As a kid I bought canoe and kayak magazines and books intending to canoe the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota. I would spend hours researching and planning the trip. As the years went by, my brother talked my into whitewater kayaking. We bought our kayaks and necessary safety gear and signed up for a class on the Youghiogheny River. In the class we learned the basics and rolling the kayak back over should we flip. The first trip went well and was enjoyable. On the second trip I bailed out just before my kayak got pinned between two rocks. This event got me panicking that I was going to flip and get stuck with the kayak spray skirt still on. On a later trip to the Allegheny Reservoir, I did flip my kayak and panicked, unable to pull the spray skirt frozen in fear. Needless to say the whitewater thrill was gone and we eventually sold our boats.
Fast forward about 15 years, I decided to pick up a Perception Pescador 100 it on top kayak for fishing in 2014. It is a barge of a kayak that goes about 3 miles an hour. It is a great river floating boat and I will still use it on occasion. I talked my wife into renting a canoe at keystone state park and we had fun, and she wanted to get a kayak as well. We eventually picked her up a Pelican kayak at Dick’s Sporting Goods. This has been a good boat for her when she can get out. It has enough spped to be enjoyable when paddling, but it does not track well.
Over the years I have dreamed about owning a Hobie pedal kayak, but thought that was all it would be. This spring I decided to take the plunge and was able to pick up a Hobie Pro Angler 14 and a Hobie Quest 11 paddle kayak. I have had the PA14 out a few times since getting it and a wetsuit that I needed for the cold water and it is a dream to fish off of.
Trolling with the boat works well, however, when distracted the speed can fluctuate. I tend to slow down to watch the eagles and osprey catching fish, or to watch the other wildlife on the shore. I caught a few trout trolling trout magnets and gulp minnows at Keystone State Park this morning.
I cannot wait to paddle the Hobie Quest 11 in the next couple of weeks. I heard that is was fast to paddle, so it should be a huge contrast compared to the Pescador 100.
Nothing beats the tranquility of being out on a boat that you power yourself and being able to get away from technology for a couple of hours. I love kayaking. I guess you could say that being on the lake is my happy place.