Maxin', Relaxin'...

Apparently I'm not the only one who decided to take advantage of some nice weather.

I got out of Day Job around 3, went home, took care of critters, read for a little bit, then decided that even though it was overcast and a little breezy it was a good day for a paddle. I tossed the Wart on the truck along with a fishing rod and headed to Small Lake.

I got there just after five, geared up and got out, then dropped anchor (the lake max depth is a little over 25') and fished for a bit. A couple nibbles but nothing hit, so I moved, and repeated the process... several times.

The water was a great temperature, just an occasional bit of chop (it's tough to get big waves on a lake that's 2 x 0.5 miles and not deep), and mostly gentle rollers that were only a foot or two high. Sure, two-foot-swells are no big deal in a 18- or 20-foot Whaler, but they look a little more impressive when you're riding them with your hips at surface level. (Note - they LOOK impressive, these were nice gentle waves and no big deal.) Paddling into the wind gave me quite a bit of spray over the bow and into the cockpit, but that was easier than trying to paddle crosswind to change shores.

The Pamlico is ridiculously stable, even broadside to the chop, and I quickly learned it's easier to unconsciously roll with the waves and not make it a thought-out process.

After several locations with no luck, I finally wrapped it up and paddled back to the launch to go home and grab some dinner. No fresh bass, so I had to make do with linguine alfredo and sausage.

So, kayak fishing: great big yes. I'll be doing this on a regular basis.

Guides

One of the things I've already noticed about boating in general, and kayaking/canoeing in particular, is that there is a welcoming mentality to the participants, much like that of the shooting sports. When you pass another boater on the water, a wave, smile, and, "Howyadoin'?" is the custom, not the exception.

I expect I'll soon toss an advert up on the local craigslist looking for a paddling partner (and I mean that in the entirely platonic, boating-related way), and will probably get a few takers (along with a few suggesting the other kind).

Kayaking is not a hard skill to learn, although mastery is another process entirely; wet exits, eskimo rolls, etc. The tricky part is knowing WHERE to go to paddle. There are plenty of guidebooks out there - and I grabbed one yesterday, Take a Paddle: Western New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks. Some of these can be one-person trips, others need a car parked at each end of a river.

Even though these are well-published routes, there is still an air of adventure as you float down a quiet creek or river. When I went a few hundred yards up the inlet of the small lake I saw a beaver mound, plenty of birds, and lots of sign of land animals coming down for a drink... it's all there, you just have to look for it.

I guess I've got a list of places to check off now.

Paddling, quick notes

I took the kayak to my parents' place and tossed it in the pond on Monday afternoon. Dad (who does a fair bit of kayaking, usually with Mom, but not always) was around to give me some pointers, which were much appreciated.

I found out that:
- it's a nice stable boat

- when it's empty, reboarding is awkward but possible

- when there's water on board, reboarding is impossible without pumping

- a paddle float makes reboarding much easier

Accordingly, I went back to EMS and picked up a bilge pump and a paddle float. (Dad's advice on the pump: "I think it's easier to swim to shore and beach it than pump one out." I disagree, given that the midline of our nearest large lake is about 3/4mi from shore.)

Tuesday evening I got out of work and went to a very nearby small lake (2 miles long and a half-mile wide) to play. I put in at the DEC fishing access ramp and paddled east to the inlet, up the inlet until the deer flies drove me back out to open water, then a bit down the lake, back across, floated around in some lily pads and watched the fish jump for a bit, and then back to the ramp.

Wednesday morning the heat was starting to crank up, but I met a friend and former co-worker at the public docks on the large lake inlet, and we paddled around for a while - up the inlet, up a creek, and then hovered mid-channel under one of the highway bridges just to get some shade and chat.

So, far from being an experienced kayaker, these are my quick notes:

- the Pamlico 120 was a good bet for a first kayak. It's wide and stable, tracks well, and even with the relatively flat bottom is still a quick boat.

- the 230cm paddle I got (the longest at EMS short of getting into $300+ unobtainiums) is actually not bad for me. A 240 would be a *hair* better but isn't critical.)

- getting the boat on and off the truck is not difficult. That said, I'd like to pick up a Thule Goalpost at some point, if only to make the truck bed functional when kayaking - and to make room for two boats.

- a spray skirt may well be a good idea, if only to keep my legs from sunburning.

- a waterproof digital camera is definitely on the wish list.

So far so good, and more testing is indicated. ;-)

My truck...

... she grew a giant orange wart.

It's a Wilderness Systems Pamlico 120.

All the reviews I've found have been complimentary with a couple minor quibbles. Eastern Mountain Sports had them on sale and I finagled my side job income enough to pick one up yesterday.

I've been toying with the idea of a kayak for several years - in fact, MrsZ and I went kayaking on a half-day guided trip on the Maine coast the day after we got engaged. I debated a 10' boat and everything I found suggested I probably wouldn't be real happy with it in the long run, as far as maneuverability and tracking, not to mention speed.

There's a public ramp for a small lake two miles from my house, and innumerable easy-ins for a kayak to all the Fingerlakes.

Now to find some free time to see how it works.