Potomac Family Outing - 7/31/11

[DanMarino]

I got the whole family, dog included, out on the Potomac yesterday afternoon for some fun. We strapped the kayaks to our 16 ft. jon boat and headed out to our normal launch. Water levels were very low. Water temperatures felt extremely warm and there was a huge algae bloom going on in the river. No observed aquatic vegetation, something seems off compared to my knowledge of the river the last couple of years. We headed up river towing the kids in the kayaks. Boy do I need a bigger engine. My 20hp jet wasn't cutting it and my wife agreed that a bigger engine/boat and an additional kayak would be nice. Found some willing fish and we weren't even in a prime area to do so. Documented my daughter's first two kayak smallies. Daughter Marino caught 2 smallies that were around 9 inches. Son Marino caught 3 smallies with the largest being 13 inches. We only fished for about 40 minutes so we did fine considering the high water temps and that we were in a slow pool area with little water flow. No good pictures of Son Marino's fish because he decided to go Drew Gregory and paddle off and stand up and fish in the Manta Ray. He was too far away to get any good pics using my camera.


Had a nice trip and I think the dog had the best time.

Towing the Kids Up River


Son Marino in the Manta Ray


Dog Marino Having Fun


Dog Overboard!


Daughter Marino's first kayak smallie.


Daughter Marino's 2nd kayak smallie.

[MetroMan]

Looks like a great time!!

[jet]

good times. last year, the upper potomac was covered in hydrilla, couldnt even take out a jet ski without the intake instantly getting clogged.

[DanMarino]

No Weeds?

Yup, no weeds yet that I observed. Seems strange to me. I was fishing below the Dickerson Power Plant, so the water temps were very high (felt like taking a warm bath). I guess the algae and water clarity are keeping the weeds from growing. Normally the weeds grow and they make the water crystal clear. All the vegetation artifically raises the water level and provides some great fish habitat. Hopefully things will return to normal in a few weeks.

[ictalurus]

Nice report. It looked like everyone had a lot of fun. How did the kayaks behave as they were being towed?

[DanMarino]

Tow

Daughter Marino flipped over the wake at one point when I made a sharp turn. The kayaks went along nice and straight when the rope was tied to or looped through the bow carry handle.

The sit in kayak did a nice job of getting on plane once we got up to speed. The sit on top had a bunch of water start coming up through the scupper holes. But I was able to find a speed where they both seemed to ride nicely. My little 20 HP jet, wasn't able to go fast at all with the drag of the two kayaks behind the jon boat. Would love to move up to a 60/40HP jet one day.