My in-laws or the bad people as I call them stole our 5-year-old last Saturday morning for a little summer visit. So he was in the land of “Rocky Top” for a couple of days. Besides being spoiled to the core which will take weeks to reprogram, his summer visit to Tennessee allowed us to do something we haven’t had a chance to do since moving to Paragould. Watch it people. This is a family newspaper.
We decided to go kayaking on the Spring River and check it out to see if it was a float he could do or not. I must say the drive to just north of Hardy was pleasant and the river and surrounding rolling hills were scenic and relaxing.
Our last kayaking trip was at the Big Piney north of Russellville last year, and I remember seeing a man kayaking and fishing and I thought,” Next time, I’m going to do that.”
Since then, we found ourselves in friendly Paragould and just haven’t made time to get to the Spring River for canoeing or kayaking yet.
So we headed that way at about 12:45 last Sunday for a four-hour float. The day before, I decided to buy a new 5-foot ultra-light pole to go with a ultra light reel I already had so I could fish and float. I was excited to angle for Rainbow trout and kayak at the same time. It would also give me something to do when we took a break for lunch and to swim.
The last time we took on some rapids at Big Piney, it turned into a humorous column about how “Crocs” are way too slippery for navigating river rocks. To make a long story short, I vowed to never wear Crocs while kayaking again and the reason was a severely sprained knee and several bone-deep bruises on the backside.
We decided to go kayaking on the Spring River and check it out to see if it was a float he could do or not. I must say the drive to just north of Hardy was pleasant and the river and surrounding rolling hills were scenic and relaxing.
Our last kayaking trip was at the Big Piney north of Russellville last year, and I remember seeing a man kayaking and fishing and I thought,” Next time, I’m going to do that.”
Since then, we found ourselves in friendly Paragould and just haven’t made time to get to the Spring River for canoeing or kayaking yet.
So we headed that way at about 12:45 last Sunday for a four-hour float. The day before, I decided to buy a new 5-foot ultra-light pole to go with a ultra light reel I already had so I could fish and float. I was excited to angle for Rainbow trout and kayak at the same time. It would also give me something to do when we took a break for lunch and to swim.
The last time we took on some rapids at Big Piney, it turned into a humorous column about how “Crocs” are way too slippery for navigating river rocks. To make a long story short, I vowed to never wear Crocs while kayaking again and the reason was a severely sprained knee and several bone-deep bruises on the backside.
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Well, I didn’t make the same mistake twice, but I did discover one to add to the list of what not to do when going to the river to kayak and fish.
Every thing was going according to plan. We found the camp with ease thanks to GPS technology and before you knew it, we were on the shuttle and on our way. Our driver had been in the Spring River all his life, and he was kind enough to answer my questions about where the best spots to fish were. My anticipation was growing. He explained the landscapes I would need to recognize so I could identify the locations he was trying to send me too.
The launch location was guarded by railroad tracks and an ancient tunnel that had plenty of character. Once through the tunnel, we were riverside and ready to launch.
As a spring fed river should be, it was cold but welcoming in mid-90 degree weather.
In the first 20 minutes, I caught two Rainbows in two different portions of the river. I was wading out and fishing the current when I landed the first one and the second was caught while floating in the kayak.
We decided to take a break and grab a sandwich and I took the opportunity to change to a silver and gold Rooster Tail. I then casted to a calm pool and the lure just kept flying into the wilderness.
“Did I not tie that right?” I thought. “Or am I out of .....”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said out loud.
The rod was brand new but the reel wasn’t. I didn’t check it thoroughly, and I was completely out of line only an hour into our trip. I was furious at myself. One of my dads favorite sayings then came rushing into my mind like the white water rushing in front of me, “Prior planning prevents poor performance.”
I packed light and didn’t include extra fishing line.
After a few mental-heath moments (really several moments), I sucked it up and just kept rowing down the stream. The trip wasn’t completely ruined though. We still had a good time together, however, I was reminded of my error at every bend when floating by other much smarter fisherman.
If you don’t want to float through life watching others catch all the fish then make sure you make a plan and work it. You might also want to make sure you have what you need to go where you want to go. Like enough fishing line to get through the day.
Publisher’s Trivia
Lance Ritter was the first to e-mail last week’s correct answer �” the three options for the highway bypass around Paragould. Thanks for reading Lance. Enjoy the show.
This week’s question: Who won the City Beautiful Commission’s Yard of the Month for June? First reader to e-mail the correct answer to sperkins@paragoulddailypress.com will go to the movies on us with four Cinema 8 movie passes.
Every thing was going according to plan. We found the camp with ease thanks to GPS technology and before you knew it, we were on the shuttle and on our way. Our driver had been in the Spring River all his life, and he was kind enough to answer my questions about where the best spots to fish were. My anticipation was growing. He explained the landscapes I would need to recognize so I could identify the locations he was trying to send me too.
The launch location was guarded by railroad tracks and an ancient tunnel that had plenty of character. Once through the tunnel, we were riverside and ready to launch.
As a spring fed river should be, it was cold but welcoming in mid-90 degree weather.
In the first 20 minutes, I caught two Rainbows in two different portions of the river. I was wading out and fishing the current when I landed the first one and the second was caught while floating in the kayak.
We decided to take a break and grab a sandwich and I took the opportunity to change to a silver and gold Rooster Tail. I then casted to a calm pool and the lure just kept flying into the wilderness.
“Did I not tie that right?” I thought. “Or am I out of .....”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said out loud.
The rod was brand new but the reel wasn’t. I didn’t check it thoroughly, and I was completely out of line only an hour into our trip. I was furious at myself. One of my dads favorite sayings then came rushing into my mind like the white water rushing in front of me, “Prior planning prevents poor performance.”
I packed light and didn’t include extra fishing line.
After a few mental-heath moments (really several moments), I sucked it up and just kept rowing down the stream. The trip wasn’t completely ruined though. We still had a good time together, however, I was reminded of my error at every bend when floating by other much smarter fisherman.
If you don’t want to float through life watching others catch all the fish then make sure you make a plan and work it. You might also want to make sure you have what you need to go where you want to go. Like enough fishing line to get through the day.
Publisher’s Trivia
Lance Ritter was the first to e-mail last week’s correct answer �” the three options for the highway bypass around Paragould. Thanks for reading Lance. Enjoy the show.
This week’s question: Who won the City Beautiful Commission’s Yard of the Month for June? First reader to e-mail the correct answer to sperkins@paragoulddailypress.com will go to the movies on us with four Cinema 8 movie passes.
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