Wavewalk Kayaks

Last year Scott Johnson from Minnesota bought a 2007 W fishing kayak that he’s used for photography and bow hunting (See full story).

This year Scott got himself a 2008 model.  With two W kayaks Scott can enjoy W kayak trips in the company of guests, and this time it was his nephew Justin, who’s also an avid hunter and fisherman.

Here is Scott’s report from their first W kayak trip this year: -”The rivers are finally coming down to a safe level but they are very stirred up and muddy. My nephew Justin and I went for our first paddle together yesterday.  More major erosion has widened out the river even further. When we started out we were on a 45 degree muddy incline - I positioned my 2008 Wavewalk kayak square to the water and said “This is how you get started” - a little thrust and I was on my way. I hit the water and bounced the front end a little but easily maintained my balance. Justin was grinning, he also managed the water slide entry with no problem. Going with the current is lots of fun but no work… We saw an eagle on a sandbar eating a fish, it took off and when we checked out the carp he was still flipping around. We had our fish poles but the river was so muddy it seemed pointless.

Justin paddling Scott’s 2007 W Fishing kayak

The important thing is we had a great time just cruising down the river. We are both impressed with the Wavewalk kayaks, they are very versatile. Temps were around 90 so a couple hours was enough. The next outing will be an all day, fishing, shore lunch on a nicer cleaner river. I found a manmade lake about 20 miles frome here. I geuss it has a sand bottom and is nice and clear. It has crappies and sunnies in it, maybe some good fishing will materialize soon!  -Scott”

Seal launching can be a good solution if you don’t want to spend too much time looking for a better spot to start your paddling or fishing trip from. You can do it just for fun too.
This video shows an 8 year old seal launching his W kayak from a steep river bank. Obviously, if an adult launched from the same spot the splash would have been huge and some water would have gotten in through the open cockpit. Therefore, the kayaker or fisherman planning to venture into seal launching should cover the front part of the cockpit, at least for the launch.
We advise you to start learning to seal launch on a less steep slope, and slide over a shorter distance… You can seal launch from a dock or a deck too.

Also, leaving your cellphone, camera, GPS and fishing gear on shore the first time would be more prudent - stuff happens…

Yoav