PADDLING REELFOOT LAKE

Picture Perfect

By Lily Greenleaf


The Grassy Island Unit of the Reelfoot Lake National Wildlife Refuge presents the perfect opportunity for paddlers to stretch their muscles in open water, needle through great stands of bald cypress, fish some of the best freshwater habitat in the country, and watch birds of all kinds, from ospreys and herons to northern flickers and yellow billed cuckoos. Even the redwing blackbird seems just a bit exotic here, flitting among the great yellow blooming water lilies. The duckweed, the minuscule lily pad-like floating plants that look like moss or algae in the picture, was fun to paddle through. It gave the place a primordial feeling, like we were paddling back in time.

Here are a few photos of a recent excursion in this unique Northwest Tennessee lake.

For more information about paddling this area check out a fellow Midsouth paddler's Midsouth Canoe and Kayak Guide.

Paddling the Berkeley Blueways

Follow the Carolina Gypsy Paddlers through pristine trails

Thanks to Carolina Gypsy Paddler Archie Thompson for bringing this great paddling opportunity to our attention. (Photo: Gypsy Paddler on the Lower Wadboo).

The Berkeley County Blueways paddling trail system in South Carolina identifies over 175 miles of total water course from 23 trails and is a result of the vision and efforts of many individuals and organizations working in partnership. The Carolina Gypsy Paddlers assisted in the survey and brought to light the value that a paddling trail program would contribute to the area's recreational opportunities.

History's Natural Highways

Our rivers and waterways are history's natural highways. Before there were interstates or even dirt roads, our founders traveled them and moved produce and trade goods by canoe and pole boats. Just a short paddling trip can for all practical purposes create an experience much like those experienced by our forefathers. You can quickly whisk yourself away from the hustle and bustle of today's busy and complicated lifestyles to a much simpler time. A time often referred to as " the good old days " can be relived and shared with your family and friends. Berkeley County has an abundance of waters suitable for canoeing and kayaking that can provide wonderful back to nature experiences for the entire family. (photo: Al Kennedy on the Santee Canal)

Here is an overview of all the adventures you have to choose from:

Lake Moutrie

Lake Moultrie comprises 60,400 acres of prime warm water habitat in the western portion of Berkeley County with 116 miles of irregular shoreline. It is a man made impoundment completed in 1942 by the South Carolina Public Service Authority now known as Santee Cooper. Named after revolutionary war hero General William Moultrie, there are presently 16 boat launching facilities encircling the lake.

North Moultrie:

Santee Canal - 22 miles - Designed by competent engineers of the day including General George Washington, the Canal served as a primary system for transporting goods from midland South Carolina to Charleston. Today there remains a beautiful two and a half mile section of the canal that can be accessed by canoe or kayak. Bordered by moss laden cypress trees, it appears uniformly about 20 yards in width and maintains a depth of 4 to 5 feet. --Santee Canal Details (photo: Al Kennedy kayaks through duck weed.)

Sandy Beach Wildlife Refuge - While the back bay area of Sandy Beach offers a very pretty section for exploration, the front beach area provides for primitive camping as well as a good swimming beach and access to the wildlife viewing trails. --Sandy Beach Wildlife Refuge Details

Russellville Flats - This area varies from sparse cypress swamp with several types of flowering water lilies and plant life to heavily forested high ground. Many species of wading birds as well as alligators, whitetail deer and numerous species of small game and songbirds inhabit the area. For the paddling fisherman, this area offers some of the best bluegill and red eared sunfish (shell cracker) fishing to be found anywhere. --Russellville Flats Details

East Moultrie:

The "Jungle" - An enclosed tupelo swamp presenting an appearance much like the famed Okefenokee Swamp of Georgia, but on a smaller scale, offers a few hours to a full day of pleasant diversion for paddling with little chance of losing ones way. Fragrant water lilies in season and lotus plants as well as various grasses provide excellent habitat for summer ducks and numerous wading birds. --The "Jungle" Details

Dennis's Pasture - is fairly unique in that its density of islands and cypress groves offers good wind protection from most directions. This area can provide a pleasant day of paddling under conditions that would be prohibitive over much of Lake Moultrie. --Dennis's Pasture Details (photo: Archie Thompson in Dennis's Pasture)

Coon Island - an excellent location for primitive camping with a very nice beach front on its southern exposure as well as ample high ground. Excellent fishing for largemouth bass both early and late in the day during the warmer months. --Coon Island Details

The Hatchery:

Also known as Pinopolis Pool consists of 2,254 acres. This is a very popular and productive fishery for bluegills and speckled perch, provides an easily accessed and reasonably well protected area for paddlers. Alligators can be sighted over much of the area as well as a variety of wading birds, songbirds, and small game. --The Hatchery Details

The Duck Pond:

The initial large enclosed bay opens onto a somewhat smaller area of cypress swamp which contains abundant plant life, cypress trees and grasses and is home for numerous wading birds as well as osprey and American alligators. --The Duck Pond Details

Santee River

The Blueway includes 63 miles of the Santee River above major tidal influence and shows little sign of development. The upper section from Wilsons Landing to Highway 52 is among the prettiest waterways in the state. --Santee River Details

Wilson's Landing:

Miles: 25 - Too long for a day trip, but overall a very pleasant trip. There is very little sign of human habitation and wildlife is abundant. --Wilson's Landing Details

Highway 52:

Miles: 12.7 - About a 6 hour leisurely trip, wildlife viewing on this section of river is likely to include eagles, American egrets, and blue herons. A popular fishing area, you may see boats fishing for bluegills, crappie, bass and catfish. --Highway 52 Details

Santee Arrowhead:

Miles: 16.25 - Numerous sand bars and small islands suitable for lunch or rest spots. For the most part, wildlife will consist of numerous wading birds such as the American egret and the blue heron. --Santee Arrowhead Details

Jamestown to McConnels Landing:

Miles: 9.5 - Ranges from about 50 yards in width to over 100 yards in different sections. Much of it is bordered on the right side by the Francis Marion National Forest where primitive camping is permitted. You will commonly see deer, wild turkey, bald eagles, and numerous wading birds. Of particular interest on this trip is Battery Warren, a Confederate fort built to protect the railroad bridge at that location during the Civil War. --Jamestown to McConnels Landing Details

Goose Creek Reservoir

600 acres - While the South end of the reservoir is mostly open marsh lands, the North end of the impoundment has a goodly amount of high ground and housing. You will see many wading birds as well as small alligators throughout and above the landing on the eastern shore you will come to an area of small trees that provide nesting for a large rookery of snowy egrets and white ibis in season. --Goose Creek Reservoir Details

Wadboo Creek

Upper Wadboo Creek:

Challenging, particularly during periods of low water when it may become necessary to portage obstructions, but well worth the effort. This lovely cypress swamp is much as it was over two centuries ago when Francis Marion and his brigade of men frequented the area. Under the stewardship of Santee Cooper this corridor has been placed in a conservation trust to preserve its pristine beauty. --Upper Wadboo Creek Details

Lower Wadboo Creek:

Generally of a swampy nature, with much cypress and some tupelo growth evident. Most common wildlife seen on this section of Wadboo Creek will be small alligators, osprey, and numerous egrets and great blue herons. About a half mile below the Highway 402 bridge, on the left bank you will see an access stream back into a lovely small cypress swamp, much of it is shaded by heavy canopy. A bit of exploration is worth while. Good fishing includes redbreast and large bluegills. --Lower Wadboo Creek Details

Wambaw Creek

Many of the cypress trees along the banks are quite large and were there when Brigadier General Francis Marion and his Brigade roamed the area terrorizing the entire British Army in South Carolina.

The area is heavily populated with whitetail deer and black bear have been sighted as well as the illusive Carolina panther. A quiet paddler will greatly increase his odds for sighting some of the abundant wildlife in the area. --Wambaw Creek Details

Huger--Quimby Creek

Blackwater tidal creeks at the extreme end of the East Branch Cooper River, both offer excellent pan fish and bass fisheries for the fishermen. The creeks are lined with flowering lilly pads in the warmer months and wildlife consists mostly of wading birds, ducks, osprey and small alligators. --Huger - Quimby Creek Details

Echaw Creek

A small black water creek with tidal influence, contains some of the largest and oldest cypress trees you will see in Berkeley County. Wildlife is abundant in this area and in particular white tailed deer, and wood duck will be spotted frequently. Access also to Battery Warren, a picturesque stop with nice river views from the original earth mounds of the civil war fort as well as plaques which detail the forts history. --Echaw Creek Details

Chicken Creek

A lovely narrow meandering stream of water with lush thickly grown banks. Other than the occasional wood duck nesting boxes that have been placed in the area, it is easy to get the feeling that you are the first to ever lay eyes on this lovely stream. It certainly has not been marred by the hand of man. Alligators were common in the creek as were anhinga’s, the cormorant like fishing birds that frequent much of the low country waters. --Chicken Creek Details

Durham Creek--Back River

Two miles after entering the creek you will come to a well manicured clearing on your left with a floating dock. This is Medway Plantation. It consisted of 12,000 acres of land that passed to Mr. John D'Arssens by decree of the Governor in the 1680's. Portions of the original house exist today, created from bricks made from clay along the Cooper River. Forestation is a mixed bag of pine, cypress, sweet gum, hardwoods, red cedar and river birch. In summer you will see a lot of flowering water lilies and plants. The waterway is home to wood ducks, blue heron, American egrets, and osprey. On the upper reaches you may spot white tailed deer. Small alligators are quite common throughout the Back River section. --Durham Creek - Back River Details

Foster Creek

The banks are restricted access and while you may paddle through the area you are not to go ashore; however, the trip is a pretty one and a better opportunity for viewing and taking pictures of the numerous wading birds and alligators will be hard to find.

Foster Creek is also a popular fishing area and the tidal creek produces some nice catches of largemouth and bluegills. --Foster Creek Details

Old Santee Canal Park

A three mile loop on Biggin Creek, including a portion of the original Santee Canal, presents an excellent opportunity for beginning kayakers to enjoy a pleasant afternoon of paddling.

Rental canoes are provided for a modest fee. The area is forested primarily with cypress trees, has several species of flowering water plants and provides a home for many lovely wading birds. --Old Santee Canal Park Details

Spiers Landing

Numerous islands as well as several miles of inviting shoreline to paddle. One can easily paddle a half day, a full day or spend an overnight on one of the islands without becoming bored or seeing it all.

The cypress shoreline to the South of the landing provides some excellent fishing for bluegills and red eared sunfish. Numerous ospreys will be seen nesting in the area as well as an assortment of wading birds and the occasional alligator sunning on the sandy beaches. --Spiers Landing Details

The Berkeley Blueways Paddling Online Guide

A collection of graphic maps and aerial photographs are now available to guide you on your way, thanks to the staff of the GIS Department of Berkeley County working with the Carolina Gypsy Paddlers, who documented each waterway in the trail with details only a paddler can appreciate. Together, they contain information to help you plan various paddling trips throughout Berkeley County. Go to BurkeleyBlueways.com for more information.

This generous, free, online guide not only includes information and pictures to help you determine where to paddle but strives to maintain anticipation for what may lay around the next bend. This will allow you to dig down and study not only the trail you intend to travel but what lies beyond your field of vision from the banks. Maps are high resolution, resizeable and printable.

South Carolina Law regarding public use of waterways and waterfront property
- visitors take note:

As a canoe or kayak enthusiast in Berkeley County, your rights and privileges as a paddler are protected by the State of South Carolina. This is not true for all states. South Carolina has taken a positive stance to ensure that the waterways of the state will always be available for public use. The state of South Carolina has established law declaring “Navigable Waters” as public trust properties, protected by the State and held in trust for the use of the public. This includes all waters now navigable, or previously navigable, or those that would be rendered navigable by removal of accidental obstructions, by rafts of lumber or timber or by small pleasure or sport fishing boats. If the water will bear a canoe or kayak with paddler at normal water levels, it would be considered Navigable Waters by the intent of this law. In addition, those properties from the normal high water mark to the waters bottom are considered public property. In the case of some rivers such as the Santee River, the state’s ownership of these waters can provide properties for public use, including camping, swimming and fishing below the normal high water mark of the river. Generally these waters will be at their lower stages, providing sufficient areas for camping immediately along the banks during the summer months or any periods of lower water levels. That section of the Santee River from Wilsons Landing to Highway 52 would be considered ideal for an overnight camping trip on the river. Properties along this section of the river are privately owned. At the lower river stages there is more than ample “public properties” along the banks for camping. Keep in mind that you are not authorized to cross private properties to access these areas but you may access them via water craft from public access points on the rivers. As always, ensure you leave your camping area as you find it and respect private properties.

PFD Use:

Children under 12 are REQUIRED to wear their PFD's at all times while paddling or riding in a canoe or kayak! It's the Law!

Emergency phone numbers:

Moncks Corner Medical Center
(843) 761-5400
Roper St. Francis Medical Center
(843) 899-7700
Berkeley County Sheriffs Department
(843) 719-4465

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The Berkeley Blueways Group water-trails website and The Friends Of Berkeley Blueways on Facebook have more information for kayakers wanting to paddle through South Carolina's Berkeley County's beautiful landscapes. They also appreciate donations of used or new kayaks, paddles, and life vest as they are planning to offer ACA approved instruction & trips for children and adults. All donations are tax deductible. Please visit their website for current contact information.

The Wolf River

Urban Stream of Consciousness

By Randy Parker

At our put-in, near the antebellum town of La Grange, Tennessee, the Wolf River looks more like a ditch than a river, its mud banks studded with exposed tree roots. The swift current, however, quickly takes our party, organized by the Wolf River Conservancy, deep into a hardwood bottomland forest. Catalpas, water oak, Tupelo gum, river birch, and sycamores canopy our watery avenue. Small brown water snakes swim out to meet us and then continue to the opposite shore. Large ones as big around as my arm lie coiled on fallen tree trunks. There are cottonmouths, too, we were told. But, thankfully, we never see one.

The Wolf is a 90-mile long shoestring of a stream that begins in the Holly Springs National Forest of North Mississippi and ends in downtown Memphis at the Mississippi River. While it looks extremely wild here in the upper end, this river is the same one whose lower end was once the dumping ground for dead horses and livestock, tannery waste and human slop in the early days of Memphis, and for industrial effluent, including meat packing waste, termiticides and a whole host of other toxic chemicals, more recently. It is the same river that, back in1960, stunk so bad the city diverted its mouth well north of downtown.

As fellow canoers and kayakers wash into strainers or bottom out on submerged logs, my wife and I pass to the front of the pack. We have our share of troubles too. The narrow Wolf has hairpin turns that make navigating a 14-foot tandem kayak seem like driving a tractor-trailer rig through the tight streets of the French Quarter. We thread our boat through slim passages and then back into broader water. Then we all stop and gather at an ominous sign: Ghost River Canoe Trail Entrance.

We enter the Ghost, the most popular section for paddlers, single file through tall grass. The landscape quickly becomes otherworldly, dark, primordial. Giant bald cypress trees tower around us in what appears to be an endless swamp. There is no longer a river to follow, and only the experience of our leader and some blue markers show us the way. We paddle like mad to coax our boat into impossible turns and between trees barely far enough apart to allow passage. I break down my kayak paddle and just used half so I can get between the trees and navigate the invisible knees just below the surface that constantly redirect our boat like a log flume ride. A shrub of some sort steals the sunglasses off my wife's head.

Finally we see bright sun, and we are spit out of the swamp and into Spirit Lake, a sunny and wider part of the river carpeted with fat green leaves and white blooms.

On this day, I realize what the Wolf River is— not just the muddy, channelized stream snaking through Memphis, but a complete ecosystem as beautiful and wild as any. I had already heard that it was important, that it replenishes the aquifer from which Memphis draws its drinking water. I already knew of the work accomplished by an impassioned Wolf River Conservancy, quietly buying land along the shore, waging legal fights, organizing paddling trips and leading hikes to the Wolf’s origin at Baker’s Pond in the national forest. But until I actually came and experienced the river, I knew, perhaps, but I did not understand. And it wasn’t until I learned of this seemingly insignificant river’s history did I come to realize the immense role even small streams play.

This is the same Wolf the Chickasaw Indians fished in, the same river slave plantations plied to bring the harvest into town, the same river to which, as late as the 1940s, public swimming beaches attracted the locals, replete with concessions and bath houses.

This is a river worth preserving and protecting. There are urban streams like the Wolf winding through cities all over the country. Their stories run deep and their surfaces are a reflection of us.

As writers have noted for eons, rivers are like time, always running, passing us by. The Wolf is no exception, At the head of the stream, all is new. Water flows pristine out of the ground. Along the way and especially at its mouth, time collects and forms a delta of history comprised of everything from the ruins of a cotton gin to rusty old bedsprings to yesterday’s fast food wrappers.

What happens in between? Between a river’s origin and its confluence with something much bigger?

That’s where we stand. The occasional paddler, the fisherman, the conservationist, the environmentalist, the private landowner, the farmer, the factory owner, and last but not least, the resident who expects to get clean, good tasting water from his tap. We all stand in the gentle current of the present. The question is, what will we all do while we’re here?

I, for one, am going to paddle the entire Wolf. I know where it goes. But I can only guess where it will take me.

MORE ABOUT THE WOLF

A River runs through us An excellent overview of the river and its growing importance to the region.

Ghost River Rentals A good place to rent a boat.

Put-in information from Wolfriver.org:

The put-in for the Ghost River section in on Yager Drive south of LaGrange, TN. From Hwy. 57, turn south on Main Street at the flashing yellow light. This becomes Yager Dr. Drive one mile to the bridge over the river and look for the boat ramp and parking lot to the right. The take-out is 2 miles down Bateman Rd. at Bateman bridge, south of Hwy 57. Bateman Rd. is 2.5 miles east of the Hwy 57/Hwy 76 junction in Moscow, TN, or 6 miles west of Main St. in LaGrange.

The put-in for the Bateman-Moscow section (another popular section of river) is at the Bateman bridge boat ramp. The take-out is at Feemster bridge, where Hwy 57 crosses the Wolf River west of Moscow.

Popular canoe access points in Shelby County include:

Germantown Pkwy. (enter at Walnut Bend Rd. just north of the bridge), Walnut Grove Rd. (enter at the Shelby Farms soccer field parking lot), Kennedy park (park entrance is on Raleigh-LaGrange Rd. between Austin Peay and Covington Pike, canoe ramp 1 mile into the park), and at the north tip of Mud Island where the Wolf meets the Mississippi River.

Explore the Current River

Here's a short but sweet view of my kayakcamping trip down the Current River, in the current issue of Sierra magazine.

Harpeth River

Make a Narrow Escape from Shuttling

By Crystal Waters

The worst thing about paddling a river in your own boats is the shuttle. For those who would like a little break from that, there is the Harpeth River just outside of Nashville. It's a twisty little river cutting through scenic bluffs and flat agriculture. So twisty, in fact, there is a part called the Narrows where the river doubles back on itself, making a loop, and you can take out a mere 200 yards or so of where you put in. The only drawback is that the Narrows is only about 5 miles long, so the journey isn't a particularly long one. But, hey, no shuttle! Just come in one car, park it, and float right back to it.

When I visited in the fall, (we drove from Memphis and back the same day) the Harpeth was as clear as a mountain stream. And just as cold. We paddled the Narrows and got to see where Nineteenth Century industrialist Montgomery Bell constructed a 290-foot tunnel through solid rock to channel water for his iron forge. The water still roars through this tunnel.


In the spring, when my family met up with two other families to camp in Montgomery Bell State Park and float the river, the Harpeth was churned up and running fast due to rain. Think a small river doesn't have real power?
Take a look at this log pile that the Harpeth stacked up against a bridge support.








In fact, the Narrows was closed because of flooding, so we had to do the leg just upstream. At first we were disappointed but soon found that this section has its own delights, including a waterfall. We stopped for lunch at a park that overlooks the river where the women found restrooms.


Depending on what part of the river you paddle, you can see waterfalls, the amazing Bell tunnel, an ancient Indian ceremonial center called Mound Bottom, even a petroglyph. You might also see a rusted out old Ford, some turkey, and plenty of cows. And of course, you can smell the pastures. In all, the Harpeth offers up 150 miles of class I river. It's a relaxing and scenic river with some good fishing. And there are plenty of outfitters, should you want to rent boats, including Foggy Bottom Canoe, Canoe Music City, and Tip-A-Canoe.


Like most rivers, the Harpeth is threatened by agricultural runoff and urban pollution. But there are folks looking after it, and their efforts are making a difference.

Kayak Repair

What do you do with a punctured kayak? Torch it!

On a recent trip down the Harpeth River near Nashville (story to come), my friends' Twin Otter suffered a major impaling. We think it happened at take out. The hull was punctured at about waterline level near the bow. It was a pretty good cut about an inch and a half long.

We looked into solutions like epoxy, but read that most patches to polyethylene aren't permanent, and they look pretty terrible. So then we got the bright idea to let the boat, in effect, heal itself with the help of a little heat.

"We need a torch of some kind," I murmured. That's when my wife pulled out a chef's torch from a kitchen cabinet, the kind you use to crisp up the top of your creme brulee. "Like this?"

It was perfect. It made a very small, focused flame, easy to control. I got inside the boat with my head up in the bow and heated the area just enough to make the plastic soft but not liquid (this is probably a good place for a "don't try this at home" disclaimer), and then I quickly used a small spackling blade to push the boat's own material over the cut. Next, my friend did the same on the outside. The bottom edge of the wound was pushed in slightly, so the top edge stuck out a bit. He heated both edges and then drug the top edge down over the bottom edge, closing the gash.

The scar is permanent, of course, but so is the repair. And making a bum boat useful again is pretty beautiful to us.

Photo of the finished repair to come.

Otter XT Review

One of the cheapest yaks just might be the Ultimate Microfishing Vessel

By Randy Parker

Imagine what it would be like to literally sit on the surface of the water with your feet in front of you and paddle yourself around. The closest thing in real life is paddling the Otter XT. There's barely any boat there. Yet it can take you on great adventures. This is a review of the venerable Old Town Otter XT as a casual paddling kayak and also as a fishing boat.

First, a warning

The Otter XT by Old Town is modest in every way, minimalist, even. That's why I like it. The standard Otter (sans XT), however, is too minimalist. It has no foot braces or paddle park. In order to paddle correctly, using your legs and torso, you must have foot braces. It is unfathomable to me that Old Town would sell a kayak without them. Also, the smaller the boat, the more necessary a paddle park becomes. You will want one on the Otter. So, if you think you'd like an Otter, make sure you buy the XT. Drilling holes in the side of your boat to add foot braces just isn't something you are going to want to do.

Performance

The Otter XT is fun. Everyone in my family likes to paddle it. It is light and maneuverable and responds to your every movement. Getting it up to speed and maintaining speed requires little effort. Of course, a boat's waterline determines its ultimate speed. A 9' 6" foot boat isn't going to break any speed records, although you may feel like you are flying. A short boat like this won't track very well, either. In other words, when you take a deep stroke on the left side, the nose of the boat turns right. So, every stroke has your boat waddling its way forward. You quickly learn to take quick, shallow strokes to minimize the zigzagging. On the plus side, a short boat like this is perfect for paddling rivers and streams that have tight turns. Also, the short length allows the boat to be transported inside many vans and SUVs. And at 39 lbs, it can be handled easily by just about anybody.

Stability

Like all kayaks of this type, stability under way is very high. It's when you are sitting still that you have to be careful. The bigger and taller you are, the more careful you have to be. I have flipped out of the Otter XT while trying to get out dockside. My teen-aged daughter, on the other hand, has never had a problem.

Fishing on a budget


As you can tell from the photos, my Otter XT has been converted to the Otter B Fishin'. It just might be the ultimate microfishing vessel. I added bungees fore and aft. Perfect for keeping things like my bilge pump and tackle box handy. I also added an Attwood removable rod holder. Fish usually go on the floor between my legs until I can get back to shore and an ice chest. Or you could use a stringer. Total bill for everything, including the boat? About $350. That was a few years ago, and the boat, itself, has gone up a bit. Still, pretty cheap for a fishing platform. One bungee kit from Harmony was enough to do both decks.



Reality check

Okay, so do I prefer my Otter B Fishin' to my Perception Caster 12.5 for fishing? Well, no, not for longer fishing excursions. A boat like the Otter XT is very stable when under way, but, sitting still, it is a bit tippy for someone six feet tall, 175 lbs. This is not a problem if I'm going out for a paddle. However, for fishing, staying centered in the boat is critical, and that takes constant vigilance. I can never fully relax in the Otter. That said, I don't mind using it for fishing in shorter periods of time, say an hour or two. There's something magical about a 40 lb. boat. The idea that something so small and light and portable can take you to where the fish are.

Doing more with less is always appealing to me. Less length, less bulk, less money. That's the Otter XT. Although the MSRP is $339, you can still find it on sale for $299.

For a little more about my experiences with the Otter XT, go here.

	Otter XT
Length	9' 6" / 2.9 m
Width	28.5" / 72.3 cm
Cockpit	19" x 38" / 48.2 x 96.5 cm
Depth	12" / 30.4 cm
Weight	39 lbs / 17.6 kg
Max Load Range	225 - 275 lbs / 102 - 124.7 kg
Suggested Retail	$339.00 US

South end of the Outer Banks is a small boater's paradise

By Ima Beechnut

I have vacationed on the Outer Banks of North Carolina twice. Both times with extended family. The first time we rented a house at the northern end, around Duck and Corolla. It was very nice, but the area was also very crowded. And everything was focused on the beach. I like the beach. But anytime I am in a maritime environment, I have this persistent urge to be on the water, in a boat, away from shore.

So the next time we met family on this wind-swept crescent, I insisted we stay south, around Avon on Hatteras Island. Why? Because the island is so narrow there, you can walk from the sound to the ocean in just a few minutes. The best of both worlds. There is also a lot less development, thanks to the National Seashore. While the northern end is almost completely developed, with neighborhood after neighborhood of big beach houses, Food Lions, and retail centers, the southern end is still rugged and simple and looks much the way it did 100 years ago.

We rented a house right on the sound, with incredible views in every direction. We could still enjoy the Atlantic beachfront, but we could also sit on the deck and watch the boats go by, marvel as the kite boarders soared, and laugh as the windsurfers got tossed headlong into the drink.



This is a windsports paradise because the wind is almost always blowing and the sound stays shallow for a long way. When you fall off your board, you find yourself in waist-deep water. It makes for a safe place for kids to paddle, too.


And we could paddle. Anytime we wanted. I brought my kayak and we rented some as well. I paddled up and down the beautiful coast and into the inlets where the houses were. I did some fishing but didn't do well in these unfamiliar waters. Another kayak fisherman caught some nice weakfish, though. So, I think if you know what you are doing, this area can be a great place to fish.



Kayak rentals are easy as long as you reserve yours in advance. Just understand that these are used and have been treated unkindly be people who drag them across asphalt. Many have numerous epoxy patches.


When the weather is uncooperative, you can visit Kill Devil Hills and the Wright Brothers National Monument, Hatteras Lighthouse, and, just a short car ferry ride away, the charming town of Ocracoke.


At the end of the day, when you are tired of fighting the ocean waves or visiting historic sites, you can relax back at the house while dinner cooks. You can look west toward the mainland and still see a horizon and watch sunsets you can't find anyplace else. In fact, I am convinced that this is what the Outer Banks is really about. Seeing just how remote you really are under a vast, ever-changing sky, how distant you are from the rest of the country. And from your life back home.


Note: For some great information about key topics in this article, click on its highlighted links.

Is A Tandem Kayak Right For You?

Double Duty, Double Trouble

By Haywood U. Splashless

They call tandem kayaks "divorce boats" because paddling together in the same boat can test any marriage. However, as long as your spouse is in the forward seat, you won't have any problem. You can make sure she is pulling her weight, and she can't see you slacking off. Perfect. Just tell her you are "ruddering," and, no, that wasn't the sound of a beer opening.

Seriously, tandem kayaking can work pretty well. My wife Leslie and I have enjoyed our Perception Acadia II on many occasions, paddling small lakes around Memphis, navigating the tight turns and unpredictable currents of the upper Wolf River in West Tennessee, even crossing the Intracoastal Waterway along the Florida Gulf Coast. It just takes some teamwork and a little patience.

It also takes a strong back. Tandem kayaks come in all lengths and weights, of course, but, by and large (mostly large), the full-featured polyethylene recreational versions most of us can afford are heavy. Ours is especially so, weighing in at 82 pounds. At 14 feet long, that's a cumbersome load for a guy to get on the roof of the van.

Another consideration is this: once paddlers become somewhat proficient at the sport, they clamor for their own boat. You just don't have the same sort of freedom in a tandem that you do in your own personal kayak. Tandem kayaking is a kind of marriage, remember.


That said, our Acadia is a dreamboat once it's in the water. At 33 inches wide, stability is outstanding. Its wide open cockpit has room for people and gear. There's a removable kid's seat in the middle in case you want to bean your child with your paddle. There's also a hatch in the stern in case you want to hide the evidence. It moves surprisingly well and has good glide for such a wide boat. And because it has a keel configuration at the stern as well as channels along the bottom, it tracks pretty well without a rudder. In waves, there is some flex–unavoidable with such a large cockpit. But the ride stays pretty dry, even in a good chop.

On occasion, I have slid the forward seat to the mid ship position and gone kayak fishing in it. It's a lot like having a canoe or even a small john boat. Plenty of room for your tackle box, ice chest, rods, the works. And, again, the stability is reassuring. I wouldn't want to single hand the Acadia II for long distances, but it's a great fishing boat near the docks.

Since buying the tandem, I have bought a fishing sit-on-top for my solo fishing/camping excursions. We also have an Old Town Otter that our daughter uses. So, I can just about guarantee that if a tandem is your first kayak purchase, others will follow. Don't be tricked into thinking that one boat will do simply because it's a tandem.

Tandems do come in handy. If you have three paddlers and only room on the rack for two kayaks, problem solved. If you want to take a passenger out, young or old, who can't or won't paddle, tandems are the answer.

I often wonder, if I had it to do over again, would I still buy a tandem? There's a wonderful freedom you get paddling solo. You are one with your boat. But there's something special about sharing a boat, too, with a child or grandchild, or perhaps your dog. And when it comes to your spouse, being in the same boat just seems right somehow. Especially when you've been married since 1984. And really, what would you rather be one with, a boat or a spouse?


Feeling the power of your shipmate move you physically through the water can move you in other ways. Relying on each other. Making small decisions together. Passing the camera back and forth. Letting her rest as you propel her along. Feeling the true weight of her being in the world. Seeing up close her reaction to the world around her. Knowing she is right there, safe with you. These are the pluses of tandem paddling. And if she packs a lunch, all the better.

You can find other opinions of the Acadia II and many other kayaks at paddling.net.

ACADIA II
Specifications

Length:	14' 3" / 434 cm
Width:	33.25" / 84 cm
Max Capacity:	650 lbs. / 295 kg
Deck Height:	13.75" / 35 cm
Weight:	82 lbs. / 37 kg
Cockpit Length:	86.75" / 220 cm
Cockpit Width:	24.5" / 62 cm

Heritage Redfish 12 Review

Let's rename it the "Florida Trifecta 12"

An ad man as well as a fisherman, I always liked the Heritage Redfish ad that showed a close-up of a redfish tailing in shallow water and a headline that read, "Get closer to the ones you love." So I was delighted to be able to borrow a bright orange Heritage Redfish 12 Angler over Easter weekend and take it for spin. Would it live up to its name? Would the Redfish catch redfish?

In the two hour-long fishing jaunts I took in and around the mouth of a certain bayou, which shall go unnamed, I was able to catch not only a redfish but also a nice speckled trout and a flounder–the trifecta, the Florida inshore slam! The redfish, by the way, was as big a 27-incher as I ever caught (see photo above). The other two fish would each fill a plate nicely.

So, was it the kayak? Well, it was certainly a better haul than I usually get. So why not give the boat some credit? Just the name alone probably adds some good karma.

The keys to the catch, though, were:

• The water: the tide was in, which often means the fish are too.

• The bait: I used Berkley Gulp 3-inch shrimp in "penny" to catch all three fish.

• The retrieve: The water in early April is still very chilly, and the fish move slowly. So I used a slow retrieve with some wrist twitches to keep things interesting. I learned about the slow winter retrieve from Eric Holstman's blog. Eric is a fishing guide out of Pensacola who never seems to miss his objective–finding and catching redfish.
  

• The luck: good.

You'd think the most exciting moment would be catching the redfish, but the trout won this category, hands down. Sure, redfish fight better than trout, while they are underwater. Once you get a trout into the boat, though, all bets are off. My trout got out of my hand and flipped all over that boat. I grabbed it, started to dehook it, and lost it again overboard. So I reeled it in a second time and just managed to subdue it as the hook fell out by itself. Whew!

Redfish, in contrast, seem to be pretty much done by the time you get them aboard. No fish strikes or fights better. But as long as you keep a little pressure on them, they can be downright gentlemanly on board.

But, I digress.

The Redfish 12 is very similar to my Perception Caster 12.5 (recently replaced in the Perception line-up by the Search 13). There's a nice bow hatch forward and the standard cargo deck in the back. The model I borrowed didn't have the six-inch hatch on the bridge behind the seat, but I would recommend you getting it. There is an amazing amount of room inside the hull of a sit-on-top, and I use this location on my Caster to store bottles of water and some food when I go kayak camping. Just secure mesh bags to hold your stores so they don't go rolling to places you can't get to.

My Caster has an additional hatch in front of the seat, which is a great place to stow a camera, a snack, etc. The Heritage doesn't have this but there seems to be more flat cockpit floor, which helps in other ways, such as allowing you to keep a fairly large tackle box where it's handy.

The paddling characteristics are pretty good for a fishing platform, and the boat, again, felt very much like my own. I think the bow rode a bit higher, which is good. One of the few complaints I have about the Caster is, the low bow lets chop come right over it.

The only quality problem I saw with the Heritage was that the tracks for the foot pegs were riveted at the ends but not in the middle, so the tracks we're bowed a bit and didn't lie flush against the walls of the cockpit. This didn't cause a problem, but it looked as if there could be undue stress on the rivets over time. Perhaps this was simply a peculiarity of this particular boat.

The real star of the Redfish was the seat–quite simply the most comfortable SOT seat I have ever used. They call it the DVC Seating System. The letters stand for Drains, Vents, and Cushions, and it seemed to do all three. The part that got the highest marks from me, though, was the high, supportive back. If you are looking at the Heritage, which comes with the seat, and something else that doesn't come with a seat, be sure you understand that this seat is probably worth $100 all by itself.

The Heritage Redfish 12 Angler seems to list for about $900 although I found it online for $735. If you want to use this boat for distance paddling, you'll want to add the optional rudder. It'll come in handy for running twisty rivers, too. A rudder is a great aid in navigating the rapids and turns which can so often spin a rudderless boat sideways to the current.

You also have the option of spending less on a non-angler version of the Redfish and simply adding rod holders, yourself. As long as you've got that six inch hatch for access, installing the flush holders is easy using stainless screws and nuts. I did it on my Caster. If you don't have the hatch, you'll need to use rivets. Just be sure you use holders that are sealed at the bottom or seal them yourself with epoxy putty.

Over all, I think the Redfish 12 is a very good choice. And, as I proved, it can live up to its name.


HERITAGE REDFISH 12
Specs
Length: 12' 3" (368cm)
Width: 30" (76cm)
Depth: 12” (30cm)
Kayak Weight: 65 lbs. (29kg)
Cockpit Length: 53” (135cm)
Cockpit Width: 18.5” (47cm)
Bow Hatch Length: 16” (41cm)
Bow Hatch Width: 11.25” (29cm)
Stern Well Length: 33” (84cm)
Stern Well Width: 18” (46cm)
Capacity: 350 lbs. (159kg)