Kayak river guys - do you generally find it to be a waste of time to do your normal 3-8 mile floats this time of year with the smallmouth so concentrated?

[Ohioguy25]

I have heard several people suggest it is a waste of time to float this time of year as the fish are so concentrated, leaving long stretches of dead water.  
 

Instead they focus on specific holes, particularly low head dams and work them over rather than spend an entire day floating a 5-8 mile stretch with only intermittent hot spots. 

[Tennessee Boy]

I’m not a kayak river guy but if fish are concentrated and I know where they are concentrated,  I fish where they are concentrated.  ?

[flyfisher]

You answered your own question.  If you are fishing where there aren't fish then you aren't being very smart.  I will say the only time of year where smallies are super concentrated is winter though.  Once prespawn happens smallies move and then for a while they are in all stages of prespawn, spawn and post spawn so they can be all over the place really.  

 

I don't mind floating spot to spot though as I have found that some of those non fishy spots if they have isolated cover can hold one or two larger fish.  Since I motorized my kayak though I usually motor up, hit top spots and then float back and hit them again.

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, flyfisher said:

You answered your own question.  If you are fishing where there aren't fish then you aren't being very smart.  I will say the only time of year where smallies are super concentrated is winter though.  Once prespawn happens smallies move and then for a while they are in all stages of prespawn, spawn and post spawn so they can be all over the place really.  

 

I don't mind floating spot to spot though as I have found that some of those non fishy spots if they have isolated cover can hold one or two larger fish.  Since I motorized my kayak though I usually motor up, hit top spots and then float back and hit them again.

Bixpy or Torq?

[flyfisher]

8 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Bixpy or Torq?

neither....NK180s.  Bixpy seemed to be way underpowered and torqeedo is way overpriced and lacked flexibility for my needs.  I wanted to be able to put whatever battery I wanted on mine.  I have double the size of the standard torqeedo battery and at least a grand less in the total cost and that is for the smaller battery. I have mine set up with a res concepts wing and a stick steer so after motoring upstream I can stand and fly fish floating downstream and use the motor as a rudder to keep direction where it needs to be.

 

I was one of the first run of the motors and now two years in on primarily rocky river use I couldn't be happier. 

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, flyfisher said:

neither....NK180s.  Bixpy seemed to be way underpowered and torqeedo is way overpriced and lacked flexibility for my needs.  I wanted to be able to put whatever battery I wanted on mine.  I have double the size of the standard torqeedo battery and at least a grand less in the total cost and that is for the smaller battery. I have mine set up with a res concepts wing and a stick steer so after motoring upstream I can stand and fly fish floating downstream and use the motor as a rudder to keep direction where it needs to be.

 

I was one of the first run of the motors and now two years in on primarily rocky river use I couldn't be happier. 

Nice, how much more power do you get out of that than Bixpy?

[TnRiver46]

Floating a river is never a waste of time 

[Ohioguy25]

56 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Floating a river is never a waste of time 

Good point. Guess I’m wondering if dam hopping would be more efficient?

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Good point. Guess I’m wondering if dam hopping would be more efficient?

Possibly, but not nearly as fun 

[flyfisher]

1 hour ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Nice, how much more power do you get out of that than Bixpy?

I am not sure exactly but when i was checking the bixpy was around 30lb thrust and from the reviews it was very weak in use.  The NK180 is 1.8hp equivalent so that makes it i guess 80+lb thrust but not totally sure. I do know that with my fully loaded up ATAK140 upstream in heavier current and with my ATAK 120 it does the same thing.  When I would hit rivers with my dad and his AP136 he would not be able to motor up where I was and on lakes I would be about half throttle when he is at full throttle to keep the same speed.  They have a more powerful version that was just released that competes with the larger of the torqeedo motors and bumps up to 36V.

[Ohioguy25]

5 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Possibly, but not nearly as fun 

Bingo, nothing like the adventure and excitement of following the natural course of the river.