Thanks Aaron, I may have to try my hand at some fishing on one of these trips!

😁

Oh no, you went down the Jason Wish adventure rabbit hole 🤣 Enjoy!

@@jasonwish- I will enjoy it! I really want to get into Kayaking but I am big dude trying to find someone with one I can try before buying has been a struggle.

Ha, thanks John!

I’ll be down there again in a couple weeks when I finish my section paddle of the mad

That sounds like the perfect plan Thomas! Yeah, it really is hit or miss at Lions Park, so far it’s been good this year but it’s only a matter of time before it gets too low again. I think if you do it after a decent rain, you should be OK. Hoping to hit another section again soon to start working my way through the mad! Definitely going to update my Frisbie plate for my next kayak camping video!

I think I will! Hoping to get back on it again soon!

Thanks for checking it out!

Hey AJ, hope you were able to get out there on the water and enjoy some paddling! Definitely a great way to relax and unwind after a busy week!

Yeah, that’s a great tip, now that I have quite a following on my kayaking adventures I will definitely try to remember to add the CFS in my descriptions. I think I’ve only done it once and that was on the Kokosing River in Mount Vernon. And sweet corn is just about ready, we’re hoping to start picking next week around July 4.

One of these days I'll join you guys on the river! Thanks Nick!

We hope to finally meet you one of these days as well!

it's on my list of Michigan rivers, along with 10 others!

I do love some good hummus, but not that crazy about plain chickpeas. Thanks Harold!

Thanks for comming along! Yeah, I have a hard time not talking when the camera is rolling 🤣

I do see trout fisherman out there just about evertime I go kayaking. I need to try that sometime.

I second this trip awesome stuff to see on rocky fork, the chutes are no joke I was lucky enough to get through it even saw a guy do it with one paddle

Thanks Jon! I haven’t had anybody call me wishbone since high school over 30 years ago! How do you know about that nickname? I’ve heard about these for years, but it’s just a long way to travel for a short trip and difficult to get away during the summer, but I do hope to experience it eventually.

I honestly didnt know that was your nickname, i just threw it out there​@jasonwish-

Rocky Fork is a must Jason, best scenery in Ohio

@@JonHodgson-li3hi that's pretty funny😂

Not sure...Mad, LMR, Pine, Little Mantistee...might be more but that's all I can think of right now.

I have not been on the sturgeon yet, but it's on my list. The upper sturgeon south of Wolverine is supossed to be entry level with less flow and log jams but the lower sturgeon south of Wolverine is the fastest water in lower Michigan...hopefully you were on the upper. I would highly recommend the Au Sable River in Grayling, just 45 min south of Wolverine, very beautiful and entry level starting in Grayling. I recommend using Carlisel Canoe Livery, they treated us great, and if you go tell them I sent you...I just stopped by to say hi to them a few weeks ago when traveling through. The other River I really like is the Big Manistee Starting at Hodenplye Dam and floating about 14 miles to Red Bridge where is enters the Tippy Dam Pond back waters...one of the most popular paddles in all of Michigan. I have multiple videos detailing both of these rivers. Let me know if you need the links to them.

In Ohio I would paddle the Mad River for sure, I have about 8 videos on that river showing all sections.

@@jasonwish- we’ve seen them. I believe we were on the upper sturgeon. I got dunked 10 minutes in and as I was farther down and arms getting tired with about 20 minutes to go I thought “ how on earth does Jason make this look so easy” 😂. I got flipped 3 times and my son 6 times. I’m proud that we made it through as rookies. And we plan on doing it again.

@@jodijarvis1018 wow that sounds rough! Hopefully it was warm! Glad you still had a good time

Yes, great question, I spoke with the owners of Birch Bark Canoe Livery and Madriver Adventures a few weeks ago and have decided to go with Birch Bark. They were excited to work with me and I will be meeting with them in person once my farming season slows down a bit to get it all set up. It's tenatively planned for Sept. 14-15 and we will be offering several different options of trips on the river with a camping option at Birch Bark for those who plan to stay for both days. I plan to make a video about this and do several livestreams in August and early Sept.

When I did it on May 16 it was 3.3 ft and 200 cfs. This is in Urbana where I finished my paddle, not sure if there are any data from farther up river. It peaked at 225 cfs after last nights half in of rain and went to 450 cfs after an inch or two of rain on May 18. I would probably not run it from Lions Park much below 200 cfs but after Lipponcotte it should be fine just about anytime of the year. It looks like it was only about 90 cfs when I did it last fall and drug bottom about a quarter of the first 5.5 miles.

@@jasonwish- I had a plan of doing an overnighter this weekend but I’m a little skeptical due to a chance of rain. Since you have a lot of experience on this river, would you be able to give some input on whether the rain this weekend is a good or bad idea.

Oh, there are Mosquitos along the Mad River. Mosquitos are weak fliers so if there is a small breeze or you are moving a little above walking pace they will typically not be a problem. For sprays can't beat DEET but it can harm plastics and gear if you get some on it. Some sprays feel oily or sticky on your skin and that can be annoying for some but you are not getting bit (I only have some strong 90 some percent stuff). You can also look up sprays using Picardin, supposedly a little less effective time put proven to work. Sawyer makes some spray you can treat your clothing and gear with ahead of time and let dry. It can also withstand a few trips through the laundry and washer. I prefer Thermacell devices when pratical. I have a Rechargeable E-Series E55 that takes repellant cartridges and two fuel powered ones. FYI if you search here on KZfaq you can see how to refill the butane bottles yourself so only have to buy the repellent pads for those devices. If you are within about 10 feet of one they work pretty good. Best practice is turn on the thermacell(s) only when bothered by bugs, not as a deterrent, no since in using when not necessary. I always have some spray available though because it is better than being attacked and miserable if all else fails.

@@Cobalt135 I've been wanting to try one of these for my wife while RV camping! I use sawyer Picardin for the most part. Too early for mosquitos when I was on the river but I'm sure they are out now and the biting deer flies not far behind.

Never really bothered by mosquitoes or flies on the water but as soon as you step on shore you better be ready. It was too early in the season for them during this video, didn't even see one. I like Sawyer Picardin...have been using it while backpacking for years.

@@jasonwish- No need to reply again but I just wanted to let you know to try a personal Thermacell if you havent already. Took a kayaking trip to Voyaguers National Park in Minnesota and the first evening as it got dark. The mosquitoes came out like a cloud. Tried several different kinds of deat and it did nothing. It was so bad we were about to turn around and drive back to Ohio. I remembered I had a Thermacell so I got it out and it cleared them within a 10'-15' range. My brother was able to stay close and use mine. It saved my trip so I'm a true believer. They aren't very expensive so I highly recommend at least trying it.

It was 3.5' and 250 cfs on May 16 near Urbana, which is the Northern most guage.

@@jasonwish- thanks!

It can be for entry level water like this, but for longer trips and rougher water a sit it keeps you more protected from the elements, often has cargo storage for gear and are more stable.

I see tubes on it all the time! It's pretty straight from Lipponcotte to US 36, so that is a great 12 section with multiple shorter trips within.

Thanks for the reply