Devil's River on the Viking Reload
Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2018 1:06 am
I took a little trip down the Devil's river a couple of weeks ago. We went after this rain started, but it wasn't quite flooded everywhere yet. The forecast called for rain, but mild temps, so we headed out. The water at Bakers crossing looked great. It was a little high, but still very clear. 
We paddled off, and were barely able to fit under the first low bridge.
Day one brought lots of largemouth bass on topwaters. The Whopper Plopper seemed to be the bait of choice for the day. Here's Frank with his first of the day.
At the end of day one and the kayaks were hard to pull out of the water, but mine was really a struggle and I was starting to feel like a little girly man. My ego was saved when I discovered the reason behind the struggle. My yak was half full of water. I drained the yak, pulled it out, and found a scupper crack that was to blame.
This was a new problem and one that none of us were prepared for. After some thinking, cursing, and worrying, I tackled the problem with some good ole redneck engineering. I heated a knife and melted some plastic zip ties into the wound, and covered it with a wad of gorilla tape.
The next day, I was a lot more careful with even the smallest of rapids.
We also finally got into the more fun smallies in day 2.
It was a great day and the ghetto repair job held out the whole day. Day 3 and 4 brought deeper water holes for lots of smallmouth action, and some beautiful scenery.
Franky managed to run the famed 3-tier rapid on his Viking like a pro.
The third night brought little sleep due to surrounding thunder storms and a fearful lightning show on all sides.
These storms caused many neighboring Rivers to flood, several people had to be airlifted to safety that night and the early morning. We were very lucky. Day 4 for us was unexpectedly beautiful. We planned for downpour, but were graced with sunlight and calm winds. Of course, the fish kept biting as well.
The day ended with a take out at Gerald's magical winch stairs.
And of course one final parting shot.
Once at home, I was able to address the damage to the hull and properly weld with the correct plastic.
It's far from pretty, and not a color match, but I'm sure it will hold. All in all, the trip was an adventure that I will not soon forget. The natural beauty, excellent fishing, and complete removal from the trappings of our modern world make this river truly special.
-Poo
We paddled off, and were barely able to fit under the first low bridge.
Day one brought lots of largemouth bass on topwaters. The Whopper Plopper seemed to be the bait of choice for the day. Here's Frank with his first of the day.
At the end of day one and the kayaks were hard to pull out of the water, but mine was really a struggle and I was starting to feel like a little girly man. My ego was saved when I discovered the reason behind the struggle. My yak was half full of water. I drained the yak, pulled it out, and found a scupper crack that was to blame.
This was a new problem and one that none of us were prepared for. After some thinking, cursing, and worrying, I tackled the problem with some good ole redneck engineering. I heated a knife and melted some plastic zip ties into the wound, and covered it with a wad of gorilla tape.
The next day, I was a lot more careful with even the smallest of rapids.
We also finally got into the more fun smallies in day 2.
It was a great day and the ghetto repair job held out the whole day. Day 3 and 4 brought deeper water holes for lots of smallmouth action, and some beautiful scenery.
Franky managed to run the famed 3-tier rapid on his Viking like a pro.
The third night brought little sleep due to surrounding thunder storms and a fearful lightning show on all sides.
These storms caused many neighboring Rivers to flood, several people had to be airlifted to safety that night and the early morning. We were very lucky. Day 4 for us was unexpectedly beautiful. We planned for downpour, but were graced with sunlight and calm winds. Of course, the fish kept biting as well.
The day ended with a take out at Gerald's magical winch stairs.
And of course one final parting shot.
Once at home, I was able to address the damage to the hull and properly weld with the correct plastic.
It's far from pretty, and not a color match, but I'm sure it will hold. All in all, the trip was an adventure that I will not soon forget. The natural beauty, excellent fishing, and complete removal from the trappings of our modern world make this river truly special.
-Poo
