Another Great Day On The River :D

[Royal]

Mary and I went kayaking on the Upper Cut River yesterday and it was a perfect day. It was around 90 degrees and windy. The wind made the sun bearable and the bugs were not a problem at all.

We saw nobody else on the river for the entire four hours and that was great.

[attachment 29666 maryriver.jpg]

[attachment 29667 maryriver2.jpg]

We saw lots of big bass in the holes and Mary saw a couple pike which turned out to be small gars.

The river is very clear and much of it is shallow, as you can see by the pictures but on some of the bends there are holes way over my head. We stopped at one place and I took a dip. I happened to see a can and as usual, fished the sucker out. There were quite a few fish in this little hole, one bass I would expect to go 3 or 4 lbs which is a nice smallmouth. The water is nice and warm too.

[attachment 29669 Mecan.jpg]

On the next bend below where I was swimmin there is a hole that has to be 15 ft deep and probably deeper. The clear water makes it hard to guess. Heck, I was standing up for the pictures of me in the water!

There are about a dozen places where there were beaver dams in the past. One one picture showing all the wood is one. In every deep hole the bottom is littered with wood like this, making for great cover for the fish.

[attachment 29670 oldbeaverdam.jpg]

One thing that is neat is that much of the bank is undercut on the curves, like the one picture of the brush on the left. As we slide past we see many big Smallmouth and other fish back in the darkness. The next time I go there, maybe tomorrow, I am taking my mask and snorkle and exploring back under there a bit.

[attachment 29671 undercut.jpg]

The water was about 10 ft deep where Mary was paddling by and I was in about 4 inches of water when I took the picture.

I just thought I would post some pictures of our day and I apologize for not photoshopping out my belly but BITE ME!


[attachment 29668 mebelly.jpg]

All together it was a perfect day on a perfect river.


Today we went for a short ride in the woods, before Mary headed back south and we saw four young Bald Eagles setting on one old dead snag along the two track. What a perfect picture and I had my old one meg camera. I got it out and cound not get the dang shutter to trip, By the time I did two had flown and I forgot to Zoom the dang camera so I got a picture of two specks setting on a tree.

Big dummy

 

[Sunny]

belly and all! Gives you character! Tell Mary I like her hat!

The river really is clear! Do you not ever see snakes? The Saline River by me is full of them, therefore afraid to swim much.

Do the kayacks not make it uncomfortable on your backs? Never been in one!

Thanks for all the photos! They really add to a story!

 

[Royal]

The water is extremely clear, and warm. That is why there are no trout in it I guess. It is easy to see bottom in 10 or 15 ft of water and watch the fish.

Kayaks are very comfortable. The only problem I have at all is getting in and out of them. Once you learn the tricks, it is a piece of cake. I have only flipped it one time and it was my own fault. I have flipped my canoe more times than that.

They are more stable than a canoe because your butt is below water line where with a canoe your butt is above water line.

Like I said this was on a very hot Saturday and we were the only two on the river. A person could have skinny diped with no worries.

Mary came around a small bend and was face to face with a fawn. It took off out into the river and ran right down stream. The water was only a couple inches deep there and then around a corner and out of sight.

I was drifting along and sneezed another time and scared a deer that must have been ten feet from me but I didn't see it, just heard it take off.

There are snakes along the river but they are pretty harmless. Eastern Water Snakes. They will bite but only if you tweek their nipples. I try not to tweek any snakes nipples.

I imagine there and Michigan Rattlers in there but they don't bother you. Just leave them alone.....Don't tweek their nipples either....

 

[Sunny]

day! Do you ever catch a few fresh fish for dinner? How long are you there for this time?

 

[Royal]

I just sent him an email to find out the date. I think just before the 4th.

I will be here at least the rest of the week. I will probably go down the lower half in a couple days but it will be alone. It is even more remote. It is much more fun to have someone to share it with but I will do it alone too.

Can't waste time waiting for someone to go with Life is too short.

 

[Rob/Windsor Ont.]

I've said it a hundred times and I'll say it again. THAT is living ! Really happy that your getting this chance in life for such beautiful experiences Royal. Keep posting them for those of us still stuck in the rat race. BTW, you still look like you can crush a beer bottle with your hands. I said BOTTLE ! Whatever you are doing, keep it up. You're looking pretty fit for an old fart !!

 

[Sunny]

your brother will do well with the chemo! It effects some more than others! How long does he have to do it, and what is his prognosis? :|

 

[Royal]

and seems to be doing well. He has Lymphoma and there was a tumor on his tonsil and one on his neck.

After the first treatment, while we were still at the hospital, in fact he was still in the chair, the doctor said there was shrinkage, in fact Gary said the one on his necd felt softer and he could already move it. By the second treatment it was gone and the one on his tonsil was almost gone. Now after four treatments there is no sign of them.

He has a rough time after the treatments for a week but he is as tough as my mother and keeps going. You remember she had a masctomy at the age of 86 and will be 90 in aug.

I am the only one in the family that has not had that crap and I am gonna have fun until it is my turn

 

[Royal]

the rivers are free and a small kayak is about 250 at REI. Ours are Old Towns but I really like my smaller one better for the rivers. We need at least one on each trip with storage.

I had never been down this river until last week and could find nobody that had so I just packed up my gear and a GPS and headed out. I didn't know what the heck I would get into but figured I would survive it. Turns out it was great. I expect to do it again many times.

I just looked out and my little buddy is trying to figure a way to get in that feeder I am gonna fry his ass :

 

[Micheal_R]

Those are great shots bud. I am jealous already. Fabulous scenery and it looks as though a great ime too!!.

Hope that all is well with you. Was not the water cold??? And if it is a swimming hole, have you ever detected it?

Calm seas

M

 

[Sunny]

n/t

 

[Royal]

The river runs through Marl Lake, which is only two feet deep or so and maybe 400 acres. The bottom of the lake is dark so it obsorbs the suns heat. Then it goes down streem and it is all sand and pretty shallow. I will try to remember to take a thermometer the next time I go but it is very warm. The bass love it.

That hole is just out in nowhere. I doubt anyone has been in it. There are dozens of them on the stretch we ran, no access but canoe or kayak. Some are pretty deep and you can see the bottom in all of them, the water is so clear.

Downstream from where I got out is just the same

 

[Royal]

Heck I would do the same for you and you don't seem like my sister

 

[WillyP]

actually, I didn't notice your (oversized) belly 'till you mentioned it! I did however, notice your white legs. Man those are powder-sugar white!

 

[ojm bc]

n/t

 

[david(tx)]

academy sports down here has a kayak that's 9 foot 5 inches and weighs 39 pounds,they want 446 for it,then they have kayak that's called a sit-on kayak,it's open where you don't sit down in a hole some much as you just set on top.it has a back rest and it looks like you set lower than in a canoe but you would take on water if you tipped a little bit.

it's 11 foot 6 inches and weighs 62 pounds,they both have rod holders and such,this cost 384.the one like yours will take 300 pounds the sit-on top will take 350,bet it has to do with the length.looks like yall had fun.

 

[Royal]

I forget the exact length. The one I like best for the river is a little over 9 ft and I like it becasue it is easy to manuver. I am always on the lookout for trash.

The type without the cockpit is fine for warm water and the summer but since I do this stuff in the middle of our winter, I would freeze. You do not stay very dry in them. Great for the summer and warm water though. I am thinking aobut getting one for trashing because they are very easy to get in and out of. The enclosed ones like use are not as easy.

You can spend a lot of money on a Kayak. The Old Towns like in the post were around 750 each but the nine footer was 250. They both do the same thing, keep your butt dry. I have seen them for thousands of dollars but some are made of kevlar and such but for the rivers I go down they are a bit over kill.

I bought my first Canoe in 1966 and still have it. I have thousands of hours in it, fishing mainly. I love it. Since I bought the kayaks I no longer use it unless we have company and they want to try kayaking. We have three kayaks and two canoes.

To be honest the kayaks feel much more stable than the canoe now. out of the thousands of hours I have had in the canoe I only flipped it two times, once in fast water and a deadhead I did not see and the other the first time I took it our after buying it. There was a foot of ice on the lakes and I went in a local river and didn't know what I was doing. Froze my butt off that day

We used the canoes for years up here and saw others with kayaks. We decided to rent a couple to see what they were all about. We did and the next day went and bought the two in the post. I added the short one later.

 

[Royal]

I took it to a shop and had removable racks built on it to carry two kayaks and one canoe.

I load the scooter and kayaks on it, one kayak of I am going alone. I drive to where I am going to get on the river and dump off the kayaks, along with my partner if I have one that day. If I am going alone I just dump off the kayak. I have never had anything bothered up here yet.

I then drive the truck and trailer to the takeout spot and leave them. I then offload the scooter and ride it back to the kayaks and leave it there.

I do my run and load the kayak on the trailer and go back and pick up my scooter. Works real smooth.

 

[Royal]

that is part of the odd tan a kayaker gets. It evens out as the summer advances but under my arms are white and the first two joints of each finger are white. It is strange looking. That is because your hands are wrapped around the paddle handle and only the back of your hands are exposed to the sun.

You do sorta like my legs don't you. maybe I can make a special effort to brown them up for you. Does that pretty little wife know about your attraction to others legs.

 

[Rob/Windsor Ont.]

n/t