#

Always Free						inside:Choosing the Right Boat
Trolling for Trout
Glen Canyon
T-Rescue
Ahjumawi+ more...

10

Spring 2013

FIND YOUR FIT IN A

DELTA KAYAKPhoto: Rick Matthews

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DELTA 12DELTAKAYAKS.COM// Like us on Facebook & follow us on Twitter @deltakayaks // Proudly manufactured in North America// Good stewardship of our planet is important to us. Delta Kayaks are made using environmentally sound and responsible practices.

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Spring 2013

Spring 2013

Issue 10

Contents

Editor/PublisherPeter Donohue
Assistant Editors
Karen Lapinski, Laura Ramos, Elizabeth
Rowell, and Sylvia Wu
Design & Layout
Laura Ramos
www.portalcm.com
Contributing Writers
Jeff Baker, Meade Fischer, Marna Powell, Tom Reilly, Roger Schumann, Lyrinda
Snyderman, and California Kayaker
Magazine

10

Features

In Every Issue

Contributing Photographers
Jeff Baker, Stacy Baker, Meade Fischer,Mark Gvazdinskas, Elisabeth Schirmers, Sandy Rintoul-Schumann, Lyrinda
Snyderman, and California Kayaker
Magazine

6 Getting Started:
Different Boats forDifferent Folks

4 Editor’s Note

Legal Support
Karen A. Lapinski, Attorney
www.LapinskiLaw.com
Chief Barnacle ScraperPeter Donohue
Find Us
P.O. Box 282004
San Francisco, CA 94128
Phone: 650-868-8653
Fax: 650-560-6526
Email: editor@calkayakermag.com
www.calkayakermag.com
www.facebook.com/CalKayakerMag
Copyright © 2013 by California Kayaker
Magazine. All rights reserved. Duplicationor copying of any portion of this magazine
in any form is strictly prohibited. Letters to
the editor should be sent to the editor at theaddress listed above. The opinions found in
California Kayaker Magazine are those of
its writers and do not necessarily reflect theopinion of management or advertisers.
California Kayaker Magazine is an independent magazine available for free at paddlingshops, sports retailers, outdoor stores, fitness
clubs, marinas, and events, available free on
the web, or individual copies can be mailed
for a nominal charge to cover postage andhandling.
Kayaking can be a dangerous sport. Dressappropriately, always wear your PFD, andpaddle within your skill level.

		22

10 Skills: T-Rescue
18 Glen Canyon
22 Trolling for Trout
25 Northeast California
29 Book Review:
Sportsman’s Best
Kayak Fishing25

5 News
5 Calendar of Events
16 Center Hatch Photo
Spread30 Intellectual Section:
Wet Exit
30 List of Advertisers

Cover Photo - Lunch beachin Glen Canyon on the Colorado
River. Read the full story of this trip
starting on page 18.
Photo by Lyrinda Snyderman
Camera: Canon Powershot
California Kayaker Magazine

3

Editor’s Note
This 10th issue of California Kayaker Magazine is also
the start of our 4th year of publishing the magazine.
The saying that “time flies when you are having fun”
sure holds true.
Over these years, some parts of have gotten easier, and others remain just as much a challenge as we had on the first issue.
There was one specific learning I had while putting together this issue. I couldn’t decide which
picture to use on the cover (selecting between the two in the Center Hatch section on page 16& 17, plus the one that in the end I selected for the cover). I mocked up these three as covers and sent them to three people. Each selected a different cover. Taught me to make sure I
always ask one more person than the number of mock ups, so I would have a tie-breaker.
Spring is here! The days are getting longer and the air is getting warmer. I hope 2013 is agreat paddling year for everyone.
See you on the water!
Peter Donohue
Editoreditor@calkayakermag.com

Eskape Sea Kayaking
From Mild... to Wild!

ACA Instructor Training
Nature Tours
Kayak Safety
Surf Skills
Sea CavesExpeditions
Rock Gardening

Custom classes and tours with Roger
Schumann, author of Sea Kayak Rescue
and Guide to Sea Kayaking Central& Northern California
4

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www.eskapekayak.com

831-476-5385

Spring 2013

wNewswEvents
Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Paddlefest
Santa Cruz, CA
March 22-24, 2013www.asudoit.com/paddle_fest
Baja Kayak Fest
Ensanada, Baja Norte, MX
April 11-14, 2013www.bajakayakfest.com
Kern River Festival
Kernville, CA
April 20-21, 2013www.kvrc.org/festival.htm
Explore North Coast Kayak Social
Trinidad, CA
May 2-6, 2013www.explorenorthcoast.net
Great Russian River Race
Healdsburg, CA
May 4, 2013www.greatrussianriverrace.com
Sunrise Mountain Sports Kayak
Festival
Livermore, CA
May 18, 2013www.sunrisemountainsports.com
29th Annual Upper Clackamas
Whitewater Festival
Estacada, OR
May 18-19, 2013www.upperclackamasfestival.org

South Sound Traditional Inuit
Kayak Symposium
Union, WA
June 14-16, 2013
www.qajaqpnw.org
Big Bear Paddlefest
Big Bear Lake, CA
June 29, 2013www.bigbearpaddlefest.com
Eppies Great Race
Sacramento, CA
July 20, 2013www.eppiesgreatrace.org
See ad on page 32
Lumpy Waters
Pacific City, OR
October 18-20, 2013www.lumpywaters.com
Sea Trek Regatta and E.T.C.
Paddleathon
Sausalito, CA
October 26
www.etctrips.org
Wavechaser Paddle Series
Various NorCal locations
Various dates
www.wavechaser.com
SoCalOceanRacing Series
Various SoCal locations
Various dates
www.eteamz.com/socaloceanracing/

California 100
Redding to Chico Race
May 25-26, 2013www.riversforchange.org/california-100/

To submit news or an event for consideration to California Kayaker Magazine,
please send basic information to editor@calkayakermag.com.

Marine Protected Area update 1 North Coast MLPA went into Effect
The Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
regulations for the North Coast (Alder
Creek near Point Arena in Mendocino
County to the Oregon border) went
into effect in December. This region
encompasses approximately 1,027
sq mi of state ocean waters, including waters around offshore rocks.
A network of 19 Marine Protected
Areas, one State Marine Recreational
Management Area, and seven special
closures will cover approximately
137 sq mi, or 13 percent, of the northcoast region. Information about thisregion can be found at www.dfg.
ca.gov/mlpa/ncmpas_list.asp.
The North Coast was the 4th region
to have regulations put in place
under the Marine Life Protection Act(MLPA), which was passed in 1999
and is part of the California Fish andGame Code. The MLPA required California to reevaluate all existing MPAs
and potentially design new MPAs thattogether function as a statewide network. MPAs are separate geographic
marine or estuarine areas designed
to protect or conserve marine life andhabitat.
The only region left to go through thisprocess is the San Francisco Bay. Information about the MPA process canbe found at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa.
Marine Protected Area update 2 Printed Guides to Marine Protected
Areas (MPAs) Available
The Department of Fish and Game
(DFG) released three printed Guides
to the Marine Protected Areas(MPAs), with the fourth coming soon.
These Guides clearly show boundaries of the new MPAs and are available free from DFG offices, as well as
selected ocean-related businesses andharbormasters’ offices along the coast.
Continued on Page 15
California Kayaker Magazine

5Getting Started

Basic Kayak Typesyou?), there is a right kayak for each type of use. Kayaks
perform best in the conditions they are designed for, andmay be inappropriate or even unsafe if taken too far outof those conditions.
In this fictional example, the person says he/she wants to
use the boat on streams and rivers. Do they mean a fast
flowing river or a lazy creek?
The person also says that he/she wants to use the boaton the ocean. The conditions at a small lake can be very
different from the ocean. The small lake may get somesmall wind waves, whereas the ocean can have hugeswells and wind waves.
To help someone choose the appropriate boat, we havelisted below two basic categories of water types (flat water and white water), and then further break out the typesof boats designed for each category:
Flat Water
Flat water means lakes, ocean, and calm (non-moving or
smooth-flowing) rivers. These waters are characterized
by being generally flat (though can have wind waves orocean swells) and not moving in any significant manner(maybe some tidal current near bays and sloughs, yet notforming rapids or waves). Note: this flat water category
as we are defining it here does not include rock gardens,
surf zones, and large tidal rips with standing waves.
These are specialty areas that require advanced skills
and often specialized gear.
Within boats designed for flat water, there are three general classes of boats:

Should I get the long one or the short one?

I

photo by California Kayaker Magazine

t is not uncommon to hear a question like “Iwill be paddling mostly small inland lakes andstreams/rivers. I may occasionally go out to theocean. What boat should I get?”Great that someone is asking for assistance, not sogreat that they don’t yet have a good feel for how theywould want to use their new toy. There is a correct toolfor every job. Just like you wouldn’t use a hammer toinsert a screw into a piece of lumber (you wouldn’t, would

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Touring: touring kayaks, often called sea kayaks, are relatively long (13-19') and narrow (21-25" wide). They are
made of the widest variety of materials (plastics, fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon fiber, wood, skin on frame, etc.).
Day touring is a term sometimes used for the shorter
kayaks (15' and under) in this class. Touring kayaks are
sit-inside kayaks, and the paddler normally uses a sprayskirt to keep water out of the cockpit.
Touring kayaks are equally at home on day trips and as
the beast of burden for long camping trips. With appropriate skills, a touring kayak is an extremely sea worthy
craft. They are made to go straight well, so cover disThis Delta 18.5 is an example of a touring kayak. 18.5’
long, 23.5" wide, and made to travel distances carrying aload of camping gear.

Spring 2013

tances well. But they take some effort
to turn, which makes them much lesssuited for moving rivers (where theability to turn to avoid rocks and rapids is very important). Their long size
also brings consideration of how you
will store and transport the boat.
Touring kayaks have sealed compartments, usually at both ends of the
kayak, which along with being able tocarry gear, have an important safety
benefit of being built in flotation. Thisflotation allows the boat to be reentered while on the water with justsome basic training.
Sit-On-Top: sit-on-top (SOT) kayaks
are kayaks where you sit on top of
the boat (not in a cockpit). Theseboats are shorter and wider than
touring kayaks (generally 9-14' long,and 28-36" wide). They turn easierthan a touring kayak, and don’t trackas well, but feel much more stable.
They are almost all made of molded
plastic, which is inexpensive and very
durable (but heavy). The inside of the
kayak is generally sealed and thistrapped air acts as flotation should
the boat be flipped.

Getting back on after capsizing isrelatively easy – you just scramble
back up (but make sure you practice
before you need to do it for real).
Because of this great stability andrelative ease of getting back on, SOT
kayaks are very common in rental
fleets. These same benefits makethem a great choice for someone
who wants a simple, recreational option for paddling. But they won’t keep
you as dry or protect you from theelements as a sit-inside kayak would,
so are better at warmer locales. SOTboats are by far the choice for kayak
fishermen, as it allows them to movearound on top of the boat (so they
can access gear, allowing for betterangle to cast, etc.).
Recreational: “Rec” boats try to
get the best benefits of touring and
SOTs, but with some limitations tagging along. Like a touring kayak, you
are sitting inside a cockpit and could
put a skirt on it to keep water out
and keep you warmer (though most
don’t). The cockpit opening is verylarge (making it easy to get in andout). And like a SOT, they are shortand wide, so have great stability, andare generally made from plastics.
Unlike either a touring kayak or SOT,
they don’t have a lot of flotation.
They are wide and stable, so harder
to flip. But should you find a way toflip the boat, it is very likely you will
not be able to re-enter it and empty
it out while on the water. As such,
we strongly recommend using a recboat only on protected water on niceweather days.
We did a review of the Delta 10 rec
boat in the Fall 2011 issue of California Kayaker Magazine, and ran
This green Delta 10.5 Cat SOT is an
example of a Sit-On-Top kayak. It is
10.5' long and 30" wide. Somethinga little unusual is that it is made ofthermoformed plastic rather than thestandard molded plastic.
The red Wilderness Systems Pungo
is representative of recreational classboats. It is similar in dimensions to
the SOT, but has a cockpit you sit inlike a touring kayak.
California Kayaker Magazine7

If you are reading this...
So are your customers!
California Kayaker Magazine:• provides the best way to reach kayakers in California• distributes over 10,000 copies through over 200 locations• has competitive pricing
See www.calkayakermag.com/advertise.html for details orcontact us at 650-868-8653 or peter@calkayakermag.com
a Getting Started column on selecting a rec boat in theSummer 2011 issue (all back issues are readable onlineat www.calkayakermag.com/magazine.html).
White Water
White water gets its name from the way flowing water
foams up (and turns white) when it hits rocks or otherobstructions to its movement and forms turbulence.
White water, as we use it here, is a more general term,
and includes most any river that is moving, whether it has
turbulence or not.
The boats used for white water are generally short (6-9'long) and made of plastic. Sit-inside kayaks with skirts
are most common, but there are some SOTs (used withthigh straps) and inflatable kayaks available. These shortboats have great maneuverability, but are slow as molasses if you need to paddle them any distance. Speed is
not as important on flowing rivers, where you can just ridethe current.
Sit-inside white water kayaks generally do not havemuch built in flotation, so it is common to use added float
bags. If you end up flipped over and out of your boat, theThe Epic V10, at over 21' long and17.5" wide, is a good example of asurf ski. This boat is made to go fast.

common recovery method is to swim the boat to shore
to drain it and get back in (a slow and tiring process – somost people learn to do an Eskimo Roll early in their paddling careers).
Within white water, the three main categories of kayaks are:River Runner: a boat designed as a river runner ordown river kayak is made more for speed (relative toother white water boats, but still slow relative to flat waterboats), is very stable, and tracks well. They are made forwider rivers, which often have lower gradient and slower
flows. It is common for someone getting into white water
kayaking to start with a boat in this category.
The river runner category is often a catch-all category forany boat that doesn’t fit within the category of Creeker orPlay Boat, so contains a wide variety of white water designs. Some manufacturers will talk about a river runnerboat that creeks or a river runner that plays, meaning thatthe boat is made for river running but has some attributesof the other class.
Creeker: a creek boat is made to run smaller creeks,
which tend to be steeper with larger, more technicaldrops. They are higher volume than river runner boats, toprovide the buoyancy to resurface after a drop. They also
have more rocker, so are more maneuverable and areeasier to boof. White water boats in general are slow, andcreekers are at the slow end of white water boat categories, so would be painful to paddle in rivers with less flow.
Play Boat: these boats are made to allow you to play on
waves and holes formed in the river. They are smaller,
have flat hulls (and often have hard edges) for easiersurfing and spinning on waves, and lower volume ends
so that you can flip in all sorts of directions (yes, they flipon purpose). They are designed to be paddled on class
3 and above rivers, because that is where the waves andholes to play on are at, though are more designed fortheir ability to perform stunts than go through the river.

By looking at these two white water boats from Big Dog Kayaks,
you can easily see the difference between the larger (8' long),high rocker, high volume Creek Boat (above) and shorter (6'long), flat bottom, blunt nosed Play Boat (below).
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Spring 2013

Specialty
There are some specialty boats, outside of what was
mentioned above:
Surf Ski: this is possibly the worst named class of kayaks, as few ever see surf (swells, yes, but not surf). A surf
ski is a long (often 20'+), very narrow (often under 20"wide) racing SOT kayak. Surf skis are generally made ofultra light materials, like carbon, Kevlar, and fiberglass.
They are made to go fast, but are tippy to the uninitiatedand turn about as well as an aircraft carrier.
Their name came from surf lifeguards in Australia who
used them as rescue vessels, but both the surf lifeguards
and surf skis have since pretty much gone separate ways
(life guards now using other crafts for rescue, and surfskis becoming more of a flat out racing boat).
California Kayaker Magazine posted a review of the plastic Cobra Surf Ski on our Blog at calkayakermag.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-cobra-surf-ski.html.

need that is designed for a particular type of kayaking.
For example, white water paddlers use a throw rope
where touring paddlers use a tow rope. Just as how
one boat won’t do everything, you also need to selectappropriate gear.
2) these are generalizations about the boat designs, andthere are plenty of exceptions.
3) there are usage exceptions also. For example,
advanced paddlers can take a touring kayak down awhite water river. The boat is not optimized for this,which increases the paddler’s skill requirement tocompensate. Can be done, but not recommended for
those without the appropriate skills, experiences, andgear.v
Words by California Kayaker Magazine
Photos provided by the representative manufacturers.

Wave Ski: this is often confused with surf skis, but ismuch more appropriately named. A wave ski is basicallya surf board with some sort of seat, foot straps, and aseat belt attached. Made for surfing waves. Generally shortand made of fiberglass by custom wave ski manufacturers.
Surf Kayak: like waves skis, surf kayaks are made tosurf the waves of the ocean, but these look more likewhite water boats with a couple of fins attached. They
are normally made of light-weight materials, like carbon,
Kevlar, and fiberglass. Sit-inside is most common, thougha few models of SOTs are available (such as the Dagger
Kaos, which was reviewed in the Spring 2010 issue of
California Kayaker Magazine).
Summary
Hopefully this guide provided useful information to help
you figure out which category of boat is more suitable foryou. Once you narrow it down to a category, your decision will become much easier. But, once you figure out
what category you want, keep in mind that “butt time” isvery important to help you select the right boat for you(see the Getting Started column on this in the Spring2012 issue of California Kayaker Magazine for details).
Some things to keep in mind:
1) the boat is only one of the many pieces of gear you
need to paddle. Just as there isn’t one boat that works
for all situations, there is also other gear that you
California Kayaker Magazine

9Skills

Many Ways to Skin a Cat:
Variations on the T-Rescue
by Roger Schumann“Boat over!” someone shouted fromastern, and I turned around to see
the bottom of a kayak facing skyward,
framed by the Golden Gate Bridge andfollowed quickly by the head of its former occupantbobbing up beside it. This is how most kayak accidents begin. Whether from a poor choice to launch
on a day when you shouldn’t, a patch of rough waterthat catches you or a paddling buddy unaware, ora momentary lapse in attention – next thing you
know someone is in the water. If the water is coldand shore is far, the most common danger facing acapsized kayaker is hypothermia. Our group of six
is in the middle of San Francisco Bay a mile or sofrom the nearest landfall on Angel Island. The water
is cold, and shore is far. So hypothermia is definitely
a concern.
But before I’ve finished spinning my kayak fully around,
one of our group has already paddled up to the swimmer’s bow and lifted it. Since we are in touring-style sea
kayaks, with bulkheads in the front and back, a simple
lift of the bow is all it takes to dump the water from the
cockpit. A few seconds later, the rescue boat has maneuvered alongside the swimmer’s kayak to stabilize it,so the swimmer can climb back aboard. His spray skirt isreattached, and we continue on our way to the island, in
little more time than you might spend stopped at a busy
traffic light. The only difference between a potentially
dangerous situation and a routine delay, in this instance,
was how much time those involved had spent practicing
rescues beforehand.
At the heart of any paddler’s rescue repertoire (along withsome form of self-rescue) is the T-rescue. As far as assisted rescues go, it is the basic bread-and-butter technique – widely considered to be the fastest, easiest, mostefficient and versatile way to get a capsized paddler backinto his or her kayak in a variety of conditions.
The Basic “Bow Up” T-Recue TechniqueThree basic steps make up the T: maneuvering to thebow, pulling the bow across your lap to drain the water,and stabilizing the kayak for the swimmer to reenter it byspinning your kayak parallel to his boat to form a sideby-side raft. But there is more than one way to skin a cat,10

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so I’ll be covering a few common variations, including
those for kayaks without bulkheads, such as white water,
surf and recreational kayaks. But let’s start with the basic“bow up” T-Rescue for kayaks with bulkheads, before
moving on to the other versions.
Go to the Bow
While the first step involves maneuvering to the bow of
the swimmer’s kayak, before approaching any rescue
situation, make sure it is safe to do so. For example,
check that whatever giant wave that just knocked yourpartner in the drink doesn’t have a twin that takes youout as well; also, check that the swimmer is not panicking or they might decide to climb to the nearest high point
to get out of the water, that being the top of your head.
After determining that the swimmer is safe to approach,the first thing I typically do is remind him to hold on to his
kayak. One of the most important elements to keeping
the T-Rescue a routine maneuver involves the swimmer
maintaining hold of his kayak; otherwise wind or currents
can separate boats from swimmers, requiring some nonroutine interventions involving tow lines or other more
complicated techniques. Some rescuers insist that theswimmer hold on to the bow of the rescue kayak, others
swear by the stern or preach the gospel grasping holdof the cockpit. In my experience, any of these versions
work, each has its slight pros and cons, but the mostimportant thing is that the swimmer doesn’t let go.
To get to their bow, you first have to actually point yourkayak at their bow. As gawdawful stupid as that mightsound, you’d be surprised how common it is to see
potential rescuers paddling intently toward their intended
targets—turning their head to look where they want togo, without actually quite pointing their kayak in that
direction—only to glide past just…out…of…reach…ofoutstretched fingertips. The key here is to aim first, thenpaddle. If you have a little speed built up, you can use arudder stroke to steer during the last boat length for extra
control. (If you know how to use a bow rudder or sideslip,
these are what advanced paddlers often use to steer theirboats true on final approach.)
Ideally, you the rescuer, end up grabbing the bow withyour kayak more or less perpendicular to the capsizedkayak. If not, grab the bow with both hands and pivot
Spring 2013

your kayak until you are perpendicular,
forming the T shape that gives this rescue
its name. This is easier to do for most
paddlers if the swimmer has alreadyturned his kayak back upright, so the bow
is sticking up in the air instead of down
into the water.
The Lift and Drain
An upright bow also makes the next step,
dragging the bow across your lap, a little
easier. First, make sure your paddle isstowed securely so it doesn’t float away
while you’re focused on the rescue, acommon mistake. I prefer to stow mine
across my lap, using my tow belt toanchor it. Others like to slip it under abungee, which works fine in calmer conditions, but I’ve seen problems with thepaddle getting loose or tangling under thehull in rough seas.
When you have pulled the bow of their
kayak far enough across your lap toreach the front of the cockpit, it is highenough to flip upside down on your lap inorder to drain the water out of the cockpit. If you don’t pull it this high, you mightfind yourself flipping it upside-down only
to scoop a bunch of water back into the
cockpit when you re-right it. A cool trick
you can try is to raise the bow without
having to drag it so far across your lap
is to edge your kayak away from theswimmer’s kayak—your raised edge
lifting the upside-down kayak higher outof the water—as you spin it back rightside-up. (This all assumes that you are
fairly comfortable on edge.) Once you’ve
dumped the water out and flipped it backupright, slide it back into the water for the
final step.
Stabilization and Reentry
When you slide their kayak back into thewater, spin your kayak parallel to it, forming a raft. This raft will be more stable
if you position your kayak facing in the
opposite direction, bow to stern, where
you are hanging on to the empty kayak
just in front of the cockpit. (If you end
up bow to bow it can still work, but it isharder to see what’s going on behind you,and most rescuers find it more difficult
to stabilize the raft from this position.)
To further stabilize the rafted kayaks forreentry, take the swimmer’s paddle alongwith your own and lay them across yourGetting into the T-position

Pulling the bow up on your cockpit

Roll over to drain
California Kayaker Magazine

11

you snake your front leg into the
cockpit and hook your foot under
the deck. Straighten your leg, using
leg strength to help you pull yourstomach up onto the back deck (witha little practice this is easier than itsounds), then corkscrew yourself into
the cockpit.

Rescuer stabilizing the kayak raft byholding the other boat just in front of the cockpit
lap, forming a nice stable bridge foryou to lean on. I prefer to reach botharms over the top of the paddles, sothey are more secure in rough water.
Grab the cockpit coaming or decklines (assuming their boat has them)securely. Holding onto the cockpit
often gives a more positive grip, but
be careful that your fingers don’t get
pinched as the swimmer climbs backaboard.
Addressing the swimmer now, there
are two basic ways to reenter. The
old-school version is to swim up onto
the back deck on your stomach rightbehind the cockpit as if you were getting out of a swimming pool without
using a ladder.
After swimming onto the back deck,
remain face down and spin your legs
into the cockpit. If you reach an arm
onto the rescuer’s kayak while doing
this, you’ll also help to stabilize theraft. Next, wriggle your hips into the
cockpit until your hip bones are past
the seat back. Then you can spinyour body toward the rescue boat
(still leaning on it to help stabilize theraft) and corkscrew yourself backinto the seat. Replace your skirt andcontinue on your way.
12

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Heel Hook Variation
Some swimmers have trouble pullingthemselves onto the back deck, so a
new-school variation, called the “heelhook” is a good trick to know.
Hanging on to your kayak from thewater just behind your cockpit, start
to raise your front leg (the one closest to the bow as you face your boat)
and allow your body to float onto itsside (head toward the stern). Sortof hug your kayak on your side, as

Bow-Down Method
This old-school version of the T-rescue is not to worry about the swimmer flipping the boat upright first. It isonly a good variation for more-skilled
paddlers who are comfortable putting
their kayaks on edge. The advantage
is that it’s a little quicker in situations
where seconds matter (like windblowing you toward wave-pounded
cliffs and such) or if a swimmer has
lost hold of his kayak before having
turned it upright. As you approach
their upside-down bow (perhaps
gliding skillfully into position on abow rudder stroke), tuck your paddle into your tummy as you lean overto grab the bow. It is important thatyou use your near hand on top of thebow to stabilize yourself, because
you’ll need to lean well off balance
to reach their kayak. To describe thisfrom the kayak on your left side, youlean onto the bow with your left hand(leaning over nearly enough to put
your left cheek on your left hand) as
you reach under and grab the bowwith your right hand. In one smooth
motion (basically the same move-

You hook your foot under the combing and pull up
with your leg in the heel hook recovery
Spring 2013

ment you make coming up from aroll), you rock yourself back upright,
using the momentum of the motion
to pull the bow across your lap.
The trick here is that you won’t
really be lifting their kayak if you
do the maneuver correctly. You are
edging on your side so that their
bow gets lifted mostly by the edgeof your cockpit as you rock yourself
back up, the entire time using yournear hand to stabilize you, not forlifting. Once the kayak is on yourcombing you can flip it upright andpull it across your lap as describedin the “bow up” method above. Asan alternative, some paddlers mightchoose to continue with the full-on,
old-school, bow-down method, andleave the bow down as they lift it
to drain it. At this point it is probably worth mentioning that somenew school instructors (and theirstudents) may cringe if they see
you do this (and others may evenattempt to convince you that there
really is only one right way to skin acat). And honestly, those with backissues should probably avoid thistechnique; nor can I recommend it
for others. However, I will admit that
I use it routinely, especially in thosesituations where seconds count.

“Bow-down” photos by Sandy Rintoul-Schumann

Rolling your boat upright, youpull the bow onto your lap

M

u n isore

G o o d ! !!

More FThe advantage to this bow downand-dirty variation is that it isblazingly fast. When you lift a boatthat is bow down, the water drains
as you lift, you flip it upright, andyou’re done. Bam. The key to
avoiding injury is to use leverageand good technique, not strength.
To do this you don’t lift the bow out
away from your body, you hug the
kayak against your chest. Once the
kayak is across your lap (again, I’ll
describe it from the left side), slide
your right forearm under the bow
and hug the kayak against you
as you start to lean back slightly
and bend your right elbow toward
you like you were doing curls at
the gym. This does require a bit ofstrength, and some paddlers don’t
feel comfortable with it. But I knowof literally hundreds of paddlers
who still rely on it as their go-to

Leaning over to grab the bow
in the bow-down method

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California Kayaker Magazine

13

Teeter tottering to drain the water in a TX rescue
technique when the guano hits thefan, and any warnings I attempt toissue about bad backs just falls on
deaf ears. Or maybe they just can’t
hear over the yowling of so many different cats being skinned.
TX Variation for Boats without
Bulkheads
The TX is simply a T-rescue where
instead of lifting just the bow, thecockpit of the kayak being emptied
is pulled all the way to the cockpitof the rescuer’s kayak, forming an
X out of the T. For kayaks with nobulkheads (again, white water, surfor recreational models), simply lifting
the bow only serves to move thewater into the stern, since there is norear bulkhead to stop it. You need topull the kayak across your lap until
you can teeter totter the boat back andforth to drain water out of each end.
This is not always easy to do, so help
from the swimmer is useful. One of

the best ways for them to help is tocome around to the far side of yourkayak (the side opposite the rescue)
and, from the water, to grab onto
their own bow, even pushing off yourkayak with their feet as they do so,to help drag their waterlogged kayak
across your lap to the X position.
With many boats, especially thosethat are fairly symmetrical, starting
the rescue by pulling the stern over
the rescuer’s boat will work just as
well as starting with the bow.
Even with the swimmer’s help, somekayaks may be so big and tubby thatyou might well find it impossible to
do a TX, especially some models ofrecreational kayak. The only way torescue such boats will be to swim
them to shore. The only way to findthis out is to try it – somewhere
within easy swimming distance ofshore would be a good place to try
it for the first time, in case that is notalready apparent.

In a river, white water kayakers cantypically just swim their boats toshore, but many white water boaters
like to take their kayaks out on lakes
or on the ocean. The challenge withdraining these kayaks using a TX in
open water (as well as similar surf
kayaks) may not be doing the TX to
get the water out, but doing the reentry to get the paddler back in. Small
volume river and surf kayaks often
swamp as the paddler tries to climb
back aboard. A special technique
is required. After draining the waterwith a TX, the rescue boat puts the
upright kayak not back in the water,
but balances it across his cockpit.
The swimmer then climbs up onto
the bow of the rescue kayak, andinto his own kayak. If it sounds a bit
precarious and awkward ‒ it is. Thisis another technique to practice nearshore a few times before heading out
into the deeps.
And if it is a surf kayak you are rescuing, watch out for the fins on theback. They likely will need to slide off
your boat backward, so the fins don’tcatch on your boat.
Whatever type of kayak you paddle,
it is a good idea to practice someof these techniques well before you
really need them, so that if you or apaddling partner ends up in the water
far from shore, getting the swimmer
back in his boat is simply routine. v
Roger Schumann is award-winning
co-author of Guide to Sea Kayaking
Central and Northern California and Sea
Kayak Rescue and the owner and lead
instructor of Eskape Sea Kayaking (www.
eskapekayak.com) in Santa Cruz, CA.
As an ACA-Certified instructor-trainer,
he’s been teaching classes and leading
expeditions for over 20 years on our local
shores and beyond--from Alaska to the
Galapagos and from Baja to Brazil.
Photos not otherwise attributed are by
California Kayaker Magazine.

Balancing the
now-drained boat on the rescuer’s
cockpit so the swimmer can get backin is often required for low volume boats
14

www.calkayakermag.com

Spring 2013

News - continued from page 5

The full-color Guides include maps,
coordinates, shoreline boundary images, and regulations for the MPAs
along the coast and around islands.
Also included are descriptions of thegoals of the Marine Life Protection
Act (MLPA) which guided the MPAs’
development, answers to frequently
asked questions and links to DFG
web pages with additional information.
“[These booklets] make it possible
for us to reach a broader audienceby putting printed local marine
protected area information directlyin the hands of the public,” said Paul
Hamdorf, Acting DFG Marine Region
Manager.
The three printed guides are Guide
to the North-Central California Marine Protected Areas, Guide to theNorthern California Marine Protected
Areas, and Guide to the Southern
California Marine Protected Areas.
The Guide to the Central California
Marine Protected Areas is at theprinter as we go to press, so should
be available soon. PDF versions of
all four guides are available online.
Go to www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/guidebooks.asp to download the PDF or tofind a location to pick up a printed copy.
Marine Protected Area update 3 Online Guide
If you prefer to work electronically,
the Department of Fish and Game
has a Smartphone solution for you.
Point your Smartphone’s browser
to www.dfg.ca.gov/m/MPA/. This
brings you to a web site with mapsof all the MPAs. If your Smartphone
has a GPS, then it allows you to show
where you are in relation to the MPAs.
Keep in mind that it only works
where your phone gets a signal. And
don’t forget to keep your phone ina waterproof bag, as phones andwater don’t get along.
This web site does also work fromyour desktop computer, but is in-Classes • Tours
Sales • Rentals

P A D D L E S P O R T S

WWW.CLAVEY.COM

409 Petaluma Blvd. S
Petaluma, CA 94952
707-766-8070“on your way to Tomales Bay”
tended for Smartphone use (so may
look a little funny on a big screen).
Bair Island Restoration and its
Impact for Paddlers
There are many changes currently
taking place at Bair Island in Redwood City, a part of the larger Don
Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Bair Island
consists of some 3,000 acres ofmarsh and sloughs, and includes
three main islands (Inner, Middle,
and Outer islands).
Restoration projects are ongoing
and aim to restore the tidal wetlands
environment. The two major recentchanges are flow restrictors added
to Corkscrew and Smith Sloughs andlevee breaches added on all threeislands.
To counter the strong flows of current that go through the dredged
shipping channel at the Port of Redwood City, flow restrictors have been
added to both Corkscrew Slough
and Smith Slough.
These micro dams will prevent
additional tidal flow and silting into
Redwood Creek and the Port of
Redwood City (saving millions ofdollars in dredging costs). They areset so that at certain tide heights(about 5' and above for Corkscrew
Slough and 2' and above for Smith
Slough), one can paddle over them.
At lower tide heights, you may beable to portage over them.

Levees will be breached in all threeislands, bringing water back to
areas that have been high and dry
for a while. We are still not allowed
to land on Bair Island, but levee
breaches will increase the areas we
can explore when there is enoughwater to navigate.
It will take some time for the water toscour out deeper channels in Steinberger Slough and through the newlevee breaches. Until that happens,
be careful as strong currents can occur (early photos of the flow restrictors look like waterfalls at certain
tide heights). And be careful that you
don’t get lost.
Bair Island Aquatic Center, a nonprofit organization that offers thecommunity programs in rowing
and paddling, has a running poston the changes and how it impacts paddlers (including maps)
at biac.wildapricot.org/Default.
aspx?pageId=1493592. v

Follow California Kayaker Magazine on Facebook
for progress updates, announcements of wheneach issue will be published, up-to-date listings
on events, etc.
http://www.calkayakermag.com/facebook.html

California Kayaker Magazine

15

CenterHave a photo that shows the beauty of kayaking or otherwise makes people think?
We’d love to see it. Send submissions to editor@calkayakermag.com.
Include the background story and what camera was used.
16

www.calkayakermag.com

Spring 2013

HatchFacing Page: The photographer was hoping to catch the sun
set through the keyhole, which happens around Winter Solstice, but was rained out. Before leaving, he was able to get
this dramatic shot of a sea kayaker facing off with a wave. He
had never seen a kayak so close to the keyhole and felt thatthe kayaker helped give a sense of scale for the rocks.
Photo by Mark Gvazdinskas
Camera: NIKON D800

Below: Rok Sribar and his daughter, Lea,
doing an ender at the Feather River Festival.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XTi
Photo by Elisabeth Schirmers,
taken for the Feather River Festival

California Kayaker Magazine

17Places

GLEN CANYON
by Lyrinda SnydermanI

had not set out to kayak in the desert…. I
had planned, however, to hike in the famous
Coyote Buttes of the Paria Canyon-Vermilion
Cliffs Wilderness in Arizona. My husband andI had scored one of the extremely hard-to-get andrare (20 persons per day max.) permits to hike in
the Coyote Buttes South and we had built our triparound the permit date of July 5th.

My husband does not like long road trips, but I do – so I
booked him flights and arranged to pick him up and drop
him off while I drove from Berkeley to our destination ofSanta Fe and back. I drove 800 miles the first day andmade it to Bryce. I visited Bryce the next day then drove
the spectacular Burr Trail through Capitol Reef in our
2-wheel drive Honda Civic – which can be done only inthe dry season, which is most of the times these days as
there has been a severe drought throughout the Southwest. A few days in Moab with great hikes in Arches andCanyonlands, a sightseeing flight from Moab down along
the Water Pocket Fold in Capitol Reef and then it was on
to New Mexico. I picked up my husband and we stayed
for a few weeks in Santa Fe. On the trip home we hiked
in the Bisti Badlands and Canyon de Chelly before heading to Page, AZ, and our date with Coyote Buttes.
Since we do not have a high clearance four-wheel-drive
vehicle and since Coyote Buttes is only accessible bydriving through deep sand and rock ledges, we hired Steve Dodson from Paria Outpost and Outfitters. Steve has
a place near House Rock Road, the north entrance roadthat leads to the slot canyons of Wire Pass and Buckskin
Gulch and to the Coyote Buttes. We met Steve at the18

www.calkayakermag.com

restaurant in the dark of night so that we could arrive atdawn at the White Pocket after a precarious two-hour
Jeep ride—our intent was to avoid the merciless mid-day
sun and the normal July temperatures of 100 degrees
or more. In the course of our conversations I mentionedthat I liked to kayak—I had even kayak-camped on Lake
Powell for four days with my daughter back in 2007.
Steven mentioned that he thought I might like to kayak
Glen Canyon. He said that it was a 15-mile flat water run
down the Colorado River from the Glen Canyon Dam
down to Lee’s Ferry, where they start the 2-week+ Grand
Canyon raft and dory trips. He said that a raft company
that takes tourists on big banana boat raft trips from theDam down to Lee’s Ferry will, for a nominal charge, doa “backhaul,” loading me and my kayak on the raft to go
back up-river to the start point near the dam. I had no
kayak or rack with me, but he said that the local kayak
operator had that all worked out.
The next day I dropped my husband off at Flagstaff andreturned to Page. I also stopped off to take a tour of thedam and visit spectacular Horseshoe Bend to look 1000 feetdown on the river where I would be paddling the next day.
In the morning I arranged for the backhaul. I then rented
a touring kayak and loaded it on top of my car. I used a
simple and ingenious rack assembled out of three foampool float “noodles” speared into a grid by two 1-inch
diameter PVC pipes. The noodles ran athwart the car
to cushion both car and kayak. Two cinch-down straps
across the kayak and under the top of the door frames
and the kayak was secure.
Spring 2013

Horseshoe Bend Panorama

It was about an hour’s drive south
down the beautiful Route 89, acrossthe Marble Canyon Bridge and northup 89A to Lee’s Ferry. I had beenreading Beyond the 100th Meridian, Wallace Stegner’s spectacular
account of John Wesley Powell’s
first runs of the Green River and theGrand Canyon and I recognized thescenery from the exquisite panoramicline drawings in the book by artist
William Henry Holmes.

I had been warned that the rafts
could leave at any time between 10
and 11 am, so I got there plenty early. As I had time I sat in on a ranger’s
briefing of a private trip getting readyto head down the Grand. The ranger’s emphasis was on cleanlinessnecessary to prevent spreading thedreaded Norovirus throughout thecampsites – more than it emphasized
river safety!
A bunch of other kayakers arrived.

California Kayaker Magazine

19Author’s boat on the beach at
her lunch stop

They were young women, the local guides who drove the big rafts
between the dam and Lee’s Ferrydoing a sort-of busmen’s holiday.
Their trip involved camping out for anight whereas I was just doing a day
trip. They were a wild bunch, full of
tattoos and piercings and carrying
plenty of beer.
The rafts arrived late and we didn’t
get away from Lee’s Ferry until noon.
I ended up sharing the huge boatwith the driver, my kayak and a Park
Service ranger who was also taking a
backhaul up to the dam, who told me
all about the petroglyphs along thecanyon walls.
As we motored upstream I could see
no white water, but plenty of strong
eddies and vortices at the bends inthe river. The flow rate was averaging about 14,500 cubic feet per
second (cfs) with a peak near 18,000

cfs in the afternoons and with earlymorning low-level releases of about
10,000 cfs.

But the canyon walls further down in
the river reach even higher – to over
1700 feet!

The canyon walls rose and narrowed
as we approached the dam. I could
see horses grazing on an isolated
shallow beach and wondered how inheck they got there. I later learned
that they were not wild and that there
is, indeed, a steep and windy path up
a narrow defile to the top.

The boatman dropped off the ranger
at the raft tie-up area and then took
me back to the nearest small beach.
After I unloaded the boat, the motor raft departed and I was left alone
in the silence below the great red
canyon walls. I started down in theequivalent of a 2+ knot current, avoiding the faster current and swirling vortices at the outside of the river bends.

We reached the dam after about
an hour, and I could see the diversion tunnel through which the river
had flowed for the ten years it took
to build the dam, starting back in
1956. The big inflatable tourist rafts
were snuggled against the wall like
piglets suckling a sow. The 710-foothigh dam is the fourth tallest in the
US and is only 16 feet shorter thanthe more famous Hoover Dam, so
it is definitely a looming presence.

Kayak Powell had given me a simple
map showing trails and campsites
along the way. I stopped at the Petroglyph site to see the deeply incised
pecked Puebloan petroglyphs ofantelopes and a mysterious yin-yang
symbol. It was plenty hot, in the high‘90s, so I was frequently scooping
water onto my head and shirt to keepcool. I sought any shade that I could
find below the canyon walls.
I stopped for lunch on a sunny beachacross from a great vertical red wallin deep shade. I could only find aflimsy little bush to shade myself. I
thought I’d try a swim to cool down,
but I only dipped in to waist deep.
The water, flowing from the bottom of
Lake Powell, averages 46 degrees
year-round, so it is even colder thanthe San Francisco Bay.

At 710 feet high, the Glen Canyon Dam is second in heightto the Hoover Dam (726’ high) on the Colorado River
20

www.calkayakermag.com

I sat, transfixed, at my lunch spot foran hour, watching the tiny flashbulb
Spring 2013

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lights of solar reflections sparkle on the tiny riffles before
the rich greens of the crystal clear water and the deep
russets and maroons of the shaded vertical wall opposite. I did see two rafts float by against the far wall. The
boatmen impressed their charges by encouraging themto touch the great wall as they drifted by.
Then off, around grand Horseshoe Bend, where I could
see the tiny tourists 1000 feet above looking down at me.
I could only imagine how small a blue sliver my kayak
must have seemed to them.
It was a two-and-a-half mile slog, against a strong andsteady headwind, back to Lee’s Ferry. It was difficult toload the kayak onto the light foam tube rack as the wind
kept blowing it off when I went to get the kayak.

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Since I started so late I could not get back in time toreturn the kayak that day, I kept the kayak and paddledfrom the Antelope Marina on Lake Powell up the Lower
Antelope Canyon the next day. Starting early, I had thebeautiful, although not the most famous Corkscrew, section of the canyon to myself.
In reflection, these were some of the most beautiful days,
and from a very special perspective, that I have everspent in the dramatic canyons of the Southwest. v
Lyrinda Snyderman has been kayaking since her uncle plopped
her in his Folbot at the age of 7. She bought her first kayak, aKlepper Aerius 2-seater folding kayak, with her very first income
tax refund back in ‘71. She used to toss it on a bus or a planeor hitch-hike with it—long before she ever owned a car. Now
she has a light single and enjoys photography, primarily ofwildlife, while kayaking.
Photos by Lyrinda Snyderman

Resources
Kayak Powell rents kayaks, paddle gear, and camping
gear (928) 660-0778 or www.kayakpowell.com
Colorado River Discovery provides service to carry you
and boat on their raft to the put-in at the base of thedam. 888-522-6644 or www.raftthecanyon.com

Horses grazing along the river
California Kayaker Magazine

21

Fishing Tips & Tricks

Trolling for Trout
By Jeff Baker

I

t’s 5 am on a Saturday morning, standing on
the boat ramp next to my kayak. As the sun
ushers in a new day I rig up my two favorite
rods, check over all my gear and head out on
the water. Crisp mornings on Shasta Lake mean
one thing, trout time! Every year in late October
Shasta Lake, like other north state and Sierra lakes,“rolls over”. The cooler water rises to the top while
warmer water settles on the bottom. This brings the
big trout and land locked King Salmon with it, putting them in easy reach of the kayak based angler.
This is definitely a winter time activity, but works in
Shasta till about May when the lake heats up. Thiswater pattern would also exist year round at many
mountain lakes that stay cold all year.

As I start to paddle I set my lines out. As I dip my lure in
the water to make sure it’s swimming right, I loosen up
the drag and let it slip back 20 yards or so on the firstline, and a little longer on the second. Most of the time
I’ll have a fish on the line before I reach the No Wake
Buoys, and often before I set the second line.
Today was a good day. Of the nine fish caught I kept
three. A few short strikes, a few shakers, a bald eagle
over head, and 6 hours of on-the-water kayak fishing therapy.
Trophy sized trout are just a few paddle strokes away
in most north state lakes, and with a few key pieces oftackle they are easily caught. When trolling from a kayak
22

www.calkayakermag.com

there are a few things that I think are an absolute mustfor a successful day.
First would be a forward mounted rod holder. It is important to keep the rods in front of you so you can keep
an eye on the tip for subtle strikes. You’ll also want to
get yourself a rod leash. If your rod gets snagged or you
capsize your kayak it’s nice to know that you still haveyour rod.
On the tackle side you’ll need a flasher or dodger. I prefer
the Shasta Tackle Sling Blades with a UV coating. The
shape of the Sling Blades is key for kayak fishing, thepointed front reduces drag while the cupped rear gives
your lure all the action it needs. Another cool thing about
Sling Blades is the tune ability. If you want a little moreaction out of a smaller blade, using the side of your kayak
to make a slight bend in the blade is all it takes.
Behind the dodger I run a worm or lure. I have used night
crawlers and artificial worms. The most productive worm
for me has been a hot pink shrimp scented worm madefor steelhead. For lures, wedding rings with smile face
flashers are my favorite. I find that the traditional willow
leaf spinner blades don’t work right at the slow speedsof a kayak. Lots of fish will go after a wedding ring stylelure. I have caught rainbow and brown trout, kokanee,king salmon, even the occasional squaw fish with it.
Another thing I would highly suggest would be a GPS. I
use a combination GPS & Fish Finder. The GPS is used
Spring 2013

The author’s boat set up
for trollingto keep your speed. 90% of people
trolling on a kayak are going too
fast, so first and foremost, slow
down. If you’re wondering if you’regoing too fast, you probably are. I
like to keep the speed around 1.5
mph. During the winter the fish areright on top and I usually don’t run
any weight on my lines. Keeping
your speed in check means yourlure is doing its job attracting fishand not skipping across the top of
the lake.
Another huge tip is to keep every-

thing clean and use scent. Having
pristine waters is great for kayaking but makes the fishing harder. I
re-spool my reels every winter withfresh line and stock up on the no
scent soap. Every time I touch myline or lure I make sure my hands
are clean. Sunscreen, food, smoking, everything you do with yourhands can put that smell on yourline and fish can smell it. I can’t
stress this enough for the clear water lakes and streams. Scents like
Pro-Cure’s Trophy Trout Gel can
California Kayaker Magazine

23

Sling Blade Lure

Wedding Ring Lurehelp draw in fish from a distance. I also like adding white
Berkley Fishing Maggot – Gulp! to my wedding rings.

The catch readyto be smoked

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Lake Del Valle
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Now it’s time to find the fish. Focus on points and submerged banks. I’ll usually pick 3 or 4 points and make aloop. When you get a strike while paddling, the best thing
to do is keep paddling. This may seem a little counterintuitive, but it is the best bet at sticking the fish. No
matter how fast you think you are, the fish is faster. For
example, moderate size Rainbow can accelerate from astandstill to about 23 mph in about a second. You reallywant to take another stroke, even put a little more power
into it to set the hook.
This brings me to my next tip, zigzagging for success. I
rarely travel more than a 1/4 mile or so in a straight line.
Zigzagging imparts an action on your lure that’s hard toresist. A lot of the time fish will follow your lure for a whileand check it out before deciding to bite. With two lines
in the water zigzagging allows your inside line to slow
down and the outside line to speed up, triggering a fish to
strike.
And just what do we do with all the fresh caught trout,
you ask? Smoke it! I smoke five at a time, then pull itapart, going through to remove the bones. This leaves
you with a pile of flakey, boneless, smoked trout goodness. Smoked trout on crackers with cream cheese, alittle smoked trout to jazz up that salad, anywhere you
use smoked salmon you can use smoked trout.
There’s something about $30,000 bass boats flying by
rocking you with their wake. Nice to have all the gear andoptions, if you can afford it. But it is also nice to be outfishing them a mile from the ramp in a $1000 kayak – thatnever gets old. v
Jeff Baker is a Kayak Fishing guide for Headwaters Adventure
Company in Redding, CA and paddles with the Hobie FishingTeam.

(925) 447-8330
sunrisemountainsports.com
24

www.calkayakermag.com

Photos by Jeff Baker and Stacy Baker.

Spring 2013

Places

Close Encounters in Northeast California
by Meade Fischer

Near the launch at Ahjumawi, with Mt.
Shasta in the clouds in the backgroundW

hile a kayak trip or any travel adventure
should have more than one destination,
there is usually a primary goal that atleast sets the direction of travel. My goalon this trip was Goose Lake in Modoc County, thefar northeast corner of the state.

It was to be primarily a kayak trip, with some camping
and hiking thrown in, so with our two kayaks securely
strapped to the racks, we left Santa Cruz County. Opting
for an alternative to I-5, we took I-80 to Reno and northon 395, an area still chilly in early June.
We discovered something interesting about that cornerof the state. I had pictured it as very dry, when in fact it ismostly a vast wetland, with the huge Pit River watershedthat supplies 2/3 of the water for Lake Shasta. Lakes andrivers abound. I also thought that Goose Lake would be agreat kayak destination. It turned out to be a shallow lakewith low water and mud flats, with no really good place to
put in and explore. While it wasn’t the scenic birding area
I’d hoped for, we soon were led to places that satisfied
our urge to paddle beautiful water with lots of wildlife.
Perhaps had we come earlier or even explored the westside of the lake, we might have found a suitable kayaking
place, but we had other, far better stops ahead.
The folks at the natural history museum in Alturas suggested a trip 30 miles south to Blue Lake. It turned out tobe a lovely, although small, lake – surrounded by steep,
wooded hills, a stop for the night, rather than a destination. In the hour or so we paddled around the lake,

we saw flocks of Canada geese, two beaver lodges,
some great blue herons, and a bald eagle. An excellent
campground sits on the end of the lake, so we paddled,
pitched camp, and spent the night.
Our next kayak destination, and the absolute highlight of
the trip, was Ahjumawi State Park, off 299 at Fall River
Mills. This is a state park with no auto access. There is
only a boat-in campground, a 20-minute paddle from thelaunch area. But, since they were almost on the way,
we had to stop at Lava Beds National Monument andTule Lake Sump, a wonderful, bird filled wetland, where
I saw my first white face Ibis, actually several of them in
the reeds. However, we saw no kayaks or actual places
to launch to access the Sump, so it would have beenadventure kayaking, which can often be exciting.
Fall River Mills, a few miles east of the junction with 89, isonly a few blocks long. We turned north on Main Street,in the middle of town, and after two blocks the street
ended in a dirt road. Driving out that road, we wondered
if we were in the right place, but after about two miles wefound the parking area, with a restroom and launch area
(GPS Coordinates are 41.10000° N 121.41220° W). The
lot was filled with motor boaters and kayakers. When we
got there in the afternoon, the wind was howling, andboats were coming in. We later learned, much to ourregret, that a storm was coming through.
However, by morning the storm had passed, leaving puffy
white clouds, unlimited visibility and a flawless, calm day
for paddling. A clue to the richness of the day was the full
California Kayaker Magazine

25

Ahjumawi’s Horr Pond,
looking south to Mt. Lassenname of the park, Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park.
This entire part of the state is made up of extensive lava
beds, porous rock riddled with springs. They provide
the water for nearby McArthur Burney Falls and also for
Ahjumawi.
The launch area, called Rat Farm, is a finger that extends
from the main waterway. Once out of that finger, we could
go right into wide, shallow Big Lake or explore the inlets,coves along Horr Pond to the left. We opted for a bit ofboth. The big lake to the right can be thoroughly exploredin about three hours, the rest, much longer.
Directly across from the launching channel is the statepark, and paddling up close, we could see the tables
and camp area. There isn’t an obvious place to land, so
it’s best to look for the most accessible patch of mud. It
would be easy to transport, in hatches, the necessities fora night or two.
Along the north, state park bank, there are a number ofmarshy side channels, and there are low islands in the
middle. I came upon a mud bank full of turtles, a cinnamon teal in a side channel, flocks of white pelicans,geese, eagles and a four to five foot gopher snake thatwas determined to climb into our kayaks. I was trying to
get a picture of it as it swam by, but once we were close,
it made straight for us, first climbing on my friend’s boat
and then several times on mine. I kept pushing it off,
but it came on again with a grim determination. It took
several minutes to get away from the snake, which had
made at least five unwelcome visits to my kayak. In my
experience, snakes usually want to avoid humans, notinflict themselves, like door-to-door salesmen, on them.
This lake is spring fed, and exploring far enough up the“river” will take you to one of the clear springs bubbling

Turtles on mud island in Ahjumawi s
Horr Pond, near the park campground26

www.calkayakermag.com

Spring 2013

up. There are also fish traps built by the early Native
Americans, places where rock rings were built to capture fish.
What had my attention on that absolutely clear day was
the visibility. We were able to see both Mount Lassen andShasta, snow-covered and stark against the sky, at thesame time, the two mountains being almost 100 miles
apart. In fact, my lasting memories of Ahjumawi will be
the sense of intimacy, the feeling that the snakes, birds,
mountains and even the clouds were seemingly closeenough to touch.

On Lake Siskiyou, west side of I-5, near Shasta

While we had only recently heard of Ahjumawi, the place
was popular enough. We launched with a couple that hadcome up from San Diego just to paddle this area for a
few days.
After stopping for a hike on snow-covered Mount Shasta,
we considered our route home in terms of paddling opportunities.

Our final stop, almost an afterthought, was Whiskytown
Lake, off 299, a few minutes west of Redding. It’s a popular national recreation area, filled with summer people
and water skiers, so I didn’t expect much beyond a place
to camp and a morning paddle. As usual, I underestimated the place.
After the only warm night on the entire trip, we awoke toa sunny day. We decided on an early paddle and swim
before heading home. I’d paddled the lake before anddidn’t remember anything worth taking my camera. I was,unfortunately, wrong.
Launching before the powerboats arrived, we enjoyed
two tranquil hours on the lake. In that time, I discovereda stream feeding the lake, where I paddled right up to thecreek, cascading over rocks into the lake. Another cove
was filled with bright blue dragonflies, one that perchedon my paddle for over a minute, expecting me to take aphoto with the camera I’d left behind.
Then we paddled up to a tree with an osprey nest, thechick looking down at us and chirping, while the mothersat nearby on a limb. We then explored some islands,
one with signs of a recent camp, before heading to theswimming beach.
To say we only breezed through a vast area with unlimited paddling opportunities, touching down at a few

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Our map showed, just west of Shasta City, over theinterstate, Lake Siskiyou, so we drove the few miles tothe north shore launch point. At first I wasn’t impressedwith the lake, a round mountain reservoir. It was pretty
enough, with the snow-capped Trinities rising to thenorth, above the thick forested hills. However, when
I started up the channel that gradually narrows to thecreek that feeds the lake, I saw a scene that made theside trip totally worthwhile. Rounding a bend and looking
up the channel, trees lining both sides, directly ahead,
cloudless and brilliantly white against a cobalt blue sky
Mount Shasta rose up before me.

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California Kayaker Magazine

27

White Pelican at Ahjumawi’s Big Lake

Another group of paddlers passing us while wewere stopped at the Ahjumawi boat-in campground, with Mt. Lassen visible in the backgroundmemorable spots, would be a grossunderstatement. We were out aweek. To do justice to the area, wewould have needed two or threemonths. The trick, we discovered, isto be open to the patches of blue on
the map and to expect the unexpected. v
Meade Fischer is a freelance writer,radio commentator, part-time educator,
artist and environmental activist.
Photos by Meade Fischer.

28

www.calkayakermag.com

Spring 2013

Book Review

Sportsman’s Best: Kayak FishingT

he merging of fishingand kayaking has beenaround for a very longtime. Kayaks were originally developed by Greenlanders and Aleuts to catch food andtravel from village to village.
More recently, kayak fishing has
been a popular recreational activity.
It has grown to be a large enoughmarket that there are companies that
focus on kayak fishing products. And
with the rise of gas prices, the powerboat crowd is starting to convert topaddle power.

your boat, comparing paddle-style
to pedal-style kayaks and a brief bitof paddling technique. Most of thepages focus on fishing and the great
locations around the country to fish.
The areas that are discussed in thebook are mostly on the east coast,
especially Florida, but he does havesections about the Gulf ofMexico,Southern and Central California andone chapter on Seattle. For California, he provides some specific suggestions on targeting halibut, yellowtail, calico bass, and thresher sharks.
Jeff covers many of the basics andeven has a chapter on repairs andinstallation of gear. But in the 16
chapters of the book, only four reallyfocus on skills and techniques of
kayaking. The author does reference

So where do you start if you were afisherman but wanted to start fishingfrom your kayak? You could pick up
the tenth book from the “Sportman’s
Best Fishing Series” titled “Kayak
Fishing, Rigging and Fishing fromYour Kayak”. The writer, Jeff Weakley, is Executive Editor of “Florida
Sportman’s Magazine” and an avid
kayak fisherman.
The book does a good job of getting the message across with shortfishing stories, gear tips, and guideadvice from coastal areas around thecountry. Jeff puts together the nuts
and bolts of kayaking from what is akayak to safety gear, how to transport
The Good• Awesome photos• Provides info on pedal-drive kayaks, as well as fishing from SUPs
• Comes with a DVD• Shows several different types offishing from around the country• Provides a good basic overview of
kayaking
The Not So Good
• Focuses on the east coast, mostly
Florida. Hey, we fish out here on
the left coast also...
• Misses some important content on
paddling technique• DVD could have shown more application of kayaking and fishingtechniqueCalifornia Kayaker Magazine

29

back to those kayaking skills often
in other chapters where the skills
can be applied. The book does
mention safety a number of times.

kayaks. But these readers may also
benefit from a book, video, or takelessons on kayaking technique andsafety.

It has high quality photographs,
with plenty of pictures per page,that really show off what kayak
fishing can be about. Even if you
don’t spend much time reading thebook, a picture is worth a thousandwords.

We found this book was not asstrong a guide for those who havebeen kayaking and now wanted totry fishing from a kayak. This bookseems to assume that the reader
had some knowledge of fishingalready.

The book also comes with a 45
minute DVD that highlights parts ofthe book and fills in some of the action that cannot be captured in writing. The DVD is a decent addition
to the book. There are some good
outfitting tips, but we felt it could
have gone further with more actual
fishing and as a way to demonstrate different paddling techniquesthat could benefit a kayak fisherman (surf entry and exit, paddle
stroke techniques, etc).

Sportsman’s Best: Kayak Fishing
can be purchased at most fishingretailers. $19.95, 232 pages plus 1
DVD. vWe recommend this book to folks
who have some familiarity with fishing, and want to start doing it from30

www.calkayakermag.com

Full disclosure – Tom Reilly, a kayak
instructor and fishing guide fromCentral California, assisted in this bookreview. He also had minor, unpaid
input to two sections of the book. His
review comments matched those of
the other reviewer who does not haveany connection to the book, which wasa sign that he was able to maintain his
objectivity.

Advertisers Index
Advanced Elements ....................9
Advertise with CKM......................8
Aquan Sports.............................31
CKM on Facebook.....................15
Clavey River Equipment............15
Delta Kayak Adventures.............28
Delta Kayaks................................2
Epic Kayaks.................................2
Eppies Great Race.....................32
Eskape Sea Kayaking .................4
Kayak Zak..................................13
Liquid Fusion Kayaking..............19
Outback Adventures...................27
SEA-LECT Designs...................23
WaterTreks EcoTours...................7
Wheeleez ..................................21
Spring 2013

California Kayaker Magazine

31

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