So I Bought A Kayak…

Years ago, the author’s wife talked him into a kayak, and today, he’s glad she did. This photo was taken on an island south of Franklin in the upper end of West Point.

My wife kept hinting that we should purchase some kayaks. She is a huge outdoor enthusiast and thought that this would be something we would enjoy doing together. My first reply was, “Baby, if it doesn’t have a motor, I’m not getting in the boat.” I had no desire or interest to crawl in and out of one of those things. In the past I had run a fishing guide service and was used to my boat and all the technology that went with it. It was equipped with a good-sized outboard, I had transom and bow-mounted trolling motors and a nice depthfinder with GPS that I had spent hours setting waypoints on the lake I guided at. I also had put much effort into making this boat functional for my customers with multiple rodholders and had the entire rig organized to have availability to whatever was needed during a guided trip. I loved that boat, and the last thing I wanted to do was paddle. But she kept on with the hints. Any married person who has been in this spot knows, there comes a time to give in, and I did.

During our purchases, I made sure mine had some width to it and was designed for fishing. Hers was more streamlined. We first took them to an old, abandoned rock quarry that was just 3 or 4 acres in size, and I helped her get into hers and pushed her off the shore and into the water. Then I was by myself and tried to figure out how to get in without falling, which was quite a chore, but eventually, I found a method to safely get in and pushed myself off. Of course, I had my rod and some tackle with me. I knew there were largemouth in this quarry, so I had packed some plastic worms, one spinnerbait, one swimbait and one buzzbait for our outing.

I didn’t fish at first. I just paddled along trying to catch up with her. That was tough. She was in shape, I was not. Her kayak was fast, mine—not so much. She looked back at how far she had gotten ahead of me and turned around. When we met up, we conversed on our speed differences, and I asked her if she cared if I fished while she was paddling around, and she said OK. I already had the jig ’n pig combo on, and there was a fallen tree next to a drop-off. I parked that kayak right on top of the tree and started pitching the jig down into the branches. It didn’t take long before I began producing some decent-sized largemouth. My wife came back around, and we spent another hour paddling together. She was right, it was fun. We went on many other adventures similar to the first one and began to incorporate some river trips as outings.

Jeff says that one of the things he enjoys about kayak fishing is the different species of fish he will catch.

Years later, we were floating the Etowah River together when she began to experience pain in her right arm close to her wrist. She had surgery on that section before and now it was starting to become irritated, induced by the paddling. This continued to be an issue for her, and eventually we sold her kayak.

I live close to the north end of West Point Lake and decided that since I  still had my kayak, I would begin looking around for some river and stream fishing adventures. We had already paddled the Chattahoochee, putting in at the Franklin and Snake Creek ramps. We paddled up and floated back on those trips, but I wanted to try a float fishing trip.

After a short conversation with my wife, we coordinated the trip. The next day, she dropped me off at the Snake Creek boat ramp just before noon. The plan was for me to fish and float down to Ringer access, which was located at the north end of West Point Lake. Once I reached that location, I would call her. It was late winter, and there had been some measurable precipitation, so the river was moving quickly.

I floated the Chattahoochee and tossed lures targeting stripers and hybrids. Eventually, I found a lure that was productive, a 1/4-oz. Rooster Tail, chartreuse and black in color, tipped with a Bobby Garland Baby Shad. This combo ended up not only being productive for my targeted species but every species. I caught spots, largemouth, white bass and a couple of small crappie. All were produced by that spin combo just floating downstream and tossing into visible cover. The day wasn’t one of those fishing bonanza days, but I caught them frequently enough to keep me engaged, and I had a surprisingly enjoyable time. I did have to get out and stretch every now and then, but I felt like I was covering a lot of river as my float continued. There were some backwaters that I would paddle into and explore, but I knew I couldn’t spend much time in them, or I might not get to Ringer before dark.

I continued downstream on this cloudy day, and I wasn’t sure how far I had floated when I checked my phone for the time. It was later than I thought. The float trip had been fun, and time had gotten away from me, and the sun would be setting in an hour. I wasn’t sure how far I had gone, and I sure didn’t know how much farther I had to go. It was difficult to disengage from the fish, but something told me I better get to paddling. I was witnessing the dusk begin and started having trouble with my sense of direction.

I was next to a rocky bluff when I heard what sounded like a jet ski. One thing about that trip that I enjoyed was how tranquil and quiet it was. I had seen deer, osprey, some geese and turkeys and had not seen another angler or boat during my weekday trip but now heard the jet ski. I stopped and called my wife and told her to start driving as I was near my destination.

Eventually, I made it to the ramp before pitch-black dark. That trip got a little nerve racking toward the end. I enjoyed it and wanted to go back, but I knew I needed a different approach.

Instead of floating downstream, I would put it in at Snake Creek and fish a little backwater area. There was some light current running through there as the backwater curved around and dumped back into the river. I knew I could fish it and then easily paddle back up to the ramp. I did this several times during that late winter and on into spring. I had found an area that was consistently producing multiple species.

Days later, I returned to fish again and fished this safer and productive backwater area, but I did not catch anything. I moved from where I had caught the fish before and floated and fished toward where the backwaters exited back into the raging Hooch, whose flow was still strong from recent rains upstream. I fished all the way to the edge of where the water fed back in and found myself caught in current so strong that I couldn’t paddle out of it. I was hopelessly stuck in the Chattahoochee River. I continued trying to paddle out, but it was too late.

I placed my paddle into its lock holder, got out my phone and called my wife. I told her what had happened and that I would call her when I found a place where she could pick me up. I had studied the river intently after my first float trip and knew I could paddle to Potato Creek. My wife met me there and let me know I needed to rethink my kayaking methods, and I agreed.

That decision opened up a new world for me. I was getting into this river fishing. The peace, the wildlife sighting and the good fishing was getting into my blood, and I still wanted to river fish. I began taking trips where I would paddle upstream and fish floating back downstream. This became a pattern for me, and as the years passed, and now, I am genuinely enjoying this kayak that I didn’t want. I have fished the Hooch upstream as far north between Newnan and Whitesburg and as far south as below West Point Dam (where there are many boat ramp options) all the way down to Blanton Creek using this paddle up and float down method. I have also hit the Flint River in three different spots and the Coosa and Etowah rivers up by Rome. I am planning more trips as I never get tired of trying to find new areas, and in Georgia, there are many kayak fishing opportunities, and you never know what kind of fish species you may come across.

This striped bass caught by trolling a shallow-diving crankbait behind the kayak as the author paddled upstream. The lineside was caught below the West Point dam in the Chattahoochee River.

I want to close this article with some methods that have been productive throughout the years. Like I stated earlier, I now paddle upstream and then float back down. From the minute I start paddling, I am fishing. I grew up in walleye country, and trolling became a frequent practice that I had studied and implemented many times while guiding. When I begin paddling upstream, I cast out a shallow-diving lure, like a Rapala X-Rap or a Strike King Bitsy Jerkbait. You want something that won’t go too deep and snag as you paddle upstream. I try and let out at least 100 feet of line to troll my lure. If you try this method, make sure your rod is secured, since river fish striking these types of presentations can take your rig right out of the boat (especially hybrids and stripers). You do have to put some effort into your paddling, as working against the current can make it difficult to get to the speed where your lure will perform. You need to go at least 1 mph for those lures to do their thing as they are trolling behind you. Sometimes this trolling method is so productive, I never make it to my intended spot.

When they are not smashing my trolled lure, I paddle as far upstream as I can with the intention of having enough river to cover on my float back. Sometimes there are destinations, such as shoals or a feeder creek, but most of the time it is simply paddle up and float down, fishing the entire time. The most interesting thing about fishing rivers is they are never the same from day to day, and it is common to have fish surprise you as previously unproductive water can produce fish. River fish will hold in some specific areas, but they are also constantly moving from place to place looking for forage.

Another plus is the multiple species. I have caught shoal bass, largemouth, spots, hybrids, stripers, crappie, gar, perch, catfish, some big bluegill and other types of panfish.

Rattlin’ Rapalas and Rat-L-Traps are good for covering water. I like soft jerkbaits, such as Zooms or Berkley Power Baits, in chartreuse, white, pearl or a blue/white combo. Shallow-diving, flat-nosed crankbaits can also be productive. I will cast and troll those.

Certain times of the year topwaters can be a blast, especially when you find a feeder creek dumping in or a large eddy with some slack water. Any type of buzzbait can be productive, but I prefer Zara Spooks. These topwater lures have produced some of my bigger catches for largemouth, striper and hybrids. I also like any type of robust inline spinner tipped with some type of a minnow or shad-type trailer. Mepps, Blue Fox and Rooster Tails are all good. I love to toss those in or near blowdowns. Regular spinners are good, too, but I produce more species with the inline style. Lastly, for paddle-up trolling mentioned earlier, any type of minnow imitator that won’t dive too deep to troll behind you is worth trying.

I have been wanting to author this story for quite some time as my passion for river fishing has grown. The solitude and quality fishing here in Georgia makes every trip I take an adventure. Every time I go, something different happens, and for me the most exciting part is that you never know what you may catch. I hope after reading this that you might consider buying a kayak and explore what Georgia’s rivers and streams have to offer. I never thought I would own a kayak. I sure didn’t think I would be paddling up rivers in my old days, but I sure am glad the wife talked me into it.

One last thing. Be safe and always wear your life jacket. Rivers can get tricky.