable rapid proves to be the easiest on the run, and we emerge from the canyon full of smiles. We could spend weeks down here running these sections of one of the world’s most amazing rivers, but there are planes to catch and real life to get back to. Thankfully we can make a few pit stops on the long journey home…

To start we had to pick a battery, after talking to several local Yakers, we decided on a Werker 12v 9Ah, which we picked up at a local battery store. We also grabbed a trickle charger that the store said was perfect for that battery.

Battery and Charger

Waterproof Box with 12v Outlet

Battery wired to outlet

I lead the pack in all three divisions in both tournaments for the duration of both and got beat out in the last week of both for first and second. I placed third in the outcast tournament, and tied for third in the tight lines tourny.

These tournaments are a great way to keep busy all winter up this way, because the bite for everything else really slows down when the water temp. drops.

-Josh Henson

So over the last few months I have been extremely busy getting the Australian National Team ready for the World Championships. Usually Australia attends with just one, two or in some very great cases three athletes at the Worlds. Sometimes we don’t even get one athlete to world competitions which I have heard rumours that officials from competition have been disappointed with. Over the last few years as head coach of the Australian Freestyle Team, I have made a large push to get more athletes at competition which has meant training as many juniors and paddlers .

We started with just two heading to the worlds this year as usual, however after pushing some of the locals here that train on the Penrith Whitewater Stadium we have been very lucky to now have the largest Australian Freestyle Team in history heading over seas to a Worlds Competition. 9 Athletes from around Australia will be making the trip to North Carolina in September and all but two are new to this kind of competition. With this amount of newbs comes a stack of questions and uncertainty, however also brings an unparalleled level of eagerness to the team.

I have had to transition to be more of an organiser than just focus on being an athlete and have given up my spot on the K1 team to now sit as a reserve in the team allowing someone who has never paddled at the Worlds before to get this life changing experience. This has given me a great deal of good karma which I will try to get back when I compete in C1 and OC1. The mighty state of Western Australia has it’s first freestyle athlete as well as the Australian Capital Territory, so many new and exciting firsts this year.

Three brand new Juniors will be making the epic trip halfway around the world to North Carolina, all who will be trying to get their head around travelling to another country and competing for their first time. I have always taken so much for granted and have come to realise leading such a team includes making sure everything is organised. From the uniforms down to where they will be getting a bight to eat, 9 different people make so more effort than I imagined. In saying this I am so stoked to be part of such a large team and Australia will be competitive once again.

This summer in Australia I have been working on a bunch of moves at Penrith Whitewater Stadium, as well as participating at the usual Monsoon Madness Festival in Cairns which includes the Boatercross National Championships and the freestyle nationals where I was fortunate to take out another championship. Thanks go agin to Josh Bond for making this event possible. We also had a month long visit by Claire O’Hara who stirred up a bunch of media while she was here.

The cafe at the whitewater course named a burger after me this summer, how cool is that!

We have also helped out instructing at the Cables Wake park which has been super cool fun for our down time. This summer I completed my first every 24 hour bike race and let me tell you that you find out a lot about yourself at 4am in the morning biking around a technical course, a painful but very rewarding experience.

So a great summer indeed. I am finishing up things here and preparing for an epic adventure in the States once again. This summer, not only will I be heading to the worlds to participate, I will also be announcing, coaching the Australian team, instructing in the Southeast as well as taking an expedition to Costa Rica. So much to do, so little time to do it all.

Now here is a cool story about a bit of an adventure that took place in our Blur Mountains.
Ok, so there it was. A friend was n a first decent and he was six hours late on a river that was supposed to take only an hour or two. Time to swing into rescue mode. So what would you do? Grab a rope? Call the Authorities? Nope, my first point of call was Facebook. Why oh why I hear you ask…
Well I was an hour from the location, we have a great boating community down here however it is very small indeed, committed but small and everyone knows everyone. Facebook allowed us to rally the troops so to speak and by the time the Authorities had got out there and got organised I know from personal experience it would have been dark. So with that being said all it took was a post saying, “First decent is late and we need to work out a plan.” And with that, all the local boaters headed out to the river and set up a plan. Within an hour we had all gear, boats, nav equip and feed ready for a long night in case it came to that. Just as we were setting up a plan Liam and the crew who were missing paddled around the corner apologising as they had one of those epic days on the water. Just goes to show that Facebook can be a great whitewater rescue tool, who would have thought.

Check out Claire and I in our radio interview here:

http://www.spreaker.com/user/brendo/claire_o_hara_world_champ_kayaking?utm_source=widget

and here is a write up from Australian Canoeing

http://www.canoe.org.au/?page=26009&format=

Congratulations to the Australian freestyle team selected to represent Australia at the 2013 ICF Freestyle Kayaking World Championships held on the Nantahala River in North Carolina, USA. The team encompassing 9 athletes from all around Australia is the largest in history showing how far the sport has come over the last few years. Freestyle is on a potential 8 year path to the Olympics and the sport is growing exponentially every year. Athletes have 45 seconds to throw as many moves as possible with some moves propelling the paddler and the boat up and out of the water in a cross between gymnastics and kayaking.

The selection event for senior athletes was the freestyle National Championships in Cairns. Junior athletes were selected on this Saturday 20 April at the Junior National Freestyle Championships at the Penrith Whitwater Stadium.

Junior athletes were lucky enough to benefit from the wisdom of visiting dual World Champion, Claire O’Hara from the UK, whose titles are held in freestyle and squirt boating.

The selectors were happy to select the following athletes:

Men’s K1

Joseph Dunn
Liam Corr
Richard Cass
Tim Mann
Jez
Joshua Singleton

Men’s C1

Jez

Men’s OC1

Liam Corr
Jez

Junior Men’s K1

Rowan Kaar
Gilbert Coombes
Brad Elliot-Bool

No nominations were received in the women’s category. Australian Canoeing will encourage our women freestyle competitors to nominate next season.

In the Juniors class Rowan Carr from the Blue Mountains will be representing Australia for his first time after winning the National Championships held at Penrith. He consistently has placed highly at the Junior National Championships over the last few years.

Nantahala will also be Gilbert Coombes’ first experience at the World Championships and he has only recently come back from a trip to Cairns paddling at the Monsoon Madness boatercross championships. The 15 year old youngster from Hazelbrook says, “I’m so excited to have the opportunity of heading over to the states and representing Australia.”

Brad Elliot-Bool from Canberra is the first freestyle athlete from Canberra to represent Australia. Brad mostly paddles on rivers surrounding Canberra, however he consistently makes the trip to Penrith to train. Brad has mentioned that he will try to train on the flatwater over the winter periods if no rivers are flowing.

Tim Mann from Woodford has only recently decided to focus heavily on Freestyle after paddling for some time as a junior and has made the decision to represent Australia in the K1 class. The 19 year old will be looking forward to his first Worlds competition and is excited about the experience.

Joseph Dunne is coming off his top ten result from last year’s Junior World Cup competition and at 18 is the youngest member on the Australian senior team. Joe from the Blue Mountains is known for his massive aerial loops which are always exciting to watch as his whole boat gets up and out of the water as he throws massive summersaults high in the air.

Richard Cass from Glenbrook is the most experienced paddler on the team. At 50 years of age Richard has only recently focussed heavily on freestyle and his form at this year’s nationals has proven that age is no limiting factor. Richard, who grew up in New Zealand, is now training heavily at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium.

Josh Singleton from Western Australia has never participated at a World Championship before and is excited at the opportunity to throw down on such a large stage. Josh has had to train on beach waves over the last year due to the lack of consistent features and more recently has moved to Sydney to continue his training.

Liam Corr from Grose Vale had a fantastic result last yearat the ICF World Cup series finishing in the mid 20′s of the field, the highest ever placing for an Australian K1 freestyle senior athlete at a World event. Liam is by far Australia’s best Mens K1 paddler and has won numerous national championships. He is excited to be competing at this year’s World Championships and will be looking for a top 20 finish. Ever positive, he said “I hope to continue this form at the 2013 Worlds.”

The team will be lead by the Australian Head Coach, and very experienced Australian team athlete Jez. Jez has been competing on the National team for the last 10 years and in this time has won three World Cup titles and over 10 national championships. Jez will be competing in 3 disciplines at this year’s event and has a good chance of standing on the podium again this year. As Chair of the freestyle committee Jez will be working to ensure the new members of the team are well prepared for the big event. ‘I’m extremely stoked that the Australia freestyle team is flourishing. The depth has never been so great and this is shown in the talent of paddlers we have heading out to the event this year.’

The 2013 ICF Freestyle Kayaking World Championships will take place on the mighty Nantahala river in North Carolina from the 2nd – 9th September. The team will be heading out the week before the event to train. Over 250 athletes from over 28 countries are expected and this event will be the biggest event ever held, drawing all the top athletes from across the World.

The South Fork of the Salmon and its tributaries are only a few dozen miles off the Highway, but it is tucked away in a rural mountain setting that is among the most picturesque I have seen. Johnson Creek, the Goat Creek section of the South Fork, the Secesh, the overnighter section, and the East Fork of the South Fork Salmon Rivers give whitewater paddlers several different options for Class III-V whitewater. You can literally camp in this area for a week and paddle a different stretch of river each day.

Located near the very small town of Yellowpine (population 13 couples), the East Fork of the South Fork contains some of the best whitewater I have paddled.

After a long scout, we put in just downstream of town and directly above the first rapid, a long class 5. “Flight Simulator” is one of the most relentless pieces of whitewater I have ever seen. The medium flows made it reasonable, but with more water this rapid would be full-on class V+ for over a mile! We broke it down into several sections, catching the few eddies we could find, trying not to get lost in the chaos, taking care to avoid the log strainers, and bouncing our way down to the final pool.

We were all stoked after the big one and got out to enjoy some snacks while we waited for another group to get geared up and join us. The run continued for another fifteen miles or so and we enjoyed many more rapids downstream.

The East Fork of the South Fork Salmon River is deserving of its reputation as one of the best big-water runs in the state.

A big thanks to the shuttle bunnies for staying close and to Jessica Stoll for the photographs.

-Micah Kneidl

Boomers and Seniors are invited to join in a fun-filled, 2-day event in Buena Vista, Colorado over Memorial Day Weekend. Folks looking to get more out of life will spend a couple of days getting a taste of what kayaking in the great outdoors is all about. They’ll sample paddling on flat and moving water, the mental and physical health benefits kayaking offers, sample demo different kayaks, and other activities to help them see if they want to continue paddling for recreation and health.

The fun begins at 9:00 AM on Sunday, May 26, 2013 at the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center’s booth at the Colorado Kayak Supply’s popular Annual Paddlefest in Buena Vista, Colorado. The Introduction to Kayaking for Seniors and Boomers Clinic experience will be laid-back and relaxed with a focus on learning about different kinds of kayaking and equipment, how to enjoy safely paddling a kayak on flat and gently moving water, how kayaking can mentally and physically enhance life after 60, and more.

There’ll be a chance to sample different kayaks so folks can begin to learn why a kayak can be so comfortable, safe, and fun to paddle. Then, should they ever want to buy their own boat, they’ll have a better idea of what to look for and how to shop more cost-effectively. Also offered will be tips on finding appropriate, fun places to paddle, how to maximize the mental and physical health benefits offered by kayaking, how to hook up with other retirees who paddle, where to find adventure on the water no matter if that water is just around the corner from home, or halfway around the world in some exotic locale.

“If you wake up, look in the mirror and see gray up top you’ll have a good time during these two days,” says Butler Cox, creator of the GrayBlades Kayak Experience programs for older paddlers. “Us seasoned folks want to get more out of life after retirement and are concerned about the best ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This clinic gives people a chance to see how kayaking can do that out there in the great outdoors without greens fees, pricey club memberships, or in a sweaty gym. This is a sampler where you get to “taste” what kayaking is all about, then you can decide if it’s for you or not.” Cox added.

The event is being hosted by Colorado Kayak Supply (CKS) and the Rocky Mountain Outdoor (RMOC), as well as GrayBlades. ”We’ve tailored this experience especially for older folks. The only prerequisite is being comfortable in water” said Cox from his perspective as a 76 year-old cancer survivor who not long ago discovered the fun and health benefits kayaking provides. The CKS PaddleFest is a weekend of just about everything related to paddling and a great time to be in Buena Vista, especially for retired folks.

Here’s a link to all that’s going on. http://ckspaddlefest.com/

“You don’t have to be a geezer to enjoy our clinic. It’s for anyone near retirement age or older. And it’s by older folks for older folks. We’re different! We’re seasoned! We’ve been round the mill a few times so have a different perspective. We definitely want to grab life by the horns and get the most out of our later years, but we’re also choosy, and want a relaxed, worthwhile experience” Cox said. “We love to explore different kinds of fun on waterways, lake, pond, estuary, leisurely creek, mellow river, ocean surf…any kind of water. This clinic will show people how” he added.

According to Cox, GrayBlades is a community, a virtual village where retired folks can get together, learn from each other about paddling, travel together, discover neat places and use PaddlePower to get more out of life after 60. “GrayBladers know how to do cool things whether it’s watching Beavers building their house, casting for Trout, watching Ospreys teaching their young how to fly, Bighorn Sheep grazing, hunting Bass, photographing wildflowers, de-stressing in the quiet solitude of a nearby pond, getting in a brisk workout out away from a sweaty gym ,or bouncing down a mellow river. Some GrayBladers,” he continued, “those who really like to kick up their heels, are looking at having frequent get-togethers and paddle days, some even with their own flavor of a freestyle kayak throwdown. We’re too seasoned to do young stuff like McNastys or Phonix Monkeys, but we are pretty good at monkey business and see no reason the kids should have all the fun!”

GrayBlades is the Jackson Kayak Company encouraging and supporting retirement-age folks who recognize the importance of being active and who are looking for new horizons of fun and healthy living. “All of us older folk are very fortunate to have Eric Jackson and the Jackson Kayak staff and Team in our court. Having paddlesports leaders like Jackson Kayak, RMOC and CKS really helps us provide a top-quality experience people will appreciate,” Cox concluded.

There is a fee of $199.00 per person for the clinic which includes everything you’ll need except sunscreen and lunch. Advance reservations are required and may be obtained by emailing: “customerservice@rmoc.com”, or calling RMOC at 1-800-255-5784. The sessions run from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM each day and attendees will meet at the RMOC booth next to CKS in downtown Buena Vista. For more information, please call or email RMOC, or check out GrayBlades on FaceBook.

The weather may not be perfect, but we have arrived at Chile’s largest river, the well known Rio Baker. Channeling somewhere between 50,000cfs and 80,000cfs in a narrow canyon, we give the river a quick scout from the road. Looks good.

The size and power of the river have to be experienced in person. Each time we make a run through the first two canyons it’s a whole new experience. Features rise and fall every few seconds. A green wave one run is a crashing surge of chaos the next. It’s too fun and sometimes a little scary. Even the Karma gets pulled underwater in eddy lines.

We run it every day as rain pours down and we stay in a cabin, drying gear between runs and plotting to run the third canyon, which is run much less often, and not quite so road-side.

http://cksblog.com/2013/05/the-jackson-supercharger-product-review/

Yesterday conditions and my schedule finally lined up. ;D We headed out on glassy calm waters with Charlie, Sean, my buddy Mike who is just getting started spearing and Dan providing topside support while he slayed them on hook and line. From research and scouting I had identified a spot that looked like a good area to warm up and that would hopefully provide some hole hunting at reasonable and varied depths. Then I planned to cruise out to explore some promising looking pinnacles/wash  rocks. The plan worked perfectly. : )

At the warm up spot, I found a big scallop pretty early on and pointed it out to Sean. This scallop denied my attempts to get it out, but now that Sean knew what he was looking for he found another one in short order. I swam over to check it out and right next to the scallop was another little hole with a big old Monkey in it.  We come up and I tell Sean to go get the Monkey and he plants a great shot and nails it. In a short while he manages to extract the scallop as well…his first ever! WTG Sean!!

I swim back over towards Mike and he comes up with a Ling on his spear!! Nice 23 incher and his first ever!! Mike has only ever shot perch in Santa Cruz and one cabezon that my buddy Harold found for him before so this is awesome!! So stoked for him!!

While Mike keeps hunting and blasting rockies, I start poking around a little more. Find a big old 15 inch Kelpy out in the open and a chunky 16 inch blue in a hole. Then I spot a large Ling head in a tight hole under a boulder in about 10 feet of water. Blast him right in the eye and manage to squeeze the head and body out of his lair. 32.25 inches of meaty Ling. My biggest so far this year!! We then move spots, and as soon as we jump in we can see BIG schools of blues and blacks swarming in the surge. Diving down the structure was awesome with ledges at 20-30 feet and then dropping off to a boulder strewn bottom at 40-45 feet.

On one drop I see a promising looking boulder and swim over to check it out and as I do I see the unmistakabale shape of a nice male Sheephead over to my side. It is sitting there pretty still and I swing the gun around and don’t even try to get a head shot, just blast him right in the side behind the pectoral fin!! He is a strong fish and tries to swim away, but I pull him in and get my fingers in his eyes and rise to the surface screaming with excitement!!! I then take the spear and run it through his eyes…don’t want this fish to get away, no way no how!!! My first male Sheephead, and my target for the day. I have shot 4 females in the past year, and seen two males, but this is the first male I have been able to take a shot on. 26.5 inches and solid and healthy. My new PB and I am freakin STOKED!!!!!!!!!!!While I am petting my sheep on the surface Charlie let’s out a whoop and I see he has a beautiful 30+ inch Ling on his pole spear!! WTG Charlie!! At this same spot Charlie gets another 30+ inch Ling and Mike misses one, and has one come up and grab a blue off his spear!!

We paddle over towards the next spot and my new FishFinder comes in handy and I can see the depths go from 60+ to under 20! We tie off on some kelp and jump in to find a very large plateau/pinnacle and it is covered in blues and decent olives. While chasing a blue I spot another 30+ inch ling chilling on top of a ledge, but when I swing my gun around he gets up and swims away and I can’t get a shot before he finally bolts.

Right about then I hear a big commotion from Mike and Charlie and can see Mike has what looks like a big basketball on the end of his spear. I swim over and Charlie explains that he spotted a monster Ling but he already had two so pointed it out to Mike. Mike dropped down 30 feet and planted his shaft right through the brain of the Ling and stoned it!! Are you kidding me?!?! This thing is massive and the head is crazy big. Dragon status!! So happy for Mike…super nice guy, and if anyone deserves an awesome fish and a big heaping of stoke it is him. THANK YOU Charlie for sharing the love and pointing the fish out to him. Big time Karma points buddy and I see a 40 inch Lingzilla in your future. ;D

We explore some more, but don’t find much else so head in to take some pics and drink a few beers.

Haven’t stopped grinning yet. ;D

Huge thank you to Dan, Charlie, Mike, Sean and the other folks who shall remain nameless but who kept me motivated to eventually try exploring this area. Unforgettable day for sure!!!!!!

Here are a few pics and a short vid…song on the vid is by Galactic “Everybody wants some”.

Sincerely,

Jim

The competiton is also part of the Globe of Belgium, a globe that is awarded for the Belgium paddler that has the best results in 3 out of 4 competitions.

The water was pretty low that day, so everyone that was paddling a carbon boat wasn’t that happy. Luckiley I had my Jackson rockstar, that I can hit hard! So the competition was based on high scoring moves and no rock hitting moves for quitte some people. We had session system in the prelims (10 minutes of paddling for 5 athletes and every move is scored once in that time).

I had a pretty good final with things going fast and feeling really good. Was long since I had a competition and finally had that competition rage feeling again!

What brought me up a first place!

Check out the edit:

Click here to view the embedded video.

See ya!

Lane De Meulenaere

Even worse, the passing front had the striped bass fired up and they were unleashed a blitzkrieg on threadfin shad that lasted for three hours. It truly hurt to watch those fish eat and not try to get in on the action. Focusing on the day’s objective I paddled to the creek mouth and began firing spinnerbaits at everything in sight. My first fish bum rushed a River Series from the tapering point between two creek mouths. Only 14″, but on the board is on the board. My game plan, paddling up a clear river and fishing for big spots, fizzled with the extra 800 or so cfs of chocolate milk humming down the creek. With a significant amount of time invested in the area and little to show, I made the call to pack up and move about 30 minutes down the road. This area is typical main lake, channel docks, rip rap, and sea wall fishing that usually holds post spawn fish throughout the year. Running and gunning with a square bill and a shakey head I cranked prime areas and flipped the shakeyhead into any isolated cover. I quickly boated a fat 16″ spot that hammered my crank as it deflected off a stump. Unfortunately, that was the last bass I would account for as another cold front settled in and dropped the temps another 5 degrees.

The final highlight of the afternoon was the 20 plus pound buffalo that hammered my shakey head on my Dobyns 703. What a battle on light tackle! Despite the lackluster fishing, I captured 3rd place and the big fish pot. Yeah, with two fish. Not the most glorious day of fishing, but I take a lot of pride in overcoming nature’s worst and coming out ahead. One thing I will say about fishing tournaments in tough conditions is select lures that you not only have confidence in, but also work well with the conditions. High winds, severe cold fronts, rain, and muddy water all make tournament fishing extremely difficult. I find that I have more success by selecting a couple of tried and true lures and grinding with them all day, rather than switch lures constantly looking for something that the fish are keyed in on. You can spend time looking for the profile, color, action that the fish want in perfect weather, but when the wind is howling it is impossible to fish most normal presentations. I do a ton of finesse fishing in tournaments, but when your boat is getting battered by 15 mph winds, that finesse worm is flying through the water column…not how a dropshot or shakeyhead needs to be fished. Try tying on fast moving lures like squarebill crank baits and spinnerbaits that can be fished at high speeds as your boat is normally getting pushed by that wind. Fish with the wind and maintain a course that allows you to make long casts and pound the banks. Fish often stick close to cover during these conditions, so try to deflect your baits off the cover. My big fish hit when I swept the rod tip to make crankbait deflect hard off a stump. Don’t get fancy and don’t lose composure, just fish the baits you know and can fish in the given conditions.

All the paddlers up here in Maine have been waiting and waiting for some rains to hit as it has been a very slow, cold early spring. Here in central Maine I have never seen winter hold its grip so long and seen the ice and snow dissipate without flooding the rivers and streams here. Usually a warm rain hits and rivers blow out with big ice flows and high river levels. So with such a cold, quiet spring every river and stream ran off slow and controlled making for an OK time up here, but not typical……..

Until some rain hit the mountains and western Maine started to gush overnight. I woke up early to check the USGS gauges. http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=me The gauges were rising.

It seemed all the other paddlers here were either racing the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race or steep creeking, but I was holding out for the Madison wave to come in. For me this location is better than all other options because of one reason…FUN in the Allstar!

Ben Morrison called me to say he wasn’t creeking either and wanted to know if Madison was coming in. It was close but not there yet so we started to drive the 90 minutes it takes to get there. We found the Madison wave too low to paddle but went to the Sandy River wave called Rumor Has It, with the idea that we would be back to Madison in a few hours.

The Rumor wave was created when a dam was demolished and the remnants left created an incredibly fun play spot when flooded with high waters. This spot has three great features at this level, awesome access, and we found some paddlers and rivers boarders already tearing the waves up. We stayed and surfed but needed to get back to Madison.

Ben, Chris Hull and I converged on the Madison wave. As soon as we paddled out the river level jumped up and we were able to get out onto the wave from the eddy. This is where the 2013 Allstar just rips things up, pops into the air and spins into dizziness. This boat has great speed and a loose hull for chucking felix/helixes and whatever move you can muster, but without any instability. It recovers and rolls easy. I have taken to removing the happy seat for comfort reasons as I am a larger paddler which puts me lower in the boat and I miss the leverage but gain comfort.

The three of us stayed for hours and threw ourselves around, took pictures, yelling, laughing and surfing more and more. The Madison wave is where it is at, so much fun when it comes in and I am pumped to be in the new Allstar. I have been coming to Madison, Maine on the Kennebec River since my friend Greg Gnecco discovered this spot in the winter of 94′/95′ and have never had as much fun as I am now in the Allstar. Thank you JK!

After Lap Number 15

Jocassee Vertical Mile with Joseph Gudger

Vertical miles usually involve lots of meticulous planning, coordinating the perfect amount of rain, enough daylight, relatively easy river access and committed driver (s) into one big day of paddling. This one happened to fall into our laps. Always a fan of the Jocassee drainage, when I first paddled the Thompson River I realized it was the perfect Jocassee run for a vertical mile. The Thompson has the gradient and classic bedrock drops found on the other Jocassee runs, but is a short run with no major hiking involved. All I needed was a specific gate open, a good amount of rain and an athletic, willing paddling partner. Noticing a storm in the forecast, I gave Joe Gudger a call. Joe of Ace Kayaking School has previously accomplished a vertical mile on the Green Truss section of the White Salmon River in Washington. Both Joe and I remembered the connection to the river you feel during a vertical mile, and decided the Jocassee bedrock slides would be an excellent way to do it.

Here’s how the day played out:

• 5:00am wake up, coffee and putting on cold wet, gear (much easier to do in a heated house than at the put-in)
• 5:30am start driving towards the river with boats full of water on the roof and two beautiful ladies
• 6:00 am realize that someone forgot water and the car is almost out of gas. Stop at Ingles.
• 7:00am Almost change plans to Toxaway after finding a level of -2 inches and thinking that the Thompson would be too high
• 7:45 am Arrive at the Thompson, managing to make it to the put-in with only one vehicle getting stuck (Subaru rally! It was a Jeep that got stuck…)
• 8:00 am Put on for a first lap to probe, looking for wood (1 portage)
• 9:00 am Second lap, no portages, realized that we could get down the river in around 15 minutes
• 9:45 am Lap number three, forgot the count and verified with the ladies
• 10:14 am Fourth lap, started making a list (Thanks to Chris McCoy and Ben Bernhardt for cutting some wood below Skate Park while completing 4 laps themselves)
• 10:45 am Fifth lap, Joe saves me out of a hole aka the newly named Guido Thumper
• 11:17 am Sixth Lap, Joe decides it’s pretty stylish to throw 360s off the biggest rapid, whether you mean to or not
• 11:47 am Seventh Lap, Started to hit the “Midday Blues.” How many more laps are we doing again?
• 12:19 pm Eigth Lap, sloppy lap, pitons and more less than intentional rockspins
• 12:55 pm Ninth Lap, cleaned it up, but both ran one of the last big ones backwards
• 1:30 pm Tenth Lap, getting loose, continuing to clean it up
• 2:03 pm Eleventh Lap, Double digits?
• 2:37 pm Twelfth Lap Funny how four laps on the Thompson really doesn’t seem like that much right now
• 3:11 pm Lap 13, Minimizing strokes and floating
• 3:40 pm Lap 14, Floating and letting our Karmas do the work
• 4:25 pm The final lap, gave big yips over the big one in blue angel formation, in true Jeff West style
• 5:30 pm Picnic with the ladies at Upper Whitewater Falls

Big thanks to Rachel Moses and Kate Walsh for making the crux moves driving the vehicles up and down the mountain all day

Photos Below (Credit: Rachel Moses):

Run number 14 at the put-in tube

Joseph on my tail

Done for the day and ready for a picnic at Upper Whitewater falls with the ladies.

It was another action packed weekend in the World’s Biggest Little City: Reno, NV. We were given blue bird skies and 90 degree weather for both Friday, Saturday and Sunday making it the perfect weekend to hold a kayaking event.

Saturday started with Yoga in the park, bands all day and the entire freestyle event from start to finish. The rodeo started at 11:30 with the Pro Ladies. With only 9 of them competing that had a combined prelims and semi’s. So basically 3 rides best 2 count. Each one had good rides but with three it allowed the consistent people and the people who went all out on one ride to place in the top 5. Sage Donnelly who recently moved up into a Rockstar Small from her shooting star, showed the most consistency in her moves and scored big loops, space godzillas, felixes and cartwheels in each ride. She had a combined of 660 points in the preliminary round putting her well into the lead. Following Sage was local girl Jessica Yurtinus, who showed us that she knew the spot well and got massive air on her loop moves. Courtney Kerin took third, Jessie Stone in fourth and Elaine Cambell in fifth.

In the Men’s class we had a prelims, semi finals and finals. Prelims started with Stephen Wright in the first heat, setting the bar high with blunt mcnasties, HUGE loops and phonic’s monkeys. Each heat following had big scores put up by Nick Troutman, Dane and Eric Jackson, Jason Craig, Hunter Katich, Alec Voorhees. Local boy Scott Sady made it into the top ten after Jud Keiser, and Adam Chappell. Jason went for more moves in the trophy department than any other competitor. With his own “Jah Flip” as well as back phonics’s and jedi flips he was certainly someone to keep watching. Dane took top honors in prelims with basically throwing every move on the score sheet and both ways. It was super impressive to watch as it looked like he was never rushing but still managed to get all the moves in 60 seconds. All top ten competitors were paddling Jackson Kayak boats!

Men’s Semi Finals was hotly contested as there were certainly more than 5 people who could have easily made the cut. Hunter Katich was in the first round and set the bar pretty high with a single ride score of 1,200 points. This put a lot of pressure on the second heat as they knew to confirm their spot in the top 5 they would need to beat that score. Everyone in that heat stepped up the plate, Nick, EJ, Stephen and Jason. The only one who didn’t was Dane who was last to go. Dane had only had one day of practice here so when you watched him you could see he was still figuring stuff out, although he seemed to get it all together in prelims, it wasn’t going for him in Semi’s. He flushed on an entry move and then later flushed again once back in the hole. On his second ride he was going along well until another unfortunate flush made it so he didn’t have enough time to score as high as the rest of the group. In the end he placed 6^th but was okay considering that he had stiff competition and only one day in the hole. It ended up with Jason Craig on top, followed by Hunter Katich, EJ, Stephen Wright and Nick Troutman.

They gave the guys 3 hours to hang out, enjoy the festival (which has over 30,000 people come through each year) and rest up. The set up flood lights on the hole just in case we moved into the evening and even though we finished before it was dark, it was very cool to have them on in the late evening.

The women’s class started things back off in the evening with great rides by all the ladies but no surprise when after first rounds Sage took the lead with a 350, showing how consistent she really is. Courtney, Jessie, Jessica and Elaine battled it out in the 200’s. In the end Sage upped her own score to 400 points and Jessica and Courtney scored high enough to place right behind Sage. Jessica was sitting in fifth until her last ride which put Courtney into third and her into second place with a 290. Jessie Stone just missed the third place by 20 points. We were super excited to have top 4 be JK Team Members!

1. Sage Donnelly 400
2. Jessica Yurtinus 290
3. Courtney Kerin 280
4. Jessie Stone 260
5. Elaine Cambell 230

Nick led the way into the Men’s finals with an epic ride of 1370. He had several combos in his red and yellow rockstar, including split phonics’s and loop lunar orbits. Following Nick was Stephen who was paddling his new love, a 2013 Carbon All Star. Stephens first ride wasn’t quite enough to knock Nick down even with his blunt mcnasties but was still over 1,000 points. EJ followed afterwards with a text book ride, doing each move perfectly until the last ten seconds when his loop moves were too far in to the shallow area. He scored a 1,390 pushing Nick into second by 20 points! Hunter Katich went next and as it was his first time in the Pro Mens Finals you could see the pressure he was putting on himself was overwhelming him and he didn’t quite pull a ride like he did in Semi’s and was sitting on a 700. Then it was local boy’s turn in his Carbon Rockstar S, Jason Craig. Jason didn’t miss a second in the hole, scoring the entire run, move after move, combos after combos. He ended up scoring a 1,690! Below you can see his ride on video. There were some switches afterwards with Stephen Wright stepping it up to a 1440, putting Nick in fourth. On the third round Nick stepped it back up and scored a 1620 making the final tally being:

1. Jason Craig 1,690
2. Nick Troutman 1,620
3. Stephen Wright 1440
4. Eric Jackson 1390
5. Hunter Katich 1,100

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sunday was filled with SUP, Slalom and Boater Cross. Nick took fourth place on a SUPerNatural against carbon raceboards so he was excited with that. He says it was super stable and easy to paddle through the park.

In the Slalom there were several classes, C-1, K-1, and K-1 Plastic. EJ took the gold in all three showing off his slalom skills on a very unique course- lots of switch backs! In the K-1 Plastic he paddled a Zen 55 (which is small for him) but still gave him enough speed to get through the course fast.

Dane followed EJ in C-1 and got third in K-1. Nick got second in K-1 and was super excited afterwards about his “head ducking skills.”

The boatercross was FULL ON. Each heat was stacked and each round looked difficult to get through. The cadets started and it was adorable as 6 kids in zen 55’s and shooting stars came sprinting through the flats and into the course. Hayden Voorhees won with his mad skills around the buoy and other contestants. They set up a bouy at Hole #2 that you had to go around and try to avoid surfing the hole when you come up around it. This made it entertaining as people coming around the buoy would purposefully push people into the hole. Colin Kemp had won the race the past 3 years in a row and you could see why. He was a machine charging through the course and super hard to get around. The Womens class had lots of paddle blade flying as always and people backwards, sideways and upside down. Sage took the lead in her Zen followed by Courtney, then Jessica and then local girl Margie. The men’s finals had lots of switch arounds by the buoy with Colin out in front, who then got cut off by Nick and EJ. Then Jason and Hunter in the mix of things. It ended up with EJ getting out of the buoy the fastest, followed by Nick, then Hunter. Jason and Colin got caught up in the buoy and hole putting them in 4^th and 5^th.

So womens:

1. Sage Donnelly- Zen 55
2. Courtney Kerin- Zen 55
3. Jessica Yurtinus- Karma s
4. Margie

Mens

1. Eric Jackson- Zen 65
2. Nick Troutman- Zen 75
3. Hunter Katich- Villain S
4. Colin Kemp- Villain L
5. Jason Craig- 2004 Hero

We had a great showing of some of the different types of whitewater kayaking and some serious action in the freestyle competition. I hope everyone else had a great mother’s day weekend and wished the best to all the moms out there. If you haven’t come out for Mother’s Day to the Reno River Festival it should certainly be on your to do list for 2014. Big thanks to all the event organizers and volunteers who make it happen!

Here are some photos:

[Show as slideshow]

Happy Paddling

Emily Jackson

Torrential rains, flood warnings, tornado watches, and wind gusts to 40+ mph. My Cuda 14 was, once again, ready for the challenge. Other than the weather factors the tournament was a huge success with all the proceeds going to two great cause; The Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. The fishing proved to be challenging as I was only able to hook and lose one flounder at the boat. That’s tournament fishing. Congratulations to Drew Gregory for not only placing in the Slam category but finishing fourth overall in the flounder category in close to brutal conditions. It was also great to see fellow Jackson Teammates Jameson Redding, Melita Ganoe, and Charlie Ganoe as well. Thanks to all the folks who helped put together an amazing tournament ! By the size of the gathering of participants and spectators at the Captain’s Meeting and weigh in ceremonies it was clear to see that the kayaking community is strong and growing !

Tight Lines !
Alan

This year’s Jacksonville Kayak Fishing Classic was held on May 4, 2013. Over 400 anglers raised over $35,000 for the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville. Anglers had to deal with winds gusting over 30 mph and heavy rain that lasted for several days leading up to and through the tournament. A total of 10 slams, 20 Redfish, 35 Trout, and 25 Flounder were checked in.

The catch-photo-release charity event run by JaxKayakFishing.com, is the world’s largest kayak fishing event for the ninth consecutive year.

Eddie Cabler of Jacksonville, FL turned in a record breaking slam to win the Slam Division with a whomping 75.2″ slam.

The Jackson Kayak Trout Division was won by Robert Altman, Jr. with a 24.8″ trout. Jackson Fishing Team member Charles Ganoe placed 8th in the trout division.

Jackson Fishing Team member Drew Gregory placed 4th in the Flounder Division weighing in a 20″ flattie.

Authors: Carlos Rodriguez y Carlos Ares
In 2012 we made a rough test to the Jackson´s kayak JOURNEY, in which we paddled more than 600 km of lakes and rivers.
For us, the question was if we will be able to run Class III rivers with all our stuff on board of this long touring kayaks. Some rivers in our planning began with this kind of rapids and we should carry out with us all the things necessary for long time camping at the shores. We will test the two Journey models, Journey 13.5 and 14 (numbers refers to their long respectively) and fully loaded the weight of our boats should be around 60-70 kg (without kayaker of course)…So when we get into the water we take a lot of care in our first III.

As the Jackson people told us, the Journey is a boat designed by white water kayakers in terms of maneuverability and stability and, in fact, the whole cockpit is quite similar to that at the Jackson’s white water kayaks. We had paddled in Jackson´s creek boats in Spain, and here we experienced the same control sensations on board of a 14 feet long kayak: a good edge for leading the boat and a hull that allow us good control…Just a few minutes seated down on the kayak and felt it immediately due to its thigh grips, with a very comfortable inflatable seat and easy to readjust foot rest if we want to join the knees in flat waters. The only word for this is comfortable.

As our aim was to run medium distance stretches of some rivers (Athabasca, Kootney, Bowron Lake) we needed enough storage volume. Every time when we enter into one of these big rivers we started paddling with all the stuff for staying in the river even 10 days. Both Journeys models have two big compartments (rear and front), with a small day hatch just behind the seat. The dryness was good enough for most of the rapids, but in the biggest ones in which the boats were completely submerged time by time, we detect some water into the hatches… probably because the taps have to be firmly pushed for total dryness, and we didn´t…

The Journeys were fantastic in the big wave trains and fast rapids we found, some of them really big but clean. In Spain we use to run also this kind of rivers, but always in white water boats. Onboard this touring boats, the unique sensation of speed was only comparable with the wild turning when entering in huge eddies in strong currents…the Journey is very stable and allow us to enjoy this kind of big waters with a complete feeling of the rivers.

We also paddled many lakes connected by rivers at the Bowron lake Circuit; despite of its stability, the Journey has also enough speed for facing long distance trips in flat water, in lakes as well as the Sea. The final part our trip lead us to the Pacific Coast and its fiords, and there, again, the combination of speed and stability give us an incredible tour of 6 days by the Dean Channel, in British Columbia. The wind conditions were rough for 3 days, and the rudder got in extended use in order to avoid strong tidal currents and of course, crosswinds with (hateful) cross small waves.
A mention is needed about the rudder. In all the running waters the rudders remained over the stern, while we played with the hull and the body for tracking with the kayak through the river rapids. But when we arrived to windy lakes and the sea, was needed to paddle for hours with lateral wind, and the rudder was there. This rudder is easy to put in and to get out the water, and mandatory in order to economize energy when paddling against the wind waves.

At the final part of our trip in the Sea, big backwinds formed big waves and… we had big surf also!! After paddling many kilometers in rivers we knew how to use the Journeys in that situation and in a couple of hours covered the same distance than in 4 hours the day before… while we got fun! A nice end for our journeys in Canada.
At the time of ending our Journey Experience we realized that this boat is one of the best touring kayaks for paddling in flat waters as well as in white waters under III Class, even with the boats completely loaded with all the equipment necessary for long distance water trips. In 2013 we hope to go further onboard the Journeys and to paddle all the Mackenzie River, arriving at its delta after 1800 km of paddling…on these same boats.
C.R & C.A
May 2013

1. 12 year old Sage Donnelly got 1st place!!!  400 point ride and her 300 point 1st ride would have won also!

2. Jessica Yurtinus- her final ride was awesome, moving her from 5th to 2nd!!  280 and some big air.

3. Courtney Kerin had consistent big rides getting third with a 260

4. Jessie Stone had amazingly consistent rides and got knocked out of the medals at the very end.- over 200 points

5. Elaine Campbell had a Mcnasty on her first ride and sweet air loop, but flushed after that- still she was looking good!

Mens’ Class:

1.  Jason Craig- 1690 point first ride with a reverse phonix monkey and some snappy phonix/and mcnasties, as well as some other linked moves- awesome!!!  Reno local ruled!

2. Nick Troutman- was in fourth until his final ride moving into 2nd with 1620!!  awesome final ride for Nick!  Sweet tricky woos both ways and a Loop lunar orbit combo

3. Stephen Wright had an awesome second ride to push me out of 2nd with a 1440-  blunt/mcnasty combo, and space/split combos!  great ride!

4. EJ- I was winning with a 1390 on my first ride, until Jason’s big ride, then Stephen took me out on second rides, and finally Nick pushed me out of the medals- I had three rides over 1,200 points, but flushed on all three rides at the end not able to close my rides out with my back loop, and space godzillas.

5. Hunter Katich- 16 years old- amazing paddler- making the finals!!   We never heard his last score, but around 1,200 I think!   He was trying to win and was rushing a little, but you can see the potential for brilliance!  He will be one to watch!

Off to dinner now with family and friends!  look for photos and video soon!  Great job organizing the event Reno/Tahoe!    Awesome music and fun all day!  tomorrow we do slalom racing and boater cross!!  Oh yea!!

EJ

Last weekend a group of us ventured down to North Carolina to run the Nantahala River. What started out as a little group of fathers, sons and daughters quickly grew to a group of about 25 paddlers from Cincinnati. We had newbie’s to experienced pros and everywhere in between. This was my son Tristan’s first real whitewater trip outside of Cincinnati where he was paddling his own boat….a Jackson Hero. I know I am a bit biased on this part but he was awesome!!!

I selected this river as a training/ test run for bigger water this summer like the Lower Yough, Stony Creek, the Ocoee, etc. The stability of the Hero played a big part in this trip for him as he is used to paddling his Star on the local rivers in Cincinnati. According to Tristan, the Hero is the easiest boat he has ever rolled! Having a bigger boat really added to his confidence as a paddler all around, not just river running. Eric Bartl from the JK Regional Team joined us on our runs both Friday and Saturday and a BIG thanks goes out to him for his guidance in helping Tristan. I really think Eric played a key part in this weekend as Tristan tended to listen to him a little more than he does when good old dad is trying to teach him. Let’s face it, when parents are trying to teach their kids, they don’t always listen to them…this goes both ways.

Having Eric make suggestions from reading the water to having Tristan get out of his boat and swim with his paddle to teach him how to swim with a paddle in the event of a swim was huge! I don’t think Tristan will ever let go of his paddle again.

We met with the Kellogg Show on Saturday and they joined in on the fun…I think at one point we counted 18 Jackson Kayaks in our boat jam going down the river.

Below is a link to quick edit of our weekend on the Nantahala….good times!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Quiet and serene.... yoga in the park- 10am

Prelims started off with the women cutting down to top 5, for finals, so it was a big deal for their first round!

Top 5 Were:

1- 12 year old Sage Donnelly – Team JK

2- Reno Local- Jessica Yurtinus-  Team JK

3. Kiwi paddler- Courtney Kerin- Team JK

4- Dr. Jessie Stone- Team JK

5. USA Team member- Elaine Campbell- Team Wavesport

In the Men’s Class- in Prelims top 10 were:

1- DAne Jackson- Team JK

2- Nick Troutman- Canada- Team JK

3- Stephen Wright- Team JK

4- Reno Local- Jason Craig- Team JK

5- Eric Jackson- Team JK

6- Hunter Katich- 16 years old- Team JK

7- Jud Kiser- 52 years old- Team JK

8- Adam Chapel- Canada- Team JK

9- Scott Sady- Team JK

10- Alex Vorhees- Team JK

Mens’ Semi-Finals- Immediately following Men’s prelims was….

1-  Jason Craig

2- Hunter Katich

3- Eric Jackson

4- Stephen Wright

5- Nick Troutman

Finals are in 2 hours or less!   The bands are playing loud music- the beer sales of the vendors are looking to be very strong, as well as the “Men Wielding Fire” BBQ and other vendors.    Title sponsor this year is Subaru, as well as Cliff Bar, and many others.

Look for some big scores in finals!   I have seen “Front loop/lunar orbit/backloop/mcnasty combo”  as well as Jason throwing back phonix monkey and jedi flips.   Sweet stuff!  My combo for this rodeo that is pretty consistent and will do in finals is McNasty/Lunar orbit/cartwheel left/split left right/split right left/phonix Left combo.     I am not getting the lunar orbit out of the mcnasty everytime as I have been drifting too far left on my mcnasty, but I think with three rides, I will get it.

Dane didn’t make finals after winning the Prelims- a big disappointment as I like competing against him and he puts on such a great show.    The finals is stacked and with new kid on the block- Hunter Katich, at 16 years old, it is going to be a great show.

Time to get ready!

EJ

p.s. I don’t have kayaking photos or video, but Emily does and there will be a video from this event showing off the great paddling going on by so many talented boaters!

Dane, Hunter, Courtney at competitors meeting

If you spent any time on fishing forums on the Internet, you no doubt have seen, and maybe participated in, the knockdown, drag out brou-ha-has over what, if anything actually, had an impact on a particular fishery. And if you think I’m going down THAT path…I have a yacht berthed in Boca Raton I’d like to sell ya for a 1000 bucks. But what I would like to cover, is a subject that I DO know for a fact has an impact on the fisheries: summer heat. And not just any old garden variety heat. I’m talking about extended periods of a week or more of temperatures in your watershed of 90 degrees or better, and especially those days when the temps are 95 and above.
Any marine biologist, especially those who specialize in our loctic smallies can tell you that high summer heat stresses stress out smallmouth just about more than anything. Smallmouth are NOT indigenous to our waters. I saw a map once that showed the original range of Smallmouth Bass and the closest they were to our area before the white man came was about the middle of NY state. They were imported down here back in the late 1800s (legend has it carried in the tanker car of a steam locomotive) and introduced as a game fish. But they are biologically and physiologically, a cool water fish. They thrive best in water that runs 40 degrees F. to about 60 degrees F. Largemouth of course do better in warmer water, but their upper comfort range is about 75 degree water. After that, they start looking for cover and/or deeper water, just like a Smallmouth will at 70 degree F. water. Ever wonder why B.A.S.S. and FLW only run their big tournaments during spring and fall? Water temperature is a big reason. True, the catch rates are usually better but they do less damage to the fish when they get them out of cooler water. That’s also one of the reasons the pros pull them out of the water so quickly. The less time they spend out of the water, the better for their survivability through the weigh-in and release process.

Most of the professional biological studies that have been done suggest that, when all conditions are optimal, water temps and air temps are moderate, our catch, photo, and release is as smooth and short as we can safely achieve and our fish are returned to the water in the minimal time…we will still lose, on average, from 20% to 40% of those fish to stress. Remember, these are statistical studies of ALL fishermen of varying skill levels and their catches. I would be willing to bet that our averages are probably significantly lower, given that most of us have taken the time and effort to learn proper release techniques, invested in particular tools (such as D-Barb tools, Boca Grips and rubber nets), and learned the thru-the-gill hook turn, keep our hands wet when we handle fish, and fish with partners and let them take the picture. Not to mention…we’re probably all pretty accomplished anglers and probably fall somewhere in the above average to superior range.

Of course what I’m getting at is simple: When get into those dog days, we need to be supremely aware that the stress of being out of the water is heightened that time of year and our chances of killing a fish, especially an old fish, such as 20+ inchers tend to be, are much elevated. Save those Kodak moments for those truly trophy-sized fish. For me, that’s an 18 inch+ fish. Most of us catch 15-17+ inch fish on a regular basis. I have numerous photos on the computer and on my office wall of fish that size. I really don’t need any more.

But I have this empty slot left on the wall in my office that’s reserved for that 23 in/7 lb-er that’s out there with my name it.

Time to get ready for the 2013 Reno River Festival! Team JK has ton of paddlers here so it will be fun to see who comes out on top. We have local paddlers here Jason Craig and Jessica Yurtinus who have a hometown advantage. Then we have Stephen Wright who has lived here in the past. From out of town we have the JK Family- Dane and EJ, along with Nick Troutman. We have Junior Superstars Hunter and Alec who just made the US Freestyle Team and will be stacking up against the seniors. We also have 12 year old wonders Sage Donnelly who just recently learned how to McNasty and Hayden Voorhees, Alec’s little brother who can back loop like a mad man. In the Women’s we have NZ Team Member Courtney Kerin, we have Devon Barker, Jessie Stone. Form Canada we have Canadian Mens Team Member, Adam Chappell, who is one worth watching at the 2013 World Champs and the Reno Fest this weekend.

Get Ready for the Characters!

Then we have local boaters Scott Sady- who can loop HUGE, and event organizer Noah Fraser.

The event is being held in Hole #5 due to low water levels. It has a lot to offer as far as combos go. You can see loop lunar orbits, split phonics, back loop mcnasties, split splits, and sometimes even three or four move combos with all those above!

Here is a video from 2011:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tomorrow is the freestyle fun, and following it on Sunday will be an SUP Race, Boatercross and Slalom. Be sure to check in to the JK Website for updates as well as our JK Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/JacksonKayak?hc_location=stream

And here is the official website for the Reno River Festival:

http://www.renoriverfestival.com/

Saturday, May 11, 2013

• Outdoor Expo/Registration – 10:00AM – 6:00PM
• Yoga in the Park – 9:00 – 10:00AM
• Freestyle Prelims/Semi-Finals – 10:00AM– 4:00PM
• Cabela’s Yard Games for Family Fun – 10:00AM- 4:00PM
• Music in the Park: Buster Blue – 11:00AM– 12:30PM
• Music in the Park: Whitney Myer – 1:00 – 2:30PM
• Music in the Park: Mark Sexton Band – 3:00– 4:30PM
• Freestyle Finals – 4:30– 6:30PM
• Music in the Park: Keyser Soze – 5:00– 6:30PM

Sunday, May 12, 2013

• Yoga in the Park – 9:00 – 10:00AM
• Stand-Up Paddleboard – 10:00– 11:00AM
• Cabela’s Yard Games for Family Fun – 10:00AM- 4:00PM
• Cabela’s River Clinics & Demonstrations – 11:00AM – 4:00PM
• Slalom– 11:30AM – 2:00PM
• Music in the Park: Oddly Enough – 11:30AM – 1:00PM
• Music in the Park: GrooveSession – 1:30 – 3:00PM
• Music in the Park: Jelly Bread – 3:30 – 5:00PM
• Boatercross– 2:30 – 4:00PM

You can grab the material in the middle of the skirt and pull to the side (if you have an implosion bar you can grasp it), punch out with your knee and hand, peel the back edge up, or wiggle out.

Wiggling out is a great technique to teach young and old alike. I like to have a tunnel that is loose on kids so if they forget the steps to a wet exit it is easy for them to use the wiggle out method. This turns a likely intense moment to laughter as they pop up with the skirt still on their boat.

Practice all of these with your grab loop out and upright on the side of the pool. Once you are comfortable try them upside down. It is important that you are not practicing this skill for the first time in the river.

Please feel free to ask me questions. I can be reached at devobarker at yahoo dot com. Hope to see you in the pool and on the river.

Wishing you a pool to whitewater roll,

Devon Barker-Hicks
Photos courtesy Will Stauffer-Norris
Special thanks to Zims hotsprings for the use of the pool.

Fishing the 2nd Annual Susquehanna River Flats again this year was a blast even though the fish did not cooperate. The Friday pre-fish was a rough morning out there. The picture to the left really doesn’t do any justice to show just how rough it was. Easily 2.5 foot waves out there. Wind rain you name it. Was able to outlast the Hobie peddlers with out a problem. These days are the times I wish I had an electric motor installed on the Cuda!

Attending the captains meeting later in the afternoon revealed that there were more than 2 times the anglers in attendance this year. Great for the MD & NJ HOW chapters whom the proceeds fo the jamboree benefited.

The Jamboree format is a non tournament with registration fee which is sort of a mandatory donation to Heroes On The Water. Also there are optional largest fish takes all Calcutta’s. At 5$ entry each this year there were four. Striped Bass, Large & Small Mouth Bass, Catfish, and Slam.  This time parks the period of striped bass catch and release only as the species are on the brackish flats for the purpose of spawning.  These Striped Bass migrate all the way up the Chesapeake Bay to spawn at this location. The fishing is typically hit or miss from what i hear but when its on its ON!!

The captains meeting began in the late afternoon on Friday. It was great to see many familiar faces. Calcutta’s were entered captains bags t-shirts and name badges were handed out. A toast was made and a swell guy won the first “Swell Guy” Award for putting the event together for such a great cause.

As night fell the weather went south in a hurry and it thunder stormed and rained hard late into the night. Despite the rough weather the next morning was quiet and cool. The wind had started early but the plastic navy went out fishing anyway. It was windy but fun! I went to hide in a cove where small fish kept stealing my bait.  urned out to be sunfish and small perch. Being a saltwater fisherman im just not used to this. I didnt even have hooks small enough. After a few hours left that spot then drove to another spot up river more. The wind was too much so i gave up after an hour. Went back to camp and got ready for the dinner and awards.

Three out of the 4 Calcuttas were awarded. Not bad for the tough fishing conditions.

Food included roast pork and roast beef along with a potato and broccoli salad sides.

Donated product was raffled off along with a Signed Lefty Kreh Fly Rod and Hat donated by Lefty Kreh and a Hobie Kayak raffle.

After the dinner and raffles we all joined together to hang out around a camp fire.

Already looking forward to next year!! Once i have the #’s donated to HOW i will post them here.

Matthew Trucks

aka Yak Chum

Jackson Kayak Fishing Team

Reference: http://jacksonkayak.com/jk-kayaks/kayak-fishing/2013-kilroy/

The Kilroy was a full team effort with design leaders Tony Lee, Joe Walton, Damon Bungard, Drew Gregory and others on the JK fishing team all collaborating to make the ultimate fishing craft.  The Kilroy caters to all fishing styles, but includes notable improvement for fly fisherman with a large, open deck where no line can be snagged and lots of stable floor-room for standing.  Tackle box storage is conveniently handled by extensive bungee systems throughout the open deck and the storage of hooks, poles are stored in a dry side tube system and fish handling gear is aided by a new hard deck cover laden with storage points and mount points for position either at the front or back of the kayak.

“Sit-on-tops aren’t the only option anymore.” Notes Jackson’s Product Manager, Damon Bungard. “The Kilroy brings together all of Jackson Kayak’s great fishing innovations, plus a few new ones, in a sit-inside fishing kayak package. The Kilroy features include incredible stability, a unique floor system, hi-lo seating, balanced hull performance for a wide variety of conditions, unique rod and tackle storage and organization, and an interchangeable deck system. Easily customizable for fishing, hunting, photography, or just a comfortable paddle with the dog or kids, the Kilroy does it all in a package that is distinctly Jackson Kayak.”

“The sit-inside hybrid style of fishing kayaks have been popular among many anglers over the past several years.” States Drew Gregory, JK Fishing guru, “However, until the introduction of the Kilroy there has been little innovation to really shake up this genre. Simply put, the Kilroy gives anglers the best of what our sit-on-tops offer in  a in a sit-inside hybrid style which allows anglers to capitalize on the advantages of both!”

About Jackson Kayak: Jackson Kayak was founded in 2003 by Eric Jackson and Tony Lunt. Currently located in Sparta, Tenn., near the Caney Fork River, Jackson Kayak designs, builds, and manufactures leading whitewater, fishing and exploration paddlesports products. With the moto “Build it like it’s your own”, all of their products are Made in the USA in growing support of the local Tennessee economy. Market leaders in both the whitewater and kayak fishing, kayak manufacturing and strong in the exploration sector, Jackson Kayak continues to introduce new product lines each year; this year including a new SUP line are amongst 8 new products for 2013. Jackson Kayak’s success is largely due to delivering high quality products through paddlesports specialty shops globally; all supported by regional, national and international team members who are engaged to promote the paddling lifestyle.

CONTACT: James McBeath 613-256-0598 james@jacksonkayak.com

And it was.

Actually, the fishing was pretty slow. I was on the water for an hour before I picked up my first fish. That’s not something common for Pacific City. I was marking a lot of suspended fish but could not get them to commit. I suppose that was really the story of the day. 60′ of water and most fish appeared to be hanging out at the 40′ mark.

I picked up a couple black rockfish. Then lost a monster black that I couldn’t get in the kayak. It flipped out and into the water before I could get good control of it. It was pushing the 20″ mark and hit on the PK Panic I was jigging, not one of the shrimp flies the rockfish usually go after. I was pretty bummed about losing that fish.

I released one lingcod the whole day. It measured about 25″ and I decided it needed to be bigger before I thought about taking it home. Oddly enough, I didn’t hook into a single cabezon the whole day. I’m suspecting this is because I didn’t fish around Haystack Rock at all.

But I did catch a new species! I had found a good drift that produced the smaller lingcod and several black rockfish. The wind was picking up and I remember looking at the time and thinking to myself “another hour before Pelican opens.”

My time on the water was coming to an end. Was this really the way my day was going to end? It was a gorgeous day to be on the water, but the fishing was surprisingly slow.

And then my rod buried.

I first thought I had a big cabezon on the line. It was a tough fight and I was just getting bulldogged back to the bottom. Then there were the head shakes. Cabbies don’t really head shake. This must big a huge ling.

Several minutes and pulls against the drag later I was shocked by what I saw. The ghostly grey appearance told me immediately this was no ling. This was something else. A Wolf Eel. Crazy. I have always been attracted to them when I see them at the aquarium. I knew they were found in the areas that I fished. I had never caught one. I didn’t know anyone that had caught one.

I kept the fish in the water as I attacked my iPhone. The big question: can I keep this? I tried the VHF radio first, but there was no one monitoring channels 69 or 70, but there was no one around. I hadn’t seen anyone on the water. With the phone I was able to bring up the ODFW Marine Zone regulations. To make a long story short, wolf eels are not listed and therefore count as one of your bottom fish limits. Excellent!

Now I had to get the snake-like fish in the kayak.

Wolf eels have teeth. Fortunately, they’re not sharp teeth. Wolf eels feed on shellfish like mussels, crab, sand dollars and sea urchins. While they don’t have fangs like lingcod, their jaws are thick. There is a lot of muscle attached to them. While I’ve stuck my hand into the mouths of more fearsome looking fish, I was going to avoid the crushing power of the Wolf Eel.

I worked my gaff around the bottom jaw and the eel wrapped around it, much like a boa constrictor on its prey. I opened up the center hatch on the Cuda and dragged the fish into the kayak. Amazing. I was still in shock.

I only managed two more drifts before the wind picked up and I was forced to call it a day. Back on the beach I drew quite the crowd. It’s not uncommon for beach-goers to approach and ask about fishing from a kayak and the types of fish I was catching. It was, however, new to haul a giant Wolf Eel out of the kayak. Dozens of photos were taken. Kids were intrigued. When I got back to the car and started to put fish in the cooler, it all started again. More photos. More questions.

Finally the crowds died down and I was able to get everything put away. Of course, I couldn’t pass up a quick beverage and bite to eat at Pelican Brewing before I headed home.

I finally leaped forward from being a brand-new kayaker to understanding this wonderful sport better. Before this year I was working on my eskimo roll and had troubles, but after Stephen Wright’s classes I got a pretty solid roll with my paddle. The next time at the pool I took my new confidence and tried harder things to improve my kayaking skills. I first got my hands roll on a Friday night at the pool after trying so hard this year. Kayaking is fun and has taught me determination and that sometimes you really need to push yourself and practice hard to learn new skills to use on the river.

Here is a video my dad made of me kayaking called “Determination”:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

After a few missed attempts do to bad weather and limits on access points ( Ice Walls to 6 ft in some sections) I was finally able to get out and float my favorite section of the Lower Bow River and for 2 days no less. On day one I met up with fellow CKA Team member Mike Zilkowsky for the float. This was Mikes first time floating the Bow so I figured on taking him from McKinnon Flats to Carseland Weir, my personal favorite section. My hope was that he would hook into some of the trophy sized trout that has made this my favorite float on the Bow for the last few years. This particular section is more known for Trophy Rainbow’s ,20”plus is common., then browns although on this day it was the Browns that showed up. Water clarity was fair but the weather wasn’t. What was supposed to be a nice day calling for 19 degree’s and sunny decided ,like the fish ,not to show up. As this was our first outing of the season we definitely showed signs of rust as although we had hooked into 7 we only landed 2. The best fish of the day going to Mike with his 18.5’’ Brown caught off the banks near the Legacy Island Launch spot where they seemed to be stacked up.Four of our 7 hook ups came from that section and I had picked up a 20“ brown there as well only to have him break off while netting him.( I marked that spot for the next days float). I did pick up a small Bow a little later but after having the larger brown on my line earlier it was a bit disappointing but at least the stink was off the yak.Unfortunately the winds (40 to 50kms) really picked up after that and with it at our backs sent us flying through the afternoon section in record time. As you could imagine casting in those kind of winds become a real chore ,not to mention handling the yaks, so we found ourselves pretty much just paddling through to the Take out. All in all it wasn’t a bad first outing for the year. Definitely had better ,but it could have been worse. At least Mikes first float on the Bow saw him hook into his personal best Brown Trout.

On day 2 of my first weekend on the river I hooked up with my usual fishing partner, Terry, who was able to have his son join him for the first time in years. We decided to, with a bit of my prompting, to hit the same section of the river. I wanted a second chance at some of the misses from the day before. The weather was almost identical. We seemed to be ahead of the sun until noon and when it did show up it brought the winds with it ( 50kms). I had a pretty slow morning with only a couple hits and no commitments. Terry’s son did pick up a nice 20” rainbow in one of my favorite back channels which as he said made his day.At that point I was starting to think the highlight of the day for me might be the BBQ’d smokies we had for lunch.With the fishing being slow to that point I found myself waiting to get to the spot where the trout were stacked up from the day before and when I got there it didn’t disappoint.Although I only picked up one trout in that section this time it was a nice 19’’ brown who put up a uncharacteristically acrobatic fight . I like to believe this was the same brown from the day before, definitely makes for a better story. We each landed 2 on the day which again is pretty slow for this section of the Bow River.With the high winds in the afternoon we paddled out with very little fishing on the go. I spent most of the afternoon standing in the Coosa with the wind at my back. I found myself flying through the lower section of the river at record speeds. If I couldn’t fish I might as well sail. Looking forward to my next trip down the river. Hopefully soon…Real…. Soon…..

Stephen Laurie

Well it has been one of the longest and coldest winters in northern Canada. We are waiting for ice break-up on the Slave River. Just when it seems there is a possibility we are met with more snow. I think it will be all worth it once the river opens up and we have huge waves and warm water.

Of the 29 years I have been paddling I spent 22 of those years paddling year round. This can be a huge bonus to maintaining paddling fitness and technique. Now that I am living in the north I am limited to a 5-6 months paddling season at best. What do I do in the off season? Well, I have other sports and activities I enjoy. I find now most of my fitness training does not revolve around paddling, but being able to paddle, ski, ice climb, play squash and run. Basically now I want to stay fit for life, to be able to come home from work, go paddle and then stop by the local paddling club and help out with lessons all while minimizing injury. Pool sessions help, but lately I have focused on rocking out on the kettlebells. I’m sore and feeling more fit so I assume they are all good! If it’s good, I think I will keep slinging those ridiculous looking cannon balls around through summer while I still paddle.

Many have said if you want to be fit for paddling; paddle. If you want to be fit for skiing; ski. Sounds like solid advice if you are able to find the endless summer or winter, but if not the stuff above has been working well for me.

The photos are of ski touring both up north and in the Jasper, Alberta area. The last picture is of us enjoying the goods. Hopefully the goods will melt soon and we can enjoy the whitewater!

We have a problem. Our group is now back down to six people, but only one car. That car is our small Volkswagen Suran, which can barely fit five. We’ve been told our destination, Rio Baker, is four days away from our current location at the Gol Gol. We brainstorm, and send three partway back to Pucon with a car headed that way. They’ll stay in a hostel and catch a bus to Bariloche, Argentina in the morning. Then we’ll rent a second car and head south. Hopefully the customs department won’t mind three of us having six kayaks and an inordinate amount of gear.

Surprisingly this all goes according to plan. Now it’s Sunday in Bariloche and we need a rack for the new car, but everything is closed. Fabian works some magic with a construction worker who “loans” us a 2×4″ beam long enough to cut in half and mount on the roof of our new rental. We’re in business and make it just far enough out of the city to camp.

Early in the morning we rise and put some miles behind us. A lot of miles. Even though we get lost once, we make it all the way back into Chile and camp on the Baker, less than a hundred kilometers from put on.

We’re way ahead of schedule and look forward to making the final push down dirt roads to the put in, maybe even early enough to scout the first gorge. Provided we don’t get any flat tires or other transportation problem, because our compact car is only inches off the ground and out of place in this wild land where pickups are the norm.

For years when running whitewater we have used the term “give ‘er’” meaning to send it and run the rapid, regardless of fears or abilities. This weekend I got to witness the spirit of that term first hand. And not in difficult class V that you would normally associate it with, but rather on a the more navigable class II waters of the Upper Colorado.

Weeks ago I was introduced to my friend’s son, Sterling. A handsome, polite, adventurous and carismatic 12 year old that lives with cerebral palsy. Not only does

he live with it, he conquers it, skiing more days then most of my friends each season. His dad told me how much he liked seeing the images of our SUP river adventures. My immediate thought was lets figure a way to get him out there with us. A plan was made for this past weekend.

After meeting at State Bridge we made our way to the put in at Rancho Del Rio and suited up. While I was amazed at Sterling’s casual demeanor at the put in I was equally taken with his father’s patience and caring. Just putting on his son’s wetsuit took 15 minutes, and the whole time his dad was encouraging and understanding. As a dad myself I know the struggles with my own children and my lack of patience sometimes. Both his mom and dad epitomize incredibly selfless parenting and unconditional love.
After attaching his walker to my SUPerNatural’s grab handles and front bars, his dad carried him to the river and we were off. He was immediately smiling and loving it, I was the nervous one. But not Sterling. As we approached the first rapid he never hesitated. Never said stop. When asked “you want to do this one?” the answer was always “yes”. Considering others I have taken on the river that are full of fear and anxiety, Sterling was styling it. He never complained it was cold, listened to directions perfectly, paddled his fair share and kept that grin going. I wish all my paddling partners were like him.

And in the end, we greased it. As a team. Not one fall or flip. By the mid way point I was no longer nervous because he made me realize there was nothing to fear. Just point it, smile and send it. And while I have always thought it had to be the hardest whitewater in order to be fun, Sterling made myself and others realize on Saturday that just being out there is the real joy .

Take some time today, slow down and know that you can make a difference in someones life so easily. A river is the perfect environment to share with others, especially those that will benefit the most but have the least opportunities to access it. We as a community of paddlers and river runners have the capability to help. Be selfless, smile more, fear less and by all means, give er’.

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Looking to escape winters shackles? A trip to southern Utah can be just the ticket. The San Juan river is a sure bet for river folk wanting to explore some amazing and remote desert landscapes while enjoying some time on the water. The most popular section of this river goes from Sand Island to Clay Hills near Bluff, UT. This 84 miles of river takes the normal groups 6-7 days. Another popular option is to do the top 27 miles going from Sand Island to Mexican Hat, UT. The San Juan is a class II-III whitewater run with long stretches of moving flat water between the small rapids. Permits for river runners are distributed annually by the Bureau of Land Management through a lottery system.

We have been on the San Juan twice now. The first time was in our raft when our daughter who was 6 and we did all 84 miles and had a wonderful adventure. This past March we launched on the San Juan again, but this time were in kayaks and a standup board doing the upper 27miles from Sand Island to Mexican Hat. Both were wonderful trips, but it was really fun for all of us to be in our own boats and to each choose our own paths down the river. Abby was 8 years old on this last trip and paddled her own Jackson Sidekick the whole way (minus a few rides on the standup board). The rest of our group were in the Jackson Rogues, the perfect boat for this kind of long distance kayak camping. I took the Jackson SUPer Fishal stand up board the SUV of SUP. Each person carried their own gear minus some of the perishable food that I had in the Yeti cooler strapped on SUPer Fishal.
On the upper section there are many archeological sites to explore. The most famous is the River House Ruins. Here you will find the cliff dwellings of Ancestral Puebloans dating back to AD 900 and the late 1200s. There are also many fragments of pottery and stone tools remaining at many of the sites as well as petroglyph panels of rock art nearly everywhere you look. In the ancient grainaries you can still find corn cobs and acorn tops from over 1000 years ago.

Further down, the river cuts a deep canyon through the Raplee Anticline, a fold in the earth’s surface creating mountains of ancient rock. It’s a floating geology tour and where the first rapids are encountered. In the canyon you see many types of rock layers. Some have fossils covering large expanses of rock all around. In the Narrows, the canyon has leggy cliff walls on both sides. There are a few small rapids in this section and the amazing scenery just sucks you in making the river miles fly by.
Many amazing camp sites are found along the entire run. You can have sandy beaches, flat spots under shady cottonwoods as well as rock ledges deep in the canyon. Water levels are controlled by Navaho Reservoir but with our last trip at the low end of the annual flow (400 CFS) we still had plenty of water for a great trip in kayaks. Flows are often the best in spring but can vary from year to year.

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Links to more info on the American Whitewater Site:
Upper San Juan:
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/1871/

Lower San Juan:
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/3558/