Today was my first day out for 2013 so I loaded up the van and headed to Ponkapoag. But when I got there I discovered that the launch area was still iced over to about 20 feet out. I didn't think it would be safe to launch from the edge of the ice so I drove over to Canton Reservoir to fish.
They rebuilt the dam at the reservoir this summer and the water is now 3-4 feet higher than it has been in recent years. This means the launch area is now the size of a postage stamp, enough room for one kayak. I got onto the water without any trouble and started to work my way around the northern shore line thinking that this would be warmest and where I would find the fish.
About 1/3rd of the way around the wind suddenly picks up to a steady 25 mph gale blowing me northeast, the white caps are flying and I'm bobbing up and down like a cork. At this point I had to shift from fishing to survival mode. I'm at the opposite end of the pond and it's a paddle directly into the wind to get back to my launch point. Assessing my options I decide that it's safest for me to keep paddling around the pond staying in close contact with the shore. At least if I go over I'll be close to land and if I can get to the south side I figure the waves won't be as big. So I'm paddling like there's no tomorrow and going maybe .25 MPH, and sometimes I'm actually at a dead stop, water crashing over the front of the yak and some of it coming in. Thank god I do resistance training several times a week and have good arms.
After considerable effort I made it to the south shore where things were noticeably calmer. At that point I was in no mood to fish any more so I followed the shoreline back to the launch point. While loading the yak into my van I banged it against the windshield which put a huge crack in the glass. It's covered by insurance but this was not the way I wanted to end my first fishing trip of 2013. Hopefully this is not an omen of things to come but rather just all of my bad luck for the season pouring out in one glorious gush.
They rebuilt the dam at the reservoir this summer and the water is now 3-4 feet higher than it has been in recent years. This means the launch area is now the size of a postage stamp, enough room for one kayak. I got onto the water without any trouble and started to work my way around the northern shore line thinking that this would be warmest and where I would find the fish.
About 1/3rd of the way around the wind suddenly picks up to a steady 25 mph gale blowing me northeast, the white caps are flying and I'm bobbing up and down like a cork. At this point I had to shift from fishing to survival mode. I'm at the opposite end of the pond and it's a paddle directly into the wind to get back to my launch point. Assessing my options I decide that it's safest for me to keep paddling around the pond staying in close contact with the shore. At least if I go over I'll be close to land and if I can get to the south side I figure the waves won't be as big. So I'm paddling like there's no tomorrow and going maybe .25 MPH, and sometimes I'm actually at a dead stop, water crashing over the front of the yak and some of it coming in. Thank god I do resistance training several times a week and have good arms.
After considerable effort I made it to the south shore where things were noticeably calmer. At that point I was in no mood to fish any more so I followed the shoreline back to the launch point. While loading the yak into my van I banged it against the windshield which put a huge crack in the glass. It's covered by insurance but this was not the way I wanted to end my first fishing trip of 2013. Hopefully this is not an omen of things to come but rather just all of my bad luck for the season pouring out in one glorious gush.
Hey John, at least you made it back to the launch area 
That had potential to be really bad. You do not want to be in the water that is for sure The wind has been brutal and is supposed to remain so for most of the week. The end of the week is finally looking to be halfway decent 
That had potential to be really bad. You do not want to be in the water that is for sure The wind has been brutal and is supposed to remain so for most of the week. The end of the week is finally looking to be halfway decent 
High winds+ kayak/canoe= Disaster!
I can only imagine being in a yak is worse, but I know how you felt being in those high winds. I've had some horrible experiences being in a canoe at high winds.. The two worse times were the paddle flying out of the canoe and started blowing away with the water and i had literally less than 5 seconds to get otherwise i woulda been absolutely screwed! I was out on a pond bigger than 80 acres and in the middle of it
After that i ALWAYS keep the paddle IN the canoe!
Other experience was similar to yours. Was mild winds in the morning and kicked up so bad i almost never made it home. My canoe kept flipping around and was near impossible to keep straight let alone trying to get back to the launch. It was so stupid and dangerous for me to even stay out that day.
I can only imagine being in a yak is worse, but I know how you felt being in those high winds. I've had some horrible experiences being in a canoe at high winds.. The two worse times were the paddle flying out of the canoe and started blowing away with the water and i had literally less than 5 seconds to get otherwise i woulda been absolutely screwed! I was out on a pond bigger than 80 acres and in the middle of it
After that i ALWAYS keep the paddle IN the canoe!
Other experience was similar to yours. Was mild winds in the morning and kicked up so bad i almost never made it home. My canoe kept flipping around and was near impossible to keep straight let alone trying to get back to the launch. It was so stupid and dangerous for me to even stay out that day.
