Kayser

Test run #1- Got a late start (head cold, didn't want to wake up), so I missed getting the spot I wanted. Saw 35 land in the spot I wanted as I was paddling to where I could set up back in a cove. Not LST yet, so I had some time. Mojo dove pole was a bit short, so I had it tight against the smartweed in the shallowest open area I could find and 4 mallard hen decoys behind it. Shore brush was too thick to sit on the bank, so I got in some smartweed and just sat in the yak in a f, facing the kill hole with the wind coming from my left and leaning forward. I wore a facemask to keep the sun off my face (facing east). After shooting time came, three nice flocks ignored me, but then about 20 birds went over, circled once, and lit on the far side of the decoys. I guess I was excited that my idea actually worked, because my shooting was pathetic. Three shots, only one bird down, but I was still upright and dry, which was the main thing I wanted to test this trip. I thought I could chase the bird down in open water, but I was wrong- bird got in some thick stuff that I couldn't move in, and I had to give up after 20 minutes of looking... Looking forward- paddle keeper and an extra leash are a must, and I have both in the shed right now. I couldn't shoot the cripple when I got in range because it was too much to stow the paddle, bring out the gun, load, and then fire. I'm considering painting the paddle in camo so I can strap it to the outside for easy access, but I like having the red ends to signal if I get in trouble. An anchor pole and a gun holder are next in priority, and brushing is last on the list right now. I'm also looking for some low-profile tupperware to store shells in right now- pockets aren't very accessible under the PFD, and cardboard doesn't fare well in the kayak. Thanks to everyone for the advice, I'll keep posting updates as I get more done.

Did I just see a triple?

Got it sanded and painted today, spotty khaki base over the green hull, used a handfull of grass to reverse-stencil with black paint. Lids are just khaki/black, reattached already (not pictured). I hope this holds up to traveling on the roof, but I think I'm going to find some pool noodles to pad the cross bars on my jeep and baby it a little. Brush, anchor pole, and paddle leashes are next. I might hunt it locally Saturday and park in the mud for stability, if this head cold leaves by then. Let's see if there's any teal around Rolla.

Don't doubt that they're getting comparable in price, but I already have the kayak and since I'm college again, buying more stuff is on hold for a bit. Rent, groceries, etc take precedence over a shiny new (or used) layout. My field blind is currently a ground mat, a ghillie blanket, and a shovel, and that's not changing any time soon either. I appreciate the suggestion, but it's not in the cards right now.

Illinois opened last weekend, and it was bad... The males left on the front last week, and a hole with 4500 had 100 birds left, with a few more scattered in flooded grain fields. Some people scratched birds, but no limits, and they have exclusive permission for a lot of land. I hope this front brings in more birds, preferably dumb juveniles. Not sure if I'll hunt local or make the 2-hour drive to Illinois, but I will be hunting Saturday.

When the money starts flowing in, I would like a layout boat. Until then, I'm going to use what I've got to do what I can. Probably another year and change until that happens, though, and I don't know exactly where this degree will take me after Rolla. But I hope it has ducks.

Change of clothes in a dry bag and fire starting kit? I think that's a darn good idea for anything under 40-45. Might even throw a little pack towel in to get dry before changing. Room is tight in the kayak with a 12 decoy minimum in some spots, but I'll find a way to make it happen. Thanks for the tip, Dave.

Trophy 126 is a 10'6" yak, so not quite 12ft. Some of the spots I would like to hunt are in buck brush, and the bank is too far back to set up in the mud without blocking the shot. With the soft muck in Illinois, this means staying in the yak to hunt and beefing up the roll resistance (if only to put my mind at ease). I'm not thinking of sticking a pole in the mud and tying off to it, but rather have a bracket to fix the pole to the yak. The bracket I'm thinking of would slide into the rod holder, and consist of a piece of 1.5" pvc with a 45 degree bend, and a T-connection on the end to slide the pole through, then pin the pole in the bracket. Right handed shot swings furthest left, so I'm planning on keeping the pole in the right to resist going over backwards on shots to the left side.

I do have a few spots in mind that are close to ramps and either too shallow to run a large boat in or too open to hide it. JD- squirrely shooting from a pamlico? It's bigger and looks more stable than my kayak, so that doesn't inspire much confidence. That's why I wanted to put the anchor poles in, so that it would be more stable in the water and stay put when I was hunting (or pulling a jerk string, maybe). This is more than likely a late-season venture, so safety is my main concern. I did find some bungee cargo-nets for the trunk of a car, so those should form a base really, really well to either tie on brush or just weave it in. The plan seems to be coming together, however slow it may be. Thanks for the advice, it's much appreciated.

My current plan is to paddle, park, and hide. I have three paddle leashes available (gun, paddle, etc), and will be ordering parts for a bungee paddle-keeper to hold things on the side. The cased gun travels between my legs just fine. I do need suggestions on what gun mount to use/where to mount it, though. Hiding- either black bungee nets or plastic hardware cloth/poultry netting with synthetic raffia clipped/tied on. Sand and paint the top first to reduce the amount of grass needed. Seat- a camo seat cushion makes a great back rest, I've traveled like that for 6+hours. Life jacket (always wear it) helps, too. Hunting- either pack a chair and hide close by (use kayak as a bench?) , or use as a layout. For the layout, I was thinking 1.5" pvc (1.90" OD) in the 2" rod holders, rigged to have an anchor pole (bamboo or fiberglass) driven into the mud on each side. Anchor poles would ride in the paddle keeper. This would keep the kayak from rocking as I hunt or tipping as I shoot. Do you guys see any glaring problems with this idea? I'm trying to keep it mobile as a 1-man rig, but still not kill myself.

I plan on rigging my kayak to be able to duck hunt from it this fall, whether it's as a layout fixed with spud poles or just transport to somewhere I can hide on the bank. Here is the kayak in question- future beach trophy 126, fishing kayak. Does anyone have experience waterfowling from a kayak, specifically a sit-in? I've asked about hunting from this kayak in particular on other forums, but the community doesn't seem to want to be helpful in this regard.

Met my dad on Saturday and went fishing on a stretch of river close enough to Rolla, taking out the kayaks. I caught some largemouth, goggle eye, and lots of green sunnies and smallmouth. My dad was playing around with crappie in the brush, and hooked into something BIG on his ultralight. It jumped, big head shakes, and was brown- my best guess was 5lbs or so. After about 5 minutes, it wrapped him around a limb underwater and snapped the 6lb test. I couldn't believe he was able to keep it on for as long as he did, but was almost sick when he lost it. Later, I was throwing a beetle spin in a chunk-rock area with some current and got slammed by a fat and healthy smallmouth, probably 16" and 2.5-3lbs, Took about a minute to get in on the 6lb test, and it was definitely my best smallmouth this year and probable my second-best ever, but it was a runt compared to the fish that my dad lost- his would have been a wallhanger (fiberglass, folks) I was very happy to see the quality and number of fish in this stretch- definitely improved from previous years. Whether it's the trees blocking the river, or muddy water during gigging season, or us just getting better at river fishing- who knows? All I know, is I need to chase more smallmouth- starting to find bigger fish is putting trout on the back burner for the warmer months.

Walked in, wade/swim fishing above the Highway 8 bridge. Hard to find the right trail to the river, but eventually made it. Caught 25-30 smallmouth in the 9-11" range, and a few up to 15". One crappie, 3 largemouth, 1 short goggle eye. A fun day on the water, might repeat tomorrow. Tubes, grubs, jerk baits and bucktails got the most love, nothing on topwater.

I'm not drinking in the boat- DD in the boat, because I'm not dealing with the water patrol or accidents. Safety first, fishing second, beer whenever.

Friends scheduled a bachelor party for this weekend, staying on Indian point- Cottage Inn or something like that. I didn't think about fishing, but they rented a bass boat for a while on Saturday, and I can't resist trying new water. I don't have a way to fry, grill, or even clean fish, or transport them home, so this is a strict C&R venture. Making bass a decent option. I was thinking about early morning, throwing 10" red culprit worms at bluff ends and dragging 15-30 fow with them (my LOZ go-to). If I'd be better with a dark jig/craw, or deep cranks, or spoons, or just finding crappie, catfish or carp instead, I'd love to hear about it. Not looking for a public post or your honey hole, pm is fine, or some vague idea of what to do. And I'd be more than happy to reciprocate with knowledge about the Rolla area. I'd just like to catch something after a long summer of nothing in Chicago. This weekend has been a long time coming. Thanks, Rob

No, definitely not after trout. Goggle eye, hopefully.

Amber. Fantastic contrast in low light, but dark enough to kill afternoon glare and save your eyes. I'm wearing some Maxx Cobra HD I picked up for $20 at the friendly local fly shop in STL. Took them to Florida, worked great for snook/redfish/tarpon. Used them in MO, work great for trout, smallmouth, panfish. Lost the first pair, on pair #2 now. Will definitely buy again.

Bushwhack at the most upstream portion of Woods CA--1.75 river miles to the hway 8 parking lot. 1.1 road miles back up. Security at the landing will be handled like a bike on a college campus. Short float, leaves time for bbq and fish fry in the evening.

I'm 2-3 weeks from being in Rolla and being able to look at it in person. I don't mind dragging- I normally either beach it to fish riffles, or put it on a leash if I'm fishing a big pool and kind of "walk it down" as I fish. My normal river is the Bourbeuse around Mill Rock, so low water and dragging through every riffle is how I learned to float. That river is just a bit too much to effectively wade-fish, or even swim the holes to where you can wade. Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. Now I just have to make it back.

Going to try fishing above Highway 8 in late August- should I take my kayak, or can I get by on foot? I just don't want to get halfway, then have to crawl through a poison ivy thicket on the bank to keep moving. I'm OK to walk/wade a couple miles, though, if the water doesn't get too deep on both banks.

CNR- That's the San Diego Jam, for sure, but I can see how you confused it. The Pitzen knot is very similar- same method, but don't go through the loop near the hook eye.Quicker than the SDJ because you only go through one loop, but I don't think it would have the same strength for saltwater big game. It's more of a noose than anything, but it's quick, easy, and close to 100% strength. I'll use it for bass, catfish, or streamers while fly fishing. I'll still use a standard clinch for crappie and panfish, though.

Is that top fish a spot?

From what I know, the river suffered from a large fish kill in the 90's when a chicken farm waste-collection pond had a levee breach and washed into the river. The high oxygen demand killed almost everything, from crayfish and mussels to bass, catfish, and suckers. Populations were severely reduced from that incident, and the river hasn't fully recovered since (local sources that fished pre- and post-kill). Smallmouth populations, with their slow growth rates, kinda suffered from that. In previous years, about 1/5 of the bass over 10" seem to have gig marks in them from the stretch I fish. Spotted bass are the species to key in on if you want dinner- no size limit, and can keep 6 additional ones over the first 6 black bass on the stringer (for a nice total of 12!). Their growth rate is about double to triple the smallmouth, and they are delicious grilled, fried, or just about anything. A 10" fish gives a really nice fillet, and an 8" is fantastic whole, too.

If you're in Kirkwood/Valley Park, there is also an unmanned 40-50yd range in Valley park on Marshall Rd west of Simpson Park. Not much, but a good place to get practice in if you live close.

Thanks for the advice. The east is the back yard, shaded, the house to the south is pretty close, and front yard is west with a big maple in it, but otherwise open. I'm thinking about a small raised bed, right against the house- west wall, South corner. Would that lead to a problem with ants at all, or should I be OK? And are there any small potatoes I could plant that would yield something by then? Thanks again, appreciate the advice.