The benefits of kayaking

Jodi Wornell of Brighton, is the ultimate kayaker. She hits the water with her kayak at every opportunity. She has fished and floated nearly every stream in the Ozarks as well as many of the large impoundments and in other states. Last year she took a trip to New Zealand where she used a kayak in the ocean. Her favorite Ozark stream to float is the White River.

Wornell likes to fish for crappie and catfish. Her largest crappie measured a whopping 18-inches. The big fish was caught in the clear water of Stockton Lake where she likes to use her kayak.

Recently, on a trip to the Pomme de Terre River north of Bolivar, while unloading her kayak, the first thing she noticed was several empty bottles in the water. She said, "That's a sad sight. Every time out, I carry a sack to put the trash in. I guess that is why there is so much damage in the bottom of my kayak."

Like many other kayakers, Wornell started floating streams and lakes in a canoe. A friend had a kayak and after trying it, she has been a kayaker ever since. She said, "Once I used a kayak, I never looked back. I go kayaking at every opportunity."

About four years ago she started gathering rocks that she found while floating. That started her adventure as a "rock hound." Today she turns the rocks into jewelry.

She even used rocks found on her trip to New Zealand to make items. She said, "Now I spend about half my time kayaking between fishing and collecting rocks. One of the best things about floating down an Ozark stream is finding rocks that you wouldn't normally see otherwise. Also, I see lots of wildlife while floating down a stream in my kayak"

Today's kayak anglers push the boundaries of how to fish in this amazing boat. You probably have heard the saying that 90 percent of the fish live in 10 percent of the water. Still, sometime that 10 percent can be hard to reach in a typical 16-20 foot bass boat. In a kayak, think river breaks, coves, creek channels, ponds and small streams.

Kayaks are easy to transport, launch and load on hard-to-reach water virtually untouched by anglers in larger boats. After using a kayak on Table Rock, Jim Anderson of Joplin, said he was impressed and surprised at the stability in rough water. He said, " I had boats leaving a big wake, but it didn't slow me down in the kayak. In a timber laden cove, I saw fish hitting shad, moving in close, I caught a limit of white bass in a spot that I couldn't reach in a bass boat."

Kevin White, visiting from Georgia, took his kayak to Caplinger Mills on the Sac River for a six mile float and fish trip. He had only floated a short distance before hitting a crappie hot spot. In a short time, he had limit of 30 crappie. That was when he found his only disadvantage in a kayak, The 30 fish on a stringer served as an anchor for the rest of the trip.

Even duck hunters are joining the ranks of kayakers. A plan for waterfowling success is to go where other hunters can't go, and find birds that other hunters can't hunt.

A kayak can help put the plan into action. Kayaks are lightweight, portable, stable and maneuverable, which makes them ideal for paddling into marshes, potholes, swamps and other remote waters where ducks can be found and the competition for them is scarce.

It's no wonder that these sleek little boats are gaining in popularity.

They can get you into places that are inaccessible to other anglers and hunters.