The Great Outsmores

I know what your thinking, paddle boats are for girls.  With Hobie Cat Mirage Adventure Island you can propel yourself via paddle, pedal, or sail. And it looks pretty stable too.  Technically, they’re not paddles -they’re a “Mirage Drive” which is like two fins that somehow propel you through the use of two fins hooked up to bicycle pedals.  Here’s some features from Hobie’s website:

• A boomless, roller-furling sail rig similar to the rig on the Hobie Bravo with plenty of sail area for excellent performance, completely manageable from the cockpit with the pull of a line.
• Two retractable amas that fold up against the side of the boat, again with the simple pull of a line, for easy docking, maneuverability, and transport.
• The cockpit is the stable platform of the Hobie Mirage Adventure Kayak, offering full versatility as a pedaling kayak when conditions are not convenient for sailing. All 2007 model year Adventure Kayaks, including the Fish model, will have inserts molded into the hulls so that they may be upgraded to an Adventure Island with a kit available through the Parts Department. The ama colors will be limited, and the Adventure Island will cost more when purchased via an upgrade kit rather than purchased initially as a complete boat package.
• The Hobie Mirage Drive allows the boat to be pedaled while under sail, or simply pedaled with the sail furled for versatility not found in any other sailboat.
• The Adventure Island is loaded with additional standard features such as a daggerboard; oversized “Twist and Stow” rudder; Mast and Sail Cover; and an Ama/Daggerboard Bag.

If it just had a built in cooler……..

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Wilson and I got the new canoe out on the Chattahoochee for some delayed harvest action on a cool, overcast Sunday afternoon. Trouble is, neither one of us monkey-brains checked the release schedule for Buford dam. I know, for those of you familiar with it - stop reading and start laughing.

For everybody else, it wasn’t dangerous, it’s just a waste of time. See, fish hunker down when that “wall” of water comes flowing through the water shed, and won’t bite anything. So, just a friendly reminder that you can check the Buford Dam release schedule by calling before your next outing, and if you see a couple of knuckleheads out on the water at exactly the wrong time, well that may be yours truely.

Buford Dam Release Hotline

770-945-1466

How’s that go? A bad day of fishing is better than a…..

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John over at Hog Island Boat works sent me this yesterday. These things are for real (or should I say reel?). My favorite part is when the six man raft gets dumped by some Class IV water on the Lochsa River, ID, and these guys run it upright in a drift boat.

If interested, y’all can find more info. here about Hog Island Boat Works & their roto-molded drift boats.

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Georgia Power has elected not to drop water levels on Lake Burton, Seed, and Rabun for the first time since their construction in the 20’s. GA Power thinks it prudent due to the recent inflows into Lake Burton in the midths of a record drought. The fear is, if they release water for hydro electric power during the winter as normal, they may not get the rain needed to replenish it by spring. It’s that bad. So what’s unfortunate for paddlers, may prove interesting for fishermen that normally have difficulty getting boats in the water once it’s below most of the boat ramps. As a conservationist, and paddler, I hate to see the drought effect on our community, and the hell that it must be playing on our local enviorment. But, as a fisherman……………………….

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