First trip down Watauga for August (and short review for Berkley Gulp Baits)

It's been a while since Jordan and I have had a chance to get onto the water.  Due to some car trouble we have lost our vehicle we use to transport the kayaks to and from the river so it's been hard getting trips arranged.  We did manage to get out this past weekend for a short trip.

Jordan invited his friend Chris along for the trip and we let him use the Vertex Flex kayak.  Unfortunately though the kayak suffered a spill while in transit earlier this summer and sustained about a 2 inch gash right along the keel in the very aft part of the kayak.  I thought I had gotten it sealed well enough but after only a few minutes on the water it was apparent that the boat was taking on a good bit of water.  Our ride had already left us so we decided to head on down river and make the best of it.

Jordan being the good friend let Chris use his Kayak instead of the leaking one.  We tried fishing as much as we could however with the amount of water Jordan's kayak was taking on we were having to stop quite often to drain it.

We made the best of it as we could and caught some nice trout on the day.  Jordan was absolutely tearing up the trout while using the Berkley Gulp Baits we had decided to try out.  Even though he spent more time wading the shallows while his kayak was draining than he did actually floating the river he was catching trout left and right.

At our first normal stop where we have caught some nice trout in the past, Jordan managed to land three respectable trout.  I hooked what looked like would have been one of our largest browns on the year but lost it before being able to land it.  I did land several average sized trout.

Jordan was extremely hot though and he continued to out pace me all morning.  We continued on down river, having to stop quite often for Jordan to drain the water from his kayak.  We decided that once we reached the point where Stoney Creek and Watauga River converge we would call in the cavalry and make our retreat from the river.  With several deeper, long stretches down river from that spot we did not want to risk Jordan having to test his kayak's float bladder.

Once at Stoney Creek we made the necessary phone calls, ate our lunch and got back to some fishing while waiting on our ride.  We both caught several average trout from the area and our two largest trout on the day.  Jordan's trout is the one pictured at the top of this post.

Although we had to cut our day short I was very pleased with how the Berkley Gulp Bait performed.  We normally only catch one or two trout the size of the ones we caught this day.  We wound up with a total of five respectable trout.  I am confident that had we been able to continue on down river we would have had much better success.  I am normally a little hesitant to put out my hard earned money on baits and lures that may or may not produce but was very pleased with how these worked out for us.  We had two different colors with us, Smelt and Watermelon, and I plan to pick up some other patterns in the near future.

The Berkley Gulp Bait is definitely a welcomed addition to our tackle boxes.

Here is the track for our trip.

Siam Bridge To Stoney Creek

Night fishing on Boone Lake

It had been a long time since I had done much fishing aside from trout fishing.  As a kid I spent countless nights on the banks of rivers and lakes around Gastonia, NC fishing for catfish with my parents.  I have many fond childhood memories of those nights.  Then while serving in the US Navy during the mid to late 1990s I was stationed in Norfolk, VA.  I was lucky enough to have my sister and brother-in-law living close by.  My brother-in-law and I fished the coastal waters of VA and NC every chance we got.

So in hopes of allowing my own children to create some of those childhood memories of their own, my wife and I decided to plan a night fishing trip with the kids.  We took the three oldest of our children, leaving our youngest with my wife's parents and headed to Boone Lake after I got off of work Friday evening.

The TWRA, Johnson City Parks and Recreation and other donors have built a very nice fishing pier on Boone Lake at Wing Deer Park in Johnson City.  I don,t know the exact length but I would say it is several hundred yards long and runs from the park, under Bristol Highway to the TWRA boat access.  In the center is a very nice and quite large gazeebo.

We got to the lake around 7:00 PM and set up under the bridge.  We fished there for a couple of hours with little success.  Jordan and Colton did catch several bluegill while wondering up and down the pier.  As dark approached, the people that had been fishing in the gazeebo headed out so we decided to move into it.  There was a little rain coming so it all worked out for the best. 

Things didn't pick up until around 10:30 or so.  I wouldn't exactly say that we had a hot night of fishing but did have fun.  We wound up catching one small catfish, about 12 inches long and three striped bass, each about 10 - 12 inches long.  Everyone seemed to have a great time, even Misty, who didn't fish.  I definately think we will have to do it again sometime soon.  It may not be as much fun as kayaking but it was good to get out with most all of our kids. 

⇒ Click here for an album of pictures from the trip. ⇒ Click here for a slideshow of pictures from the trip.

Above the pictures from the trip and a slideshow of those pictures.

Kodak Easyshare Sport C123

Let me start by saying what I was looking for in a camera.  I wanted a camera that would obviously take above average photos, was waterproof, compact, yet buttons were easy to get to with wet cold fingers, had the ability to do video and was not too expensive.  The expensive part was the most critical for me.  There are plenty of cameras out there that I looked at online and in stores that met all of the above but were a little too pricey for me.  Price was such a major concern for me due to the fact that where this camera will be primarily used there is a better than average chance of it getting lost at the bottom of a river or lake.  I would much rather spend a little less on a camera and have to replace it due to loss than have to replace one that cost several hundred dollars.

That being said so far this camera has worked out very well for me.  The camera in question is the Kodak Easyshare Sport C123.  This camera was bought for me as a birthday present from my wife so that I could have a camera other than my cell phone while kayaking, fishing and doing whatever else we might do while outdoors. 

The camera came in the package with a standard wrist strap, USB cable, 2 AA batteries and user manual.  Unfortunately it did not come with a SD card or a floating wrist strap as some did.  I picked up a 4 GB Sandisk SD card for about $12 along with the camera and plan to get one of the floating wrist straps at some point.  Here are some of the specifications for the camera from the Kodak website:

Effective Pixels - 12MP (4026 x 3026)
Zoom - 5X Advanced Digital
Display - 2.4 in. 112K TFT color LCD
Dimensions - 3.6W x 2.6H x 1.2D
Weight - 6.2 oz with batteries and SD card

You can find the full specifications on the Kodak site at the link above.

The first time the camera was used was by my wife on our kayaking trip last week.  We were on the water for about 6 - 7 hours and over 180 pictures were taken.  The camera performed remarkably with no problems at all.  The pictures turned out great and some can be seen in my Kayaking Photo Album.  I was very impressed with how well the camera took action photos.  Several pictures my wife took of Jordan fly fishing caught the rod in motion with no blur or anything.  She also snapped a picture of some geese taking flight that looked like they just froze in midair. 

The camera buttons were very easy to get to even with my larger hands.  There are not a lot of buttons on the camera to push which is a bonus in my opinion, especially how this camera is used.  It was easy to use and the menus were not over loaded with too many features to make them hard to get around in. 

The LCD stayed clear all day even with the heat of the sun and cold temperatures of the water.  It was also very easy to make out the display in the glare of the sun.  I was very impressed by this as most electronics like cell phones and such are next to impossible to read in the glaring sun.

The camera didn't spend a huge amount of time in the water but it was splashed several times and hanging from my wife's PFD it was submersed a few times when she got out of the kayak.  I also intentionally dipped it a couple of times just to see how it would react.  It never appeared to get any water or condensation into the camera itself.

One thing of note that the camera does that I have yet to try out is take underwater pictures.  There is a mode just for this.  I have read a few things online about this mode that says it works quite well.  Although we never used this option it does take pictures looking into the water quite well for not having a polarized lens. 

The only draw back that I found to the camera was the battery life.  As I said earlier the trip lasted about 6 - 7 hours and a little over 180 pictures were taken.  By the end the battery meter was showing half way.  this was with turning the camera off and on quite often.  I am sure that uses quite a bit of battery life so I will have to try it some time with just leaving it on the entire trip.

Overall I am very pleased with this camera.  At a price of about $70 it is well worth every penny.  There are better out there I am sure but at a much higher cost.  I would highly recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for one with uses much like my own.

Trip down for my birthday

My wife asked me what I wanted for my birthday so I told her that all I wanted was two things.  The first was a new waterproof camera to take kayaking with me and for her to go down with me and Jordan.  So Saturday morning we set out from our normal put in below Siam Bridge.  Jordan and I were doing a little fishing as normal and Misty was was just there to enjoy the float and take some pictures with my new camera.

We started out slow letting her get used to the kayak.  She had only been in the kayak once before at Watauga Lake and that was only for a few minutes.  She was nervous but settled in fairly quickly.

We made most of our normal stops to do some fishing and to let Misty put her feet on dry land a little.  For some reason I wasn't catching any trout at all.  In fact I didn't start catching any until about half way through the trip.  That was alright though because it gave me a little more time to spend helping Misty get used to the water and Jordan was catching plenty for the both of us.

I will say this about Jordan.  He has been using his fly rod a lot while we float the river here lately and has gotten very good with it.  It's impressive to see how good he has gotten in such a short amount of time.  That boy loves fishing!

We stopped about half way at Hunter Bridge for a quick lunch.  Jordan and I took a quick dip in the water to cool off.  We tried to get Misty to get in but she complained about it being being too cold.  That's a woman for ya!

We had a great day and I think Misty really enjoyed it.  I was glad that she decided to go down with us.  I had been trying to get her to go with us since we first started last summer.  She had a lot of fun with my new camera also.  She wound up taking over 180 pictures with it.  I will have to do a write up on the camera later on.

Overall Misty did real well on her first trip down Watauga River.  She never dumped the kayak a single time.  I can't wait until the next time she decides to make a float with us.  I might even have to get her fishing license and make her start fishing some. 

We finished up the trip getting out at the bridge in lover's lane.  It was a wonderful day on the water and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.

Siam Bridge To Lovers Lane

Another trip down Watauga River

We set out a little before 9:00AM on Saturday morning to do a little fishing on Watauga River.  It was pretty overcast to start out the morning but I had checked the weather and it was supposed to be a nice day.  The fishing finally seems to be picking up as right off we started catching some trout.  Supprising though not many others were on the water this far up river.

We continued down river with out much happening.  In one of our favorite holes just below where Stoney Creek joins with Watauga River, Jordan caught his first trout using his fly rod.  It wasn't much of a trout but as we always say "A fish is a fish".  He finished the hole by catching 2 more off of his fly rod.  I spent a good bit of the time helping him and even caught a decent little rainbow with Jordan's fly rod while showing him how to cast a little better. 

We still hadn't seen anyone else on the river until we got to Hunter Bridge.  There were half a dozen people wade fishing in this area.  Once we got down past this section we did have a group of kayakers come down behind us.  They weren't fishing but were out just enjoying the river.  They were going fairly slow so we stayed fairly close to them for the rest of our trip down river.  We also met up with another group of two kayaks and 4 guys on pontoon float boats.  I am still amazed at the lack of people who kayak fish on the Watauga River. 

We had a great day on the water and the fishing turned out to be one of the better times we have this summer.  Can't wait to get out next weekend if the weather permits.

Watauga River, Siam Bridge To Blackbottom

Here is the track for the trip.

Watauga River Information

I felt it was time to add a little bit of information on where we kayak and fish. We spend the majority of our time on Watauga River in Elizabethton, TN. Although Watauga River starts in North Carolina, my only experience is with the sections within Carter and Washington Counties of Tennessee. The river starts as it flows out of Wilbur Dam and flows for approximately 20 miles until it converges with Boone Lake. There are two sections that we primarily float. The first section, which I refer to as upper section is approximately five and a half to six miles long. It starts just below Siam Bridge and stops at Riverside Park at the Elizabethton Twins ball field. The second section is the trophy section and starts at Riverbend boat ramp and stops at the CSX railroad bridge in Watauga, TN and is approximately four to four and a half miles long.

Watauga River is kept in the low to mid 50s all summer long due to the release of water from Wilbur Reservoir. During the summer kayak and rafting season the Tennessee Valley Authority maintains a fairly consistent generation schedule that can be found HERE with daily release info found HERE.  Normally you can expect the generation to begin between noon and 1:00PM, Monday through Saturday with Sunday being free from generation.  These times are subject to change if power is needed so always check the daily release information.

The river conditions themselves are fairly mild even for the new paddlers.  We were able to paddle the river, under generation our first time down with no experience at all with no problems.  When not generating, which is the best time to fish the river, it is a very easy and relaxing trip.

Siam Bridge to Riverside Park (Upper Section)
On the upper section there are no areas that would give any concern as long as you pay attention.  As with any thing done on moving water you need to always take caution and be prepared for accidents, however as long as you stay alert it is a great river to float and fish.  Our first few times down we did take a couple of spills due to getting caught on rocks and then getting the kayak turned in awkward positions.  None of these resulted in more than getting wet and having to drag the kayaks to the side to drain water out.  The biggest piece of advice I could give is keep everything you don't want to lease on some sort of leash.  I keep everything from water bottles to tackle boxes on lanyards attached with carabiners. 

Depending on the water level, which varies throughout the summer with rainfall, there are several areas which may or may not require you to have to get out and drag the kayak through the shallows.  The great thing is many of these areas are also nice spots to stop and do a little wade fishing.  There are several areas that are over a persons head but for the most part these sections are very calm and can be paddled through with ease.  Overall the upper section is our go to section for fishing and just plain having fun.  The fishing, even on bad days is excellent, usually resulting in a dozen or more trout being caught between a couple of fishermen.

One of the nicest things about kayaking this section of the river, especially for the inexperienced kayaker is that you are always in sight of houses and normally there are others on the water either fishing or boating.  If something were to happen, help is on hand.  There are several rafting companies located on the rivers edge as you head down river and on more than one occasion the weather has gone bad on us and each we were offered a spot to get off the water at these rafting companies.

Riverbend boat ramp to CSX Bridge (Trophy Section)
The trophy section of Watauga River is about the same as the upper section as far as the skill required to float it.  It is however a little deeper with fewer areas where you are able to get out of the kayak and wade fish.  It is also much more secluded, with areas where if something happened you would pretty much be on your own.

The fishing itself is on par with the upper section, with the main difference being the potential size of the trout.  As per the name the trophy section is stocked with larger trout than other sections of Watauga River.  With this in mind there are a different set of regulations that one must adhere to while fishing this section.  Check the TWRA site for the most current regulations. 

Overall both of these sections are a lot of fun to float and as long as common sense and a little caution is taken then you will have a great time on the water.  There is only one spot that I would not recommend the novice kayaker to attempt and that would be at Sycamore Shoals right before you reach Riverbend.  There is a drop off in the water that I will not even attempt yet.  This is why I do not paddle the short section between Riverside park and Riverbend.  Other than this one section I highly recommend anyone to give this river a shot.  The trout fishing is outstanding, the water relaxing and scenery breathtaking!

Feel free to check out the About Us page for how to contact me if you have questions or would like more detailed information.

Trip to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Our three oldest kids were out of town on a church trip so Misty and I decided to take Abby down to Gatlinburg, TN for the weekend. While down there we took a drive into the Smokies and headed to Cades Cove. The weather was great albeit a bit on the hot side. This was actually Abigayle's second time in Cades Cove, although her first time she was only a few weeks old. So I guess it had been five years ago give or take a week or so. Needless to say she didn't remember much about it, however if you ask her she will tell you all about her first time there (the one 5 years ago). Got to love the imagination of a five year old.

We spotted quite a few deer while in the cove and even got to see several bear with their cubs. We also hiked out to Abrams Falls which was a first for all three of us. Abby was a trooper and made it the entire 5 miles round trip with minimal complaining.  The hike itself was not the hardest Misty or I had made before but it had been quite a while since either of us had done any hiking.  I will freely admit that we were both wore out by the end and are feeling it today.  It was all worth it however.  Any time spent with the family like that is always worth every moment.  We saw some beautiful scenery and got some much needed exercise to boot.  Who could ask for more?

After the hike up to the falls we went back to the car and found us a nice spot to have a quick little picnic.  After that we finished the loop through the cove and headed back home.  It was a great little vacation and hopefully we will get a chance to do it again sometime soon with the rest of the family.

⇒ Click here for an album of pictures from the trip. ⇒ Click here for a slideshow of pictures from the trip.

Cades Cove Abrams Falls

Here is the track for the hike out to Abrams Falls.

Short trip down Watauga River

We hadn't been on the water the last couple of weekends so Jordan and I got up late Saturday morning and decided to hit the river. We got everything loaded up and set out fron Hunter Bridge on Watauga River. We usually put in farther up river but since it was around noon when we got started and generation was to start at 1 PM we decided to make it a shorter trip.

Right away we started catching fish. There is a great little hole just past the bridge and between the two of us we caught 13 trout out of it. All of them were rainbows between 10 and 14 inches. We moved on to let some of the folks wade fishing get a little action.

The next few holes we normally fish turned out pretty hot just as the first one was. I finally got the chance to snap a photo of a trout as Jordan was getting the hook out. It seems like every time he catches one I am not able to get a picture and it's pretty hard to get a picture of one I have caught.

We didn't make it far down the river though when some storm clouds rolled in on us. We barely got out of the river and had my wife meet us where we were before the rain unloaded. It wasn't a long float but we had a good day anyways.

Short Watauga River Trip

Here is the track for the trip.

A birthday float down Watauga River

It's been a couple weeks since we made this trip.  I have been lazy and hadn't gotten around to posting it but here it is finally. 

I had taken a couple days off of work for Jordan and Abigayle's birthday.  We had Jordan's party at the lake on Saturday so we decided to make a run down Watauga River on Friday, which was actually Jordan's 17th birthday (happy birthday Jordan!).  Jordan invited a friend of his to go down with us so we all met at Riverside Park in Elizabethton bright and early Friday morning.  We left Aaron's car at the park and took our's to our put in spot up by Siam Bridge. 

This was Aaron's first time kayaking and he was using our spare Flex Vertex 85 Kayak.  We spent a little bit going over a few details before putting in and once on the water we went over a few more things.  Once I felt Aaron was comfortable we got to fishing. 

We made most all of our normal stops along the way and all of us caught several decent trout.  Nothing major happened throughout the day aside from Aaron dropping one of my ultra-lite rods he had borrowed into the water in a nice deep hole.  We tried getting it and although we could see it setting on the bottom about 10 feet below us we just couldn't get to it.  Alas it was only a cheap Wal-mart rod.

On a side note we had warned Aaron several time to put sun screen on several time, which he ignored.  From what I understand he was severely sunburned afterwards.  Maybe next time he will listen to our advice!

All-in-all we had a great time and I am glad the three of us got a chance to go down the river together for Jordan's birthday.  Hopefully we will get a chance to do it again soon.

Watauga River Trip

Here is a track of the trip using EveryTrail on my Google Droid X.

Two trips for Monday, May 30, 2011 and Tuesday, May 31, 2011

We made two different trips on Monday and Tuesday. The first trip was another float down the trophy section of Watauga River and the second one we paddled out to a large island on Watauga Lake.

The Watauga River trip was fairly uneventful. We hit the water by just after 8:00 AM. Caught a few nice trout and had a fun day on the water but nothing to speak of really. We did get to chat with a few more drift boaters and had a couple of rafters come by. One thing I do feel as though I need to bring up is etiquette on the water. Normally I try to be as courtius to others as possible and will give up good stretches of water if others are even near by. My thought is that there is always more spots down river somewhere. I very upset with the way the rafters acted when they came by. Jordan and I were sitting in a calm stretch playing with some trout when the rafters came by yelling, splashing and squirting water everywhere. Even when they got along side of us they were slapping their paddles on the water.

Without a doubt I know they saw us there because several of them even waved at us. I understand that they paid a lot of money to take that trip however a little common courtesy in a hundred yard stretch of water goes a long way with the others you are sharing the river with.

Well that's my rant for the day!

Watauga River Trophy Section

Here is a track of the float down the trophy section of Watauga River.

On Tuesday we headed out a little after 1:00 PM to let the kids play at the lake and to spend some time together as a family. We took all three of our kayaks so that Brianna, my oldest daughter, could try out the kayak some.

Once at Watauga Lake we got the kayaks in the water and started out. I let Brianna get used to the kayak and then took her out to an island not far from the swimming area we were at. The island is kinda small and has several older geese nests on it. Once I felt she was ready we decided to kayak down the lake to a large island we are planning a camping trip on. It was a good little paddle to it and all three of us were pretty wore out.

I had planned to paddle back to where we started but decided to call Misty to drive up the lake from where she was with our two youngest ones and pick the three of us up.

Watauga Lake

Here is a track of our trip on Watauga Lake.

All in all we had a great day and a great Memorial day weekend. Jordan and I went kayaking all four days I was off for a total of just over 20 miles of water time. We caught a good bit of trout with several of them being pretty decent. A man can't ask for much better of a time!

First time down the Trophy Section of Watauga River, Sunday, May 29, 2011

 

Jordan and I decided to head out early this morning and try kayaking down the trophy section of Watauga River.  We had wanted to give it a try all last summer after getting our kayaks but never did.  So just after 8:00 AM we were in the water along with several others in drift boats.

Right off we both started catching a few smaller trout.  They weren't the big ones were hoping for but we hadn't gotten into the trophy waters yet.  It didn't take long though and Jordan caught a few decent sized trout.  Again they weren't the big trophy ones but on the ultra lite tackle we use a 12 inch trout makes for a nice catch.

As we continued floating down river we leap frogged back and forth with the various drift boats from hole to hole.  From chatting with the guides none of them were catching much either.  Shortly after getting into the actual trophy section of the float we got into a shallower were most everyone stopped and did a little wade fishing.

It was here that Jordan and I was casting into a waste deep area right around a small island that I hooked a pretty nice rainbow.  It was a good 18-20 inch rainbow that gave an awesome fight.  Once I landed it we started to wade back up river to the kayaks to take a picture when I lost my grip on it and lost the fish.  I really hated not being able to get a picture of it as this was one of the most beautiful rainbows I had ever seen.  We stayed in the area wade fishing for a couple hours and Jordan wound up catching quite a few 10-14 inch trout.

The rest of the float was fairly uneventful aside from a massive trout I hooked in a hole farther down river.  Unfortunately I it came off before I landed it however Jordan and I both saw it surface and in the water.  It was at least 24-26 inches and gave up a very nice fight for the little bit that I had him on my line.  I would have loved to have actually landed this one and gotten a measurement of it to submit to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency for a trophy fish award.  I guess you can't win them all and there is always next time.

Watauga River Trophy Section

Here is a track of our trip. We put in at the River Bend boat ramp in Elizabethton, TN and put out at the CSX ramp in Watauga, TN. The trip was a total of 5.1 miles and took right at 8 hours.

Watauga River fishing trip Saturday, May 28, 2011

Got up Saturday morning to do a little fishing/kayaking down Watauga River. Jordan and I hit the water by about 8:30 AM with plans to be at our put out spot by about 2 or 3 PM. We would have liked to stay on the water a little longer but TVA's generation schedule was to start generation at noon.

Watauga River Trip

Here is a track from the Every Trail app for Android mobile. I decided to give it a try because it inserts pictures taken while it is tracking. I plan on doing a write up on what I think about it soon.

Fishing for the day wasn't the best we have seen, however the water was great. Any day out on the river is better than sitting at home watching TV or doing chores. Jordan did better catching fish than I did. I didn't keep exact track but I would say that he caught about three to my every one. One thing of note I noticed about today was the amount of rainbows caught. Normally we catch a lot more browns than anything else.

We did get the chance to chat with a few other kayakers which is something we don't normally do. With all the time we spent on the water last summer I don't recall a single time where we were on the river with other kayakers. Of the three we chatted with none of them were fishing but it was good to see others out there.

It being Memorial Day weekend the river was pretty loaded with people wade fishing. From what those we talked to while floating by said, we weren't the only ones who weren't catching much.

Overall we had a great day spending time as a father and son. I can't imagine a better way to spending the day.

Couple of trips from Saturday, May 21, 2011

Jordan and I left out Saturday morning to do some fishing on Watauga River.  We put in at our normal spot just below Siam Bridge at about 8:30 AM and planned to be at the park in Blackbottom by 3:00 - 3:30 PM.  We didnt get far however before we noticed the water levels rising.  I guess I should have checked the TVA Generation Schedule before heading out.  After only going about a half mile down river, with the water level rising we decided to just make a quick paddle of the river and not try any fishing.  We got to our put out by about 11:30 AM and called my wife to pick us up early.


View 2011-05-21 08:46 in a larger map

Here is a track of our trip.  I forgot to start the recording until we were about half a mile down river so it was a little further than it shows.

After leaving the river we decided to head back to the house and pick up my Flex Vertex kayak that was "injured" a few weeks earlier but had been repaired and take Colton, my youngest son to the lake for his first kayaking experience. We were on the water by about 1:00 PM. We put in from the swimming area on Watauga Lake and paddled along the shore for a ways before crossing the lake and then landing on a small island. After returning to the swimming area we played around with swamping the kayaks and recovering while still in the water. We had a good time and although Colton was a little nervous out on the water, he did pretty well.

I hope to do this more this summer and Jordan and I are thinking about paddling out to one of the larger islands and camping over night.


View 2011-05-21 12:58 in a larger map

Here is our track from Watauga Lake.

In all it was a little over 8 miles on the water for the day.

My Tracks for Google Android phones

I am currently using a Motorola Droid X as my mobile phone and carry it pretty much everywhere I go, including in my kayak while paddling and fishing the local rivers and lakes.  I got to thinking that it would be nice to have a way of tracking our routes while we are on the water and ran across My Tracks in the Android Market.  It is a free app and so far works great. 

Battery consumption is only slightly above normal for me but I don't normally have the GPS enabled on my phone if I am not using it.  It is fairly simple to use.  Just start the app, and select "Record Track" in the menu to start recording.  Select "Stop Recording" when you are done.

You can upload the tracks straight to your Google account and then export them to a KML file for use in Google Earth or simply view them in Google Maps from your account.  You can also send the tracks to friends via email. 

So far my only complaint is not having the ability to take photos while recording and have them linked to the coordinates within your track.  It does however allow you to place markers along your track with notes so you could mention in the notes that you took a photo.  Other than that it is a great app worth having. 

I will be using it a lot this summer while kayaking and hiking with the family.

Perception Rhythm 10 Kayak

I have owned the Perception Rhythm 10 Kayak for a couple of weeks now and have put 10-12 miles on the water with it.  I figured it was time to give a review for anyone interested. 

To start let me mention where I mainly run this kayak at.  The Watauga River is located in Western North Carolina and North Eastern Tennessee.  I float the NE TN section of the river below the Wilbur Dam.  During normal non-generation times the portions I float are made of mainly class I rapids.  When generating we go through class I and II rapids.  There are class III whitewater up river from where we normally put in but we have yet to hit these.  In the 6 miles of water that I normally float there are a few stretches of nice calm water where you can actually find yourself drifting back up river while fishing.

We also occasionally float Watauga Lake which is pretty calm and about the only thing you have to watch for there is the boat and other watercraft.

The Perception Rhythm 10 is a great little boat for what I use it for.  It is fairly easy to turn even in rapids.  The tracking is not the greatest in the world but suits my purposes well.  It tends to want to track at about a 45 degree angle while drifting down stream but again this is perfect for me as it faces me towards the shore where I can cast for trout.  While paddling the calmer stretches it does take a little more effort to keep her going straight but even for someone like myself it is not enough to become tiring.  Maybe on long extended stretches it might tire a person out but I have not had it happen yet.

It seems to be a fairly fast boat.  With my Flex Vertex 85 Kayak I had to really paddle hard to keep up with my son in his Waterquest 10' Kayak.  Now with the Perception Rhythm 10 it is no where near as difficult.  He still slowly pulls ahead of me but not by much.

The Zone seat is a major plus on this boat.  Coming from the hard plastic molded seats in the Flex and WaterQuest boats this padded seat is extremely comfortable.  I have little problems setting in it for 2 - 3 hours at a time and usually then its my legs that need stretching and not my bottom that is sore.  The backrest is adjustable and can be raised a good 6 inches from top to bottom.

This boat also comes equiped with foot rests which my flex did not.  At 6'4" I do need to have the pegs at their max but I am very comfortable once they are adjusted.  I have plenty of foot room and the can even slip my feet from the rests to stretch my legs a little when needed.  The larger cockpit is big enough even for someone my height to be able to pull my legs out and let them dangle from the sides of the kayak while paddling.  The drawback to the larger cockpit however is that even the smaller waves gets the inside of the kayak pretty wet.  I usually end up with 2-4 inches of water pooled in the bottom of the boat by the end of a trip unless I stop and drain it some.

Draining the boat brings up my only major complaint about this kayak.  It has a sealed rear bulkhead with a sealed hatch cover.  The only drain plug on the boat is located in the stern.  It is next to impossible to drain all the water from the cockpit area and a towel or sponge is a must to get the boat totally dry.  This can be remedied by purchasing and installing your own drain plug which I plan on doing soon.  I plan on purchasing the Harmony Drain Plug Kit from Colorado Kayak Supply unless I can find one local that is reasonably priced.

The last thing I will mention is the stability of the boat.  At first it seams a little less stable than my son's WaterQuest, however when you really put it to the test it is a pretty stable boat.  I can actually roll it a good 30-35 degrees, to the point that the cockpit will dip underwater, and still not tip the boat.  With a skirt I would imagine that the kayak could be rolled even further.  In my Flex I think the break over point for the boat was about 20-25 degrees before it would tip.

Overall I am extremely pleased with this kayak and would recommend it to anyone wanting to float smaller rivers and lakes while also being able to take on the smaller rapids.  It is great to fish from, has plenty of room for additional storage and is a pretty decent looking boat compared to some of them out there.

Starting this thing off

To start things off this blog is meant to be a way for me to chronicle the outdoor adventures my family has.  We don't currently get out to do as much as we used to and I hope that things will change this summer.  For the most part these "adventures" consist of my oldest son, Jordan, and I kayaking the local rivers and lakes while doing some fishing.  Or maybe it's fishing the local rivers and lakes while doing some kayaking...

Anyways we started out kayaking late last summer when I bought a Flex Vertex 85 Kayak from Dick's Sporting Goods in Johnson City, TN.  Our first time down was on the Watauga River from Hunter Bridge to the park in Blackbottom in Elizabethton, TN.  Jordan didn't have a kayak so I towed him on a tube.  Although it was a lot of fun, we both knew we needed more than just the tube for him.  Not to mention at some point the tube sprung a leak so he spent over half of the trip down river blowing air back into the tube while I towed him with my kayak.

That same weekend Jordan decided to take a little of the money he had earned over the summer at his job to buy a Kayak from Wal-Mart.  It is a WaterQuest 10 which he is pretty fond of and still using today.  We spent the rest of last summer kayaking down the Watauga River, putting in either at Siam Bridge or Hunter Bridge.  We had some great times and caught a ton of trout.  I would hate to even try and guess how many hours and miles we spent on the river last year.  It was worth every minute though.

This summer's kayaking season was kicked off with a bang.  As in the sound of my kayak going "bang" as it hit the ground after coming loose from the roof top carrier on my wife's Volvo wagon.  I just about cried when I saw the 3 inch gash down the aft rudder where it smacked the asphalt. 

Luckily I was already thinking about replacing the Flex Vertex with a new one.  The Flex was a great little kayak but lacked a few of the nicer things on most kayaks, such as foot pegs, thigh pads and a padded seat.  Also with my 6'4" frame it was a little tight to crawl in and out of.

I did a good bit of looking and came down to either the Perception Rhythm 10 or the Old Town Angler 10.  I really liked the Old Town but the $100 difference in price didn't justify the 2 rod holders and anchoring system which probably would never be used. I ended up purchasing the Perception Rhythm 10 and absolutely love it so far.

Hopefully we will be able to get back out on the water soon.