Deep Sea Kayak Fishing

This man is amazing. I would love to do this at some point in my life. Using a kayak only a bit larger than mine (12ft vs 9.5ft) he wrestled a 157-lb ~5.5ft bluefin tuna 'till it wore itself out, then tied it to his boat and made it the 2+ miles back to shore. My favorite quotes from this article are:

Bluefins are powerful enough, he said, that if given too little line, they can cause a kayak to flip end over end.

being towed at speeds up to 15 miles an hour before the fish exhausts itself.

First you have to hook the fish, which strikes suddenly and violently — “sort of like a raging bull,” he said. Then there’s the ride, which is the scariest part but also “the most fun thing I’ve ever done.” After that you have to fight the fish until it dies of exhaustion.

In August he reluctantly did this (turned over a fish to a larger boat) with a bluefin that eventually escaped but that on the fishing boat’s sonar looked to be about 800 pounds.
“That just broke my spirit,” he said. “They told me, ‘That fish is so big, it doesn’t even know you’re here.’ ”

Lincoln Beach

Features

• Marina directly on the lake
• Flat water in the marina
• Fun waves in the lake-weather permitting
• Covered picnic tables and BBQ pits available at the marina
• Free boat launch (for bigger boats on trailers)
• Great place for a large group get together

Directions (approx. 30 min. from Provo)

• I-15 south from Provo
• Exit 257 to Spanish fork
• Turn Left onto Spanish Fork Main Street
• Turn Right at 400N (at the One Man Band Diner)
  
• Follow this road out to the end of the peninsula (10 miles from Spanish Fork)
  

Lincoln Beach and Bird Island trip

Just a quick picture from when my cousin and I went to Lincoln beach. This really nice man took our picture as we were coming in. The trip was really cool, but kinda dangerous. The waves were much bigger than I had been in before, but fortunately were long rolling waves that did not threaten to tip us. We were searching for Bird Island, ~2.5mi north of Lincoln beach, but never found it. This is where I soaked my phone a few weeks back.

I had a renter take the kayaks here for a family reunion a few weeks back and had a great time! They were careful to keep everyone in the marina and within eyesight so everyone was safe at the end of the day.

Specifications

I realized it might be a good idea to put more info on the actual specifications of the kayaks up here on this blog. These kayaks were made from a mold taken from the Old Town brand Otter kayak. The dimensions and specifications for that kayak can be found here.

Length...............9'6"
Width.................28.5"
Depth.................12"
Weight...............One is 30lbs, the other is 40lbs
Max Capacity...275lbs

They are made from chopped fiber sprayed into the mold with a white gel coat paint for the shell. The first one I made was made with a group of scouts. Because of this the fiberglass was laid up 0.120" thick. This was way thicker than it needed to be mostly because scouts tend to use their kayaks rougher. When I made the second I made it 0.080-0.090" thick. This made it 10lbs lighter and still plenty strong enough for the times I treat it rough.

After the shell was laid up I took the top and bottom pieces and using a roofing silicone I bound them together. Then I used regular Bondo to cover the seam between the two. This is the strip of off white color you can see in the pictures. This process has weathered great, but I can see that there are better ways I could do it, and will do it in the future. I plan on taking the bondo off at some point and replacing it with a fiberglass strip which would completely hide the seam making the kayak essentially one piece in the end, for example.

I am on my third type of seat now. First was a piece of packing Styrofoam like you would find in a computer box or something. Second was an open cell Styrofoam-not sure what it was used for, but I wrapped it in Saran wrap and it has worked great. One of each of these has been lost, but I just bought a new seat as a replacement. It is one of those camping seats that is just a back and seat strapped together like this one, but not this brand. We will see how comfortable it is, but even if it is not, I still have the old ones.

East Bay Kayak Trip

These pictures are of a trip I went on down to the East Bay area. This area is absolutely gorgeous especially in the evenings. The section of the lake that you end up at is a shallow area with marshes all around that speed boats don't enter. Your only human visitors will be fishermen on flatboats, but more common sightings are the blackbirds singing, the fish jumping, and the pelicans flying, with an occasional swimming muskrat.

Atlantic Kayak Tours

I found this website today with tons of great info on kayaking skills, boat types, and safety procedures. One of the best things I learned from them is that I do not want to put new high back seats into my kayaks. This quote is from their buying a kayak guide.

"Some kayaks are sold with a real seat, that has a real back, like a chair. It makes a boat look seductive in the showroom, but unless you can make a deal with God that you'll never, ever capsize, it's not a feature you want. A seat that sticks up higher than the cockpit rim makes it significantly harder to get back in your boat after a capsize - whether you're doing a self-rescue or getting help from someone else. If the boat of your dreams has a chair back to its seat, have the dealer replace it with a low back-band."

So instead I am considering a Velcro strap to attach the Styrofoam seat to the boat.

In other news, I have just repaired the kayak tips so they have a nice round nose on both ends. It is just another step closer to painting them. My sister and brother in law rented them for this weekend and will be taking them up to Tibble Creek Res. in American Fork canyon. It is great to finally be sending them out! Have fun guys!

Brother at Deer Creek Res.

My brother and some friends went to Deer Creek reservoir a little while ago and had a blast. They said there is an island that they kayaked out to and were able to explore. They also were able to get these great pictures. Maybe they will post something about the cool things they saw there at some point.

Need a Waterproof Phone

Went on one of the coolest kayaking trips yet on the south side of the lake yesterday. There were rolling waves probably 3+ feet high, it felt like the ocean. Unfortunately I drowned my phone in the process, but I'm back on line now with a new phone (and zero contacts.)  

East Bay

•1 mile river through reeds to the lake

•Features

–Most beautiful sunsets

–Marshland

•Open water area available without being in the lake with waves and big boats

–Bird Refuge
•Pelicans
•Loons
•Cranes
•Kingfishers
•Yellow headed Blackbirds
•Red winged Blackbirds
•Ducks
•Song birds
•Other wildlife

–Close to Provo (~20min from campus)

•Directions

–I-15 Exit 261

–Go west

–Turn RIGHT immediately onto the gravel road

–Drive until you see a boat ramp into the water.

–There are two boat ramps, the first is the one I like the best.

Provo River/ Utah Lake State Park

•Down river to the lake (~1/2 mile)

•Up river as far as you want

•Features

–Close to Provo (~15min from campus)

–Options for scenery (river or lake)

–Shade

–Ducks, geese, song birds and the occasional muskrat

•Directions:

–Go west on Center Street (Provo).

–Right after you cross over the river pull off onto the gravel. This is just before the Utah Lake State Park toll gate.

–Put in at the river below.

–Go down stream and under the bridge to get to the lake.

–Go up stream to enjoy the river.

Palmyra

•Open water marsh-maze along the south bank of Utah Lake

•Features

–Direct lake access

–Bird refuge

–Marsh mazes

•Close to Spanish Fork (~30min from campus)

•Directions

–I-15 Exit 260

–Go 4 mi west on HW 77 (400 South in Springville)

–Sharp right turn onto dirt road, 2750 W.

–Follow road 1.4 miles north until you see the lake.

Welcome

This blog is for posting pictures and stories of kayaking adventures on Utah Lake, the Provo River, and anywhere else my home-made kayaks have been. If you have any good stories or pretty pictures from your adventures please send them to me and I would be glad to post them here.