Planning a Spring Kayak Trip

[Poolz1]

Come on warm weather!!

I am currently planning a kayak trip from Paw Paw WV to Little Orleans MD on the Potomac river. Looks like a beautiful trek and fishing should be good as well. Does anyone have any recommendations for towing supplies for camping etc? I have limited room for additional supplies in my kayak and need to come up with a way of towing something behind me. I thought about some homemade ideas that included a tube but was curious if anyone out there has any experience in this. Thanks in advance for any advice/ideas.

Matt

[Shady]

not sure if want to spend this much, but my cousin pulls a decoy sled behind his canoe to hold extra stuff. Might be an option for you.
http://www.gandermountain.com/modper...-Sled&i=430513

[Poolz1]

Much appreciated Shady...certainly willing to spend a little for the right setup and this isn't a bad idea. I just need to tow it in a way that doesnt allow it to flow beside me when I slow down. I found this while searching but not willing to spend quite that much.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kayak-...30109920421115

[kayakjoe]

Idk if you have another yak? I've done that before and it isn't really that bad to pull drag wise if you use a bungee to connect the yaks it makes it easier to stop and start too, goodluck!

[chex]

Check out this guy: http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewt...p?f=11&t=40066

Of course, he's got a tandem yak which has more room, but if you could get your hands on one, it would provide additional storage space. Whatever you do, don't stack too high... You might make the yak unstable.

[kevinfry]

Come on warm weather!!

I am currently planning a kayak trip from Paw Paw WV to Little Orleans MD on the Potomac river. Looks like a beautiful trek and fishing should be good as well. Does anyone have any recommendations for towing supplies for camping etc? I have limited room for additional supplies in my kayak and need to come up with a way of towing something behind me. I thought about some homemade ideas that included a tube but was curious if anyone out there has any experience in this. Thanks in advance for any advice/ideas.

Matt

I wouldn't tow anything. Too many supplies, limits on maneuverability, excessive time spent stowing and unpacking can really ruin a trip. I took a trip in the fall for 2 days and nights. I had no hatches so I strapped everything on in dry bags. (you can see all my supplies strapped to deck of my mallibu2) This would have been even easier in a Yak with large hatches.
Buy supplies with size in mind. Like this little stove....stores about the size of 2 decks of cards , a backpacker tent...light and small, ...the hardest thing to pack light in cool times of year is a sleeping bag, mine was not rated for as cold as it got (30F). My buddies were loaded down in canoes and as a result it was more a camping trip than a fishing trip for them.
Most fishing kayaks could haul plenty of gear for a 2-3 night trip.

[kevinfry]

Oh and don't forget your safety gear...I left my whistle in the truck and got a $75 ticket...was checked on the water near Point of Rocks.

[Gillgetter]

Matt, I have been to Green Ridge State Forest many times over the last four years running the trails and even some canoeing and a little kayaking. You might want to check with Bill's Place at Little Orleans for fishing conditions and water levels. If you put in at Paw Paw, Bonds Landing is a little more then half way and has a ramp, camping and a brick sh!# house. Bill's offers transportation but watch the cost. Bill is getting old and won't mind taking more money from you then he should. Here is a map of GRSF for you. http://jd.offroadtb.com/maps/greenridge-ORV-map.jpg

[Poolz1]

Thanks for all the tips and ideas! I have started to rethink the way I pack my yak and what I pack. I made a retrofit "luggage " rack that I think will work (pic below). Not yet completed or tested yet. I just need to make sure I distribute weight and dont stack things too high.

Thanks for the map, Gill. Ive never been on that stretch of the Potomac but it looks like a nice flat float and pretty secluded. Nice to know about Bonds Landing...I never picked up on it while looking at google earth. Have you done any fishing through that area?

20130317_221123.jpg

[DaveFX35]

Poolz - when are you taking the trip? are you going to write up a post after? i'd love to know more about the route and do something like this in the near future.

[Gillgetter]

Poolz, Last summer I put my kayak in at Bonds Landing and went upstream a bit, caught a few smallies. The river is wide and shallow to 5-6 feet but the flow was more then you want to have to paddle back up if you go too far down. Three years ago we canoed from the end of Outdoor Club Road to Bonds, caught a couple there too. I hear that Paw Paw to Bills is fairly flat and a nice two day run. Try Googling other peoples fishing reports from that area. When the water is low and the temps high you will find locals sitting in the middle of the river on their lawn chairs.

[Poolz1]

ds - Not 100% sure on the date yet but we hope to go last week in april or early may. I will certainly post a report on the fishing and and how the camping went.

Gill - yeah, seems pretty much like the potomac around my area. Taylors Landing, just N of Sharpsburg MD, is about 10 minutes from my house and therefore the spot I fish the most. There are some deeper holes but on average it's in the 2-5' deep range.

Need this weather to warm up some. I took the kayak down to Taylors landing yesterday with the hopes of getting out on the water. No luck. Wind was whipping out of the NW and the water was too high and swift. I resorted to bank fishing and was able to manage one small mouth on a crawfish and one small carp on some chicken livers. Water was cold and no signs of life in the water except for what I reeled in. Im gettin the itch but the weather is not cooperating.

[DaveFX35]

ds - Not 100% sure on the date yet but we hope to go last week in april or early may. I will certainly post a report on the fishing and and how the camping went.

Thanks Poolz1. Looking forward to the write up, will use it for some ideas and probably even take the same route.