A Lazy Day in the Sailboat Channel

The last two years have found us kayaking and fishing the Sailboat Channel near Aransas Pass, Texas. The January cold fronts usually turn the narrow waterway into a fishing bonanza. So we were anxious to kayak and fish it as soon as we arrived at our winter spot.

So we loaded up the yaks and headed to an easy launch spot near an old channel cut. It was dredged to allow the movement of an oil rig and at one end sits a well head. Launching our kayaks we made a quick paddle into the channel and quickly arrived at our secret hotspot, (this is a well know spot fished by lots of people).

The water was as high as we have ever seen it, and even though it was only a few hours from low tide we wondered if the fish would show up. Baiting with dead shrimp we both cast to our selected spots and waited patiently for a red or black drum to make a couple of taps before running and hooking itself  on our circle hooks, (we always use circle hooks as they usually result allow us to safely release under and oversized fish).

Small fish and crabs were the only bites we had and after an hour we moved to the channel entrance. Again small fish seemed to dominate the place although Renita did catch a few nice sand trout. Deciding to have fish and shrimp for dinner we kept a couple of the trout.

A great blue heron spotted Renita catching fish and so it tried to sneak up to her in hopes of grabbing one of the trout. They are some of the best beggars and it’s not unusual to have one come near wherever you are fishing.

We never feed the beggar birds as one time we had one grab a fish while it was being wound in. That time I was able to bring the pelican in and grab it, avoiding the dangerous beak as I unhooked and released the bird. In the distance a huge deep sea drilling rig stood silent, a testament to the massive shut down in oil and gas drilling activity.

We never did catch any drums and so we stopped at the shrimp store to add some shrimp to the dinner menu. The trout were filleted and made an added bonus to the meal. It had been a nice day and a nice paddle. It’s always a blessing to be out on the waters of the Texas Coastal Bend. Clear skies

Floating the Salt River, from the Narrows to the Diversion Dam, 2015

After several weather delays the kayak group was finally able to float the Salt River. The morning was cold and cloudy but the rain held off as we unloaded the kayaks and moved vehicles to the take out point. The days float was from the Narrows to the Diversion Dam, a planned float of about two hours.

I had floated the stretch before, about two years ago in our canoe, and I was excited to see how our shorter kayaks would perform. On that float I had paddled alone but today Renita, Val, and about twenty others would join us in a day of excitement!

After launching the group quickly spread out and soon Renita and I were by ourselves. Fish were taking flies off the surface of the river and I wished I had brought my fly rod. Soon however the river entered a stretch of meanders and it became impossible for me to fish.

Meander after meander passed as the river sometimes divided into three channels. This forced us into making snap decisions as to which route we should take. It was Renitas first time floating this stretch and she did an admirable job of staying away from the strainers.

After floating under the third bridge the river became a twisted series of tight bends! Even though we were in shorter kayaks, Renita’s is ten feet and mine is twelve, we still were caught by eddies and had our yaks turned one hundred and eighty degrees. This ran us aground and necessitated us pushing off, sometimes backwards, before quickly rotating and heading the bow downstream.

Several times Renita’s kayak brushed into overhanging trees but she was able to avoid going over in the fast and cold water. Well done Renita! We stopped and rested several times, discussing our strategy, and several other members of the group caught up with us.

Some of the group had been grounded on shallow spots and one had capsized, having to swim to recover their kayak. It had warmed up to fifty four degrees and I was glad Renita and I stayed dry. We reached a high rounded hill and I knew the take out point was near.

Rounding a bend we could see Val waving us over to the take out point and we were all smiles as we had successfully floated the Salt. The river was higher than during my previous float and much faster. Some of the group had finished it in one and a half hours, but Renita and I had lazed in several stretches as we watched for birds.

All in all it was great day for the newly formed RV park kayak group. A special thank you to Cindy and Bruce for organizing the expedition! Clear skies

Kayaking Palmetto Island State Park, Louisiana

From the moment we approached the canoe launch we knew we were in for a treat! A small pond contained a very active gator that was watching a family fishing. Although there were signs that said do not feed the gator, this one was acting like a fed gator and I wondered if here, a fed gator is a dead gator.  

Staring down the bayou, Renita yelled and I couldn’t make out what had happened. My thoughts immediately were snake, as we had passed under a tree and you do here stories of snakes boarding boats. Luckily, it was just a green frog that wanted to hitchhike on her kayak.

A little further and the bayou opened up at Lake LaFleaur. There were several people fishing and so we stayed away from them so as to not spook their fish. Heading back into the bayou we came to a spot where the hydria (?) had choked a stretch of the waterway. However it was a short stretch and our kayaks glided through the vegetation.

She yelled again but this time she had spied a dead cottonmouth, one that I had already paddled past. As we neared the Vermilion River a large snake swam across the bayou, more concerned with getting away from us than bothering a couple of Wyoming visitors.

We decided to paddle back to the starting point and the kayaks glided easily through the water. Back at the launch point an alligator larger then my twelve foot kayak sunned on the bank. It didn’t mind as Renita paddled to it and took a great image. Did I ever tell you about the time in the Yukon where she got to close to a wood buffalo?

The first gator, about eight feet long saw us and swam out to my kayak, following close behind. This gator has definitely been fed and associates people with food. As Renita approached it the gator submerged and she remarked, “I guess you don’t want to be on our blog”.

A short paddle took us to Lake Evangeline, and on the way a large turtle paused for Renita’s camera. It decided that she might like turtle soup and as she neared, it slid into the bayou. Reaching Lake Evangeline we drifted, blown by a breeze and talked about the nice paddle. It’s a paddle that we will do again!

Loading the kayaks we had a picnic at one of the pavilions. It was entertaining to watch the novice canoers. As we drove back to Betty’s Rv Park, a raccoon waded through the swamp and allowed us to take its image, (can you see it looking at you)?

Closer to Abbeville a farmer was harvest crayfish in his small wheeled boat. That’s something you definitely don’t see anywhere else.All in all it was a great day, a great paddle, and lots of Louisiana wildlife! Now we have a story for happy hour! Clear skies

Ps The paddle is about two miles roundtrip and took is about three hours. However we relaxed and sometimes just floated. With little current it was about as easy a paddle as you can get, unlike the Salt River of Wyoming. The vegetation may choke the bayou so it might be more of a spring and winter paddle then in the middle of summer. Canoe rental is available.

Kayaking the Lower Salt River

We were both nervous as we pushed off from the gravel bar. The Salt was running high but clear and it was really fast! Renita was especially concerned and the current quickly carried us around the bend. At one point it caught her and she spun one hundred and eighty degrees floating  backwards in the fastest water of the meander.

Meanwhile our friends Bo and Lizzie were themselves being spun downstream on their inner tubes. The water was not only fast but cold and they were both glad we had insisted on them wearing life jackets, (it is the law), along with their wet suits.
A day earlier, while playing pickle ball, we had talked with Jetty, one of the club members and instructors. She told us she had just floated the lower Salt River, from the Creamery to Mcloud. Excited at the prospect of our first float we drove the area and located the take out places, (they are about every mile), As Lizzie and Bo were going to float on inner tubes and I planned on fishing, we shortened the float by planning to take out at a place called the Swimming Pool.

I quickly found out that I was going way to fast to fish and so I stopped at several places to try my nymphs. Fish were hitting small insects on top of the water and they didn't even give my flies a glance as I cast again and again. As our friends disappeared around the next bend I decided to just concentrate on learning the river and stowed my rod.
Meanwhile Renita had mastered her control issues and now was taking images whenever she found a safe piece of slack water . Lizzie was steering by paddling backwards with her hands and Bo seemed to have found the balance point on his inner tube.

The current was so fast that we reached the first take out point in half an hour, ( we had been told it would take one hour). Checking with everyone we decided to continue on. The river was pretty snag free and so we enjoyed the next stretch of the river. Again no fish bothered my flies as I watched them feast on the tiny terrestrial bugs.
Changing to a dry Adams fly, they would swim up and take a look before declining my offering. Stopping for lunch at the next takeout point I talked with a wading fisherman who said he had caught four fish using a fly I didn't have, Lizzie was really cold and so she and Bo decided to takeout at that place and warm up as Renita and I finished the float to the truck.

It had taken about two and a half hours to float to that point so we again pushed off in a slower stretch. Forty five minutes later we pushed ashore at the place called the Swimming Pool. Others were waiting and we discussed the joy of floating the Salt and how while the fishing was great the catching was terrible, (everyone else we talked to had caught lots of fish, oh well).
Now we can't wait till we float the next stretch of river. Our friends George and Val are going to be here and Val is bringing here kayak. After picking up Bo and Lizzie we talked about our day and they said that the next they wanted to use kayaks! Clear skies

Fishing Before the Show

Renita’s sister Pam and her husband Roy arrived and after the hugs it was time to get down to business. They had spent the last three weeks in Tucson and Quartzite and had been on a rock buying spree, including my special order for Laguna lace agate. So now we have fifteen pounds of some of the most beautiful crazy lace agate we have ever seen.

Of course that means we have to slab the rock at the rock shop, along with seven pounds of stunning blue lace agate, and still get ready for our biggest show of the year. Still there was time to head out and go fishing and so Roy and I spent a day at the south jetty and a day kayaking in St Charles bay.

The coastal fog has been incredibly dense and the bait boats haven’t been able to get out and net live bait shrimp, so the severely limits the fishing we do. Sheepshead are everywhere and no one can catch them with the available bait. Still we heard that big reds and black drum were being caught.

We walked out onto the south jetty and the fog quickly surrounded us. It was pretty eerie but the ground swells of the surf on the rocks was only about a foot high. This should have meant that the jetty rocks would be dry but the sun prevented them from drying and so it was a slippery journey to the end.

As we neared the end we saw a fisherman fighting a giant fish, and I do mean a giant. His friend carefully climbed out on a wet rock and was able to net the prize, a forty four inch black drum. It was larger than any I have ever caught and it was nice to see him release the fish after the obligatory photos!

We cast out and hoped for one ourselves but the usual jetty gods limited us to small trash fish. They also exacted their tribute as the rocks snagged me three times in a row and I had to break of the thirty pound test line. Even though we didn’t hook up a giant at least we were in the right place to hook one. The others were all using blue crab for bait and we had dead shrimp so it might have been that our bait was too small.

The next day we decided to head out for kayaking at St Charles bay. Passing the whooping crane field in Lamar we were rewarded with the sight of five whooping cranes. Launching the kayaks into fairly large waves we headed for a protected inlet. The first cast produced a small black drum and then another. It was fun to catch fish even if they were undersized, heck I had forgotten my fish measuring ruler anyway.

Roy set the hook on a nice fish and as he was fighting it in, my rod went off! It was a double on red fish. Releasing them both, even though one looked to be a legal red,(the slot limit here if from twenty to twenty eight inches), we continued fishing and had a steady bite of small black drum. Even though they were small they still tried to pull us off our anchor.

The fog and rain returned in and we decided to head back to the truck. It had been a fun day of catch and release fishing and the last we will do till next week as rocks and wire work demand our attention. If you are in the area, be sure to attend the 52^nd Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Show at Robstown, Texas. Clear skies

Birding and a Birthday Party

The weather had warmed and with the forecast in the seventies we decided to kayak Lighthouse Trails. However the forecast 10 mph winds changed to near twenty and so we changed our plans and started to paddle and fish the more protected Sailboat Channel.

Soon after we launched we neared and passed a feeding rosette spoonbill. It was completely unconcerned with our presence and Renita got a great image. The wind was behind us and so it pushed the kayaks sideways but we quickly reached Renita’s favorite fishing spot.

Casting out we talked about the day and I realized I had left the measuring board behind. Thirty minutes later I was back fishing but I hadn’t missed anything as Renita hadn’t had any bites. A little blue heron landed and provided entertainment and it was soon joined by an American white ibis.

A snowy egret added to the entertainment and as usually happens, a fishing trip turned into a day of birding. We had several small bites but it didn’t matter. It was a nice day and we were having a good day picnicking as we watched the wading birds.

Returning home it was time for our friend Jane’s birthday dinner and so we drove to a fancy restaurant in Rockport. The place used to be called Hemmingway’s, (Don’t remember the new name), and it was apparent the theme was still the same as we were greeted by the sight of two huge mounted marlin. A painting of a scene from Hemmingway’s, The Old Man and the Sea, depicted the battle between the hero and a large marlin.

After an excellent dinner we, along with the waitress staff, all sang a rousing Happy Birthday song, to one of the nicest persons we have met on our travels. Returning home we turned on the Olympics and I of course fell fast asleep from all the day’s activities. Happy birthday Jane! Clear skies.

Kayaking and Diving with the Manatees at Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River

 

It was a long drive from Pinellas Park to Crystal River. Sure only seventy four miles but there must be at least fifty thousand stop lights and I think I hit them all. I was feeling bad about subjecting Jenny and Eric to such a road trip when we finally reached Crystal River and the boat launch.

Sliding our kayaks into the canal, Eric and Jenny helped us before they entered their yaks and soon we were all paddling towards Three Sister Springs and all hoping to see some manatees. Before we even reached the mouth of the spring we spotted out first manatee and then another.

As we continued to the spring two dive boats anchored and unloaded their cargo near the mouth. It seems like everyone here buys a pontoon and starts a manatee dive service but it didn’t really matter as  there were manatees resting in the prohibited area. Paddling into the spring itself we spotted two more manatees and I had long since forgotten the tiring drive.

We floated in the springs and watched the sleeping giants before heading back out and turning toward Kings Bay. Two turns later and one of side canals was filled with sleeping giants. Their grey brown bodies, some with dabs of algae growth, would periodically lift their snouts into the air for a quick breath.

This time of year many areas are buoyed and ban boat entrance to protect them, but there were so many manatees that even outside the banned areas one has to be on the lookout. Trying not to disturb a large male I missed spotting another and it rose and gently collided with my kayak, reminding me to be more careful.

Besides the massive males, mothers and pups were in good numbers, and we were all rewarded with the sight of them slowly swimming past us. Heading into Kings Bay we saw other buoyed areas and a flag marked the King Spring. A strong breeze was blowing however and we decided not to go too far into the main bay. Eating our lunch Jenny and Eric both decided they wanted to swim with the manatees and so we headed back to the clear spring water.

You are not allowed to tie up to vegetation so they anchored in the shallows  and were quickly in the water. Jennie had brought her dive camera and we were later able to watch the movies of the manatee’s underwater ballet.

I wished I had a wet suit, (and maybe I should purchase one), as I envied their swim. Eric hadn’t brought his but that didn’t stop him. He was rewarded with a face to face encounter with a large calf; perhaps it thought he was a really weird looking manatee. Too soon he was shivering in the cold water and returned to his craft while Jenny kept snorkeling.

Watching them I saw a large snook and other fishing swimming into and out of the roped off area. Jenny finally headed back to her yak and they steadied each other’s craft as they boarded their boats. It had been four hours since we had launched and so it was time to return.

Our manatee encounters hadn’t yet ended as four of the graceful giants were feeding near the last bend. You could see them vacuuming the bottom with their round hose shaped mouths, releasing bubbles of methane as they plied the canal bed.

The drive back was filled with talk of the manatees and the day had been all it had promised. Some adventures we take are too beautiful and we spoke of returning to Crystal River and another day with the manatees. Clear skies

 

Ps we don’t advertise on our blog but we do recommend good service and the place we launched and rented kayaks from, A Crystal River Kayak Company, provided us with a great launch site and a friendly dock hand. We recommend them if you are into a self guided kayak trip.

Yaking Around Wheeden Island Nature Preserve

This year we headed south without the trusty red canoe. Its provided us with six years of use and  we have never tipped it over, (We have been lucky a few times especially on the Gunnison). Still we wanted to try kayaks ever since we yaked with Alan and Sharon on Convict Lake in California.
So reaching St Petersburg we started to look for  kayaks, specifically single sit inside ones, with pole holders. We also were looking for kayaks that were stable and easy to get into and out from. Furthermore we didn't want them too long as we needed to use them on Wyoming streams with lots of turns.

Surprisingly there are no major outdoor stores in this area, but we did find one that had  a kayak I was interested in, an Old Town Vapor. The store also decked it with pole holders and an anchor system. So now we needed to find the right one for Renita.
She spent some time on Google and found several ones including a Perception ten footer at a Sports Authority. When we stopped at the store we lucked out and the yak was on sale for two hundred and forty nine bucks, three hundred off the list price!

Now we had planned to go to the art museum in Sarasota but as it was Veterans Day, instead we loaded the kayaks and headed to Wheeden Island Nature Preserve. Renita was pretty nervous as I pushed her away, (she can't swim), but her nerves quickly changed to smiles as her new yak is way more stable then the canoe.

We paddled to a shallow area and practiced turning. Both the kayaks turned on a dime, compared to the canoe, and sped across the shallow water. Soon we were exploring shallow coves and taking images of the numerous herons.
Stopping for lunch in a shaded spot we were able to easily tie up in a raft. the rest of the day was simple paddling and it was even easy when the tide shifted and ran out. Two dolphins jumped right in front of us, it seems the yaks allow us to approach nearer to the wildlife/
So we are both quite happy with the change. Now if you see a white chevy truck with two bright yaks, its probably us. Of course the Wyoming plates are another clue! Next we hope to drive up to the Crystal River and yak with the manatees. Clear skies

A Return to Weeden Island Preserve

The canoe stuck in the sand and I knew I had to get out as surprise; it was my end that had stopped our momentum. I got out and started to push the boat when Jenny warned me of a resting stingray and so I remembered to shuffle my feet.

Soon the front stuck and Jenny waded out to the entrance of the mangrove tunnel. It was obvious the tide was too low to run the mangrove tunnels and so we waded back out into the deeper bay. We passed by night crowned herons and little blue herons, oh and lots of American ibis.

Entering the main bay we decided to head backwards down the Weeden Island markers. The first markers were easy to find but one eluded us and we couldn’t find our way into the mangrove canopy. We headed back out into the bay disappointed but hoping to return when the tide arrived.

The wind was still as we canoed to the end of Goose Island. A lone kingfisher perched on a low branch of a high dead tree and it was soon joined by an Osprey, although it alit on the highest spot. The tide had started moving and we headed back.

Jenny suggested we try the trail again and she was right as the water was now deep enough. Gliding past the previous keel marks we paddled into several hidden coves and finally found the passage into the mangroves. The trial marker post was there but the trail sign itself had disappeared.

The next numbered sign beckoned and we were able to ride the tide into small inlets. Spotting several flocks of northern shovelers I remembered how our friend Marty had lamented the lack of ducks. Perhaps they were all hiding in these places. It was the only place we spotted any.

Renita sighted the first rosette spoonbill and Jenny pointed out another pair. They were really a bright pink, spring colors really, and I wondered if the bird spring was this early in Southern Florida. Great and little blue herons waded as we silently slid past.

Entering the main tunnel maze we thankfully found the signs guiding us through the black mangrove maze. We were actually moving in waterways carved as part of an old mosquito control program. Countless black crabs covered the trees lower branches and the tide increased its speed.

It was so nice to stop paddling and simply ride the tide. Birds were everywhere in the deep foliage as the surreal passage continued. Passing the trail overlook we entered a place where we fought the tide and the rowing became difficult. As the waterway narrowed, it increased the tides velocity, almost halting us in our place.

Luckily the way broadened and so we continue on until we spied a familiar bay. We were back at the start of the trail and there were more stingrays, as well as the first one we had spotted. It had been a long paddle for us, maybe seven plus miles, instead of the trails four mile length.

It felt good to have returned to Weeden Island Preserve and to finally have finished the entire trail. Besides that, we had shared another paddle with our daughter Jenny. It had been a day of birds and water and jumping mullet, a day of riding the tides, and sometimes battling them through the mangrove canopy. It had been a day well spent.  Clear skies.

The Manatees of Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River, Florida

There are manatees everywhere. I look ahead as Renita points out the brown shape of a sleeping giant and just then a mother and calf swim right next to the canoe. I gently paddle the canoe and I tell myself to be careful so I don’t touch the massive creatures. Ahead one lies sleeping and I propel the canoe towards it as Renita snaps image after image.

The joke we tell people is that we carry the canoe so we can find our truck in large parking lots. It does seem ridiculous at times as we can go for long stretches of time between uses. However just when I think it’s foolish to put up with the hassle we find a place like the Crystal River and the boat presents us with an unique chance to see wildlife up close.

So when we visited the Crystal River Preserve and Visitor Center we asked about paddling opportunities. There a young man told us of two of his recommendation, The Three Sisters Springs and another launch site on the west side of Kings Bay.

The next day we headed for the Three Sisters Springs and it was really wild as we passed the Kayak Shop and launch site twice before we saw the store. It was right in the middle of a busy shopping area and it seemed so out of place, that Manatees could be so near to a busy highway.

The store owner, Mary, told us the etiquette of paddling near the giants and informed us of new regulations. These were a ban on disposable items, like sandwich bags, in the springs themselves. She told us it was only a ten minute paddle to the mouth of the springs and so we launched and started to glide past trees laden with swaying beards of Spanish moss.

Small bluegills and a school of mullet swam by us. Needlefish were everywhere and we soon spotted a hunting snowy egret. An anhinga flew by and landed in a canal as it prepared to fish. Passing houses, we turned several times and there were divers ahead. Could the manatees be that close?

A guide boat was anchored near the opening and a volunteer paddled over on her paddle board. She answered our questions about the spring’s access and cautioned us about the soon to be closed area that was choked with brown shapes.

Entering the narrow springs opening, Renita exclaimed her delight as a manatee passed right under our boat, in water clearer than that in a glass of tap water. A little further in we saw two divers and then another manatee approached the canoe, almost touching us but silently diving beneath.

School of fish swam unconcerned and the springs themselves consisted of three deep areas where the water rose bubbling up through white sand. We canoed back to the canals and then headed towards Kings Bay, again past houses, avoiding all the divers and the other manatee gawkers.

A tour boat told us that there were over fifty manatees in the bend ahead and I am sure he was right as there were sleeping forms and snouts everwhere we looked. I worried that we would startle one and it would upset the boat, but they always knew about us and dove safely as we neared.

One large barnacle encrusted giant lay on the surface Renita reached out and almost touched its side. It didn’t seem concerned and we had been told it was ok, as long as we didn’t harass mothers and calves or tagged individuals.

It seems like everyone with a boat has a manatee diving business and there were four pontoon boats that disgorged their clients. We were told it was a quiet day and we even had the springs to ourselves, (We were told there would be hundreds of divers during Thanksgiving and Christmas break). We paddled through the canals and again there were manatees everywhere.

After three hours we reached the parking spot and pulled the canoe from the water. It had been a magically day and it only cost five dollars, three to park the truck and two for the use of the private ramp. Renita said it was the best five bucks we had ever spent and I silently agreed. This is a comeback to place and if you ever want to see manatees up close, this is the place! Now if I had a wet suit, to go with my mask and snorkel………. Clear skies