[Flymaker]

For those that have Yak's......I have a pontoon I use on the Mad river and love it but ...don't think it would work rowing upstream very well.....!?!?!...So the wife has OK'd a yak purchase......My main reason for the yak would be the Stillwater river ....its 45 mins from home and I cant expect the wife the drive up there to drop my truck off at my pull out sight....So If I get this yak ..how will it be to paddle up stream ? the Stillwater flow rates for fishable water are from like 60cfs on up to 100cfs ish....I have fished it at higher flow but...the fish don't play well at 150 or above......so whats ya think.....

 

[MIKE*A]

I replied to your post over on SW......

Mike

 

[TheCream]

Easily, provided you have the man power (arm strength) to keep paddling. I have a 13'6" SOT kayak and I can blitz upstream pretty easily through pools and runs. Riffles, obviously, you will probably have to hop out and walk and pull the boat over the fast water, but the rest I can paddle upstream in pretty easily.

 

[Flymaker]

Arm strength wont be a issue....Even at the old age of 48 and having had a triple by-pass ..I'm still pretty stout....Ive just heard the yak's move across the water really well....much better than a canoe...Ive paddled a canoe up stream 18' aluminum 80ish or so lbs ....with 2 guys in it....it wasnt to bad...I wouldnt try it on the mad river...but the stillwater is well pretty slow....I like my pontoon for lakes and even the mad river....but the yak will be great for the stillwater , olentangy, big darby , lmr....I can still bridge hop but have the yak with me to reach further up or down stream and spend more time fishing than walking....I just hope MC sports has a extra rod holder...the boat come's with one ....I like to have 2 rigged rods on float trips....on the MAd river I do 1 rod for nymphing and 1 with a sink tip for streamers....when smallmouth fishing ..I'll have one with a sink tip and one with a floater...

 

[Rooster]

While not as pleasurable as an easy float downstream, I’ve been paddling upstream for about 15 years now. The best advice that I can give you is whenever possible paddle upstream from your launch site. This will keep you out of trouble! Paddling upstream in the dark after a hard day of fishing can be exhausting. I’ve never ran into any real problems with local flows. However, if you decide to go the other way…..check the weather/tides/ generation schedule. My two worst kayaking experiences were paddling against the tide in Lynnhaven bay at night, and a scary morning below Wolf Creek dam when they started generating after I made it a few miles downstream (I had to walk a few miles on that last one).

 

[meathelmet]

I use my trolling motor to push up stream and then float back to the van