GloryDaze

That's impressive, makes me realize how much more I could add in weight if needed- I have to ask, how long of a trip were you on there- please tell me more than a night or two??

I'm not sure how long you have owned yours, but I've paddled mine for a year now. You are right about it feeling tippy at first- once I lowered my seat it made a slight difference, but the biggest difference is when I have more weight in her spread evenly. I've gotten so comfortable in mine that I can now stand up and fish in it. If you haven't paddled it alot, you will find it handles much bettter in moving water.... my two best trips in it were down the Indian Creek and Upper Jacks Fork and I can't wait to try it on the Mulberry this spring! The rocker is not too bad on it, but I've noticed on a windy day the thing is a constant battle to paddle. I end up spending more time making corrective strokes than going forward. Like you, the only time I paddle it tandem is when my wife goes with me (once a year). I couldn't lower the seat too much since I'm tall and my feet hardly fit under it. I'm 6'4 and weigh 220lbs- so with gear and a cooler I bet I'm putting somewhere between 280- 325lbs in it. I don't think you will develop cracks in the royalex as I've seen many people drill those holes and add the lacing. But I also wouldn't pull your straps extra tight. I would think if you did and had some impact on the side it may crack?? Here's a couple pics of my simple set up:This is a view from my seat- - I drilled a few holes at different lengths on the thwart to be able to have quick access to the things I use most often: from eft to right in the pic: rod, gerber, camera, tackle box, seeds, sun block, hemostats, rod. I also varied the tension on the bungies so they could be used for several different items I may need to hold on to. As for holding items in the bow and stern- I simply run 2 bugies from the carrying handle to the back of the seat to keep things in the boat should I tip (I don't have a pic of this set up)

You know, after looking at the lacing again its not as low as I originally thought. The boat looks great though!!

Nice- I have the 15 MR Legend as well and find it to be perfect for the ozark streams. I kept the thwart, but drilled a few holes and added some bungies to hold my stuff pliers, tackle box, camera and rod holder. I also paddle from the bow seat when soloing and lowered mine about 1 3/4". How's your freeboard with the weight you have in the boat. I tend to float heavier since I like to pack plenty of ice a brewskies. I'm not sure if I could have drilled the holes for the laces that low, would be afraid with two guys my freeboard wouldn't be enough. Anything else you are thinking of customizing?? I'll try to add a pic later of my set up as it is now.

Your options are only limited by your creativity with your set up. I mean, if you asked 50 people what their set up was I'd be willing to bet you would get 50 different answers. What I have found most useful is good old fashioned trial and error. Try this- the first time you go out, take what you "think" you need and go where you want to go and fish for what you want to fish. Spend a little bit of time paying attention to your tendancies: Where you put your rod(s) when paddling, where you put your paddle when fishing, where you keep your scissors, pliers, tackle box, etc.... As you start to experience different situations: Whether you catch a fish and you realize your padddle is laying on your deck and ends up in the water, the winds blowing and you are going in circles, or you want a drink but realize there is nowhere to keep it without it being filled with the drips of water from your paddle, etc... you will start to realize where and how you want things to be organized. I have two boats, a canoe and kayak and waited an entire year to customize them. This enabled me to experience enough different situations to make a good judgement on what I wanted to customize. Sorry I didn't recommend anything specifically, but I think with this effort in time, you will realize what you need and what you don't.

Thanks for all the input fellas. Ended up going with the Gerber Suspension, had all the tools I was looking for: 2 knives, scissors, locking feature and it's size and price were both appealing. Won't really have a chance to put it to good use until I float here in a few weeks.

I'm in the market for a new multi tool and realized there are about 100 different options out there. I'd be curious to hear which brand and model you have found to be most useful- particularly when the majority of the time it will be used on: Outdoor activities: Overnight float trips Fishing Camping Hiking Biking

Another vote for the 11pt- Start at Cane Bluff and head on down. However, it is pretty narrow on that section until you pass Greer Spring.

In order if I have a choice- 1) Cardinals baseball game 2) Tool 3) Sports radio

So me and some buddies are looking to brave the low water here in 10 days and attempt to float from Buck Hollow down to to Bay Creek- I've floated this section at least 5 times, but the gauge has always been at 1.9 or higher- if we were to do a 2 night and three day fishing trip in canoes and kayaks what do you think it may be like if the gauge is around 1.3-1.5? Are we talking about walking every shoal, or wil we be be able to still navigate the shoals if we pick the right lines? None of us mind walking through shoals- I'd just prefer that we don't have to do it around every corner........ anyone have any thoughts or experience at these lower levels??

KC- I just met up with Wacky and fished last weekend. We put in at Hog Heaven and floated down to Mt. Shira. Now I'm not as experienced as Wacky with that river, but I have to tell you the water was pretty low and clear. There were quite a few fish caught, but mostly dinks. I actually didn't catch one darn fish- but after pondering it, I think I know why.................... I think I spent too much time dipping my hand in the cooler and not enough time dipping my line in the water:)

I've had my best luck on the Big Piney fishing the shoal that's right there where Paddy Creek runs into the river. I love that section! Spent many nights camped on the river right at that location- give it a whirl

That is true Ollie- I remember one night after my wife just bought me this real nice North Face fleece to wear (she asked me not to wear it camping........... "sure honey, I won't wear it camping," I said). Well, I was sitting by the fire and I'll be darn, looked down and there must have been 20 pieces or rock melted into the fleece. needless to say, the wife was none to happy with me. On the othere hand, I have a new fleece to wear camping all the time- and that fleece now has half the right arm burned off from an unfortunate incident involving too much alcohol and campfire stories. I see some valid reasons for building a ring now that I never thought of before- but, I'm still hung up on the inability to at least tear it down the next morning. I'm not saying carry the ashes out in a bag and stuff like that, but more of what Eric was talkinmg about. At least make an attempt to leave the area looking somewhat natural.

River Man- I'm not sure having a fire ring in an organized campground, or when you are in the woods is a terrible thing. Those seem to serve more of a purpose than building an unnatural looking fire ring from boulders in a location that's already rocks? I guess if someone has the energy to build one on a gravel bar (for whatever reason) I just wished they would have the energy to tear it down and try and make it look as natural as it was when they got there before they leave. I'm sure most just assume the next flood will wash it away, but sometimes that can take months. It almost bothers me as much as people who build rock dams where the tiny spring branches enter the river....

So on my most recent trip to the Current River, we floated 2 days from, Akers down to Round Spring. This section of river, in my opinion is just beautiful- I was fortunate enough to see a Buck swimming down the river, an Osprey hanging out in a tree, several Bald Eagles and a Bobcat lurking the shoreline. I could tell this section of river is floated often by many folks doing overnighters. However, that scenery and serenity quickly comes to an end when I look on EVERY available gravel bar and see the god-awful sight of 1,2, or even 5 fire rings. Now I know this may sound silly, but I have to ask- when burning a fire on a gravel bar, what sense does it make to gather 20 big boulders to make a fire ring? I mean you are already on gravel so what benefit does this offer you? On top of that, when pepole leave the site, not only do they leave that stupid looking boulder fire ring, but leave all the black, burnt wood along with it. Talk about one darn eyesore after another! What a way to ruin such a beautiful natural resource for us to enjoy- Am I being too critical here, or is this behavior considered to be accepatable and I just don't agree or completely understand the "leave no trace" efforts?? I try and do my part when staying on a gravel bar to have it look better than when I arrived but it seems so many othere just don't mind.

So my wife and I are planning on making the trip down next Saturday-Monday and I had a few questions: 1) If you guys get no rain, are we looking at putting in at Tyler Bend or lower? 2) If we put in there, is there a campground in the area similar to Kyles Landing, I'm just not familiar with anything below Kyle's- where they have bathrooms and running water (sorry, I am bringing the wife and those 2 are a must) 3) I am looking at a 1 day float on Sunday, maybe 6-8 miles. I will have my own canoe, but will need someone to shuttle my car either up stream or down depending on the float (any suggestions) Thanks for the help!

Alright guys- looks like the rain this week has brought the waters up and made it a little stained. So, I'm not going to be making the trip down for Sunday. Maybe we can try again when things dry back out.

So my wife and I headed out to Denver over Labor Day weekend. I visited there when I was a child but didn't remember too much about the area. We had one mission- Summit Pike's Peak! Here is the link to some of the pics if you` are interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/glorydaze/sets/72157624901620798/ I know, I know- with all the fishing out there why in the hell would I want to try anything like this? Honestly, I'm really not sure but something was pulling me to hike this mountain. We decided to hike the Barr Trail- the trailhead is right next to the Cog railroad at approximately 6,800 ft of elevation. The summit is a mere 13 miles away at over 14,100 ft of elevation. Keep in mind, the longest hike or walk for that matter I have ever accomplished was to Hawksbill Crag by the Buffalo (3 miles round trip). Also, adding to the "oh dung" factor- my wife has ran 6 marathons! We began our hike at 4:30 am in the pitch black. There is something very exciting about hiking in the Rocky Mountains with nobody around but your wife and a headlamp for light. It was extremely quiet for the first 2 hours in the dark. I found myself wondering if a mountain lion happened to watch us go by. By 8am, we were almost half way up the mountain so we stopped at Barr camp, had some coffee filtered some water out of the stream and headed for the next 7 miles of which 4 were above the tree line- Once we left the Aspens behind us the air started to thin and the wind and cold got worse. However, at this point the scenery was absolutely amazing! I could see to crystal clear blue mountain lakes as I trekked up the hill. As I approached 12,000 ft I could hardly take more than 20 steps without stopping to catch my breath- this is about the time I began asking myself, why hike Pikes Peak when I could be floating down an Ozark Stream?? The problem with this hike is, once you committ to the summit, it's either make it or hike back down 13 miles to the car. There is no road or escape route if you get sick, injured or just flat out run out of gas. Anyway, I finally made it to less than a mile to go and just swore I was going to die before the top. I was dizzy, nauseus and exhausted but finally made the summit! I never understood the joy a marathon runner gets when they cross the finish line until now- what an unbelievable feeling to know you hiked a freaking mountain!! So the entire hike took me 9 hours- 3.5 to the halfway spot and 5.5 hrs to bring it on home (man it's hard to breathe up there.

This just goes back to the Asian Carp discussion, but found it interesting- For those of you who have heard of the Missouri 340 race from KC to St. Louis, you might find this interesting. This is why I don't race, well that and because I'm too lazy, like to drink beer, like to fish, take my time and enjoy the scenery: http://www.news-leader.com/article/20100826/NEWS01/8260347/Asian-carp-ruins-race-for-Texas-kayaker

Go for it!! Man, you just can't beat a solo trip down any river. Last one I took was 3 nights/4days down the Buff- what a great trip. I think half of te adrenaline rush is the fear of the unknown "what if I..............." fill in the blank. Of course I bring some items, firs aid kit, whistle, and leave a float plan with my wife and the rangers. It's absolutely amazing sitting around on a gravel bar, at night, by yourself talking to the fire and listening to the sounds of nature. Have a great trip!!

Great- The 12th it is then.... we can figure out all the details a little later. Look forward to meeting you guys and your kids and doing some fishing! Of course the more the merrier, I may invite my floating and fishing buddy from KC to make the trip down with me and my wife as well.

I'm good with a few dates in September, but just so I can get in on my calendar I thought I would throw out a date and see if it sticks- What about September 12th?? I've already checked with the weather man and he said 81 degrees and partly cloudy that day- he assured me it would be great for fishing

Well, this time of the year I begin working 6 days a week until the end of September. However, that leaves the 7th day to fish, which is normally on a Sunday. As long as I had 2-3 days notice I could make it work most of the time. It's an easier sell since I can keep the wife happy spending all day with mom.

Chief- if you ever hit that stretch on a weekend, let me know I would love to join you. My mother in law lives right there in Purcell. That would be perfect, drop the wife off to spend the day with her mom and I would get to fish-

Me and some buddies are planning of floating from Slabtown to Ross this wekend. We are wanting to camp Friday night at Slabtown sice we won't be arriving until after 10pm. Can somoe help me out here on if we will have any problems findind a spot to camp there?