Here it is April and our weather is settling down and we’re getting more days with 80 degree temperatures for a high and that’s a good thing for water sports.
If you’ll just take a look around as you are out and about, you will see many vehicles with kayaks and a few canoes on top, or in the beds of trucks. There’s a good reason for that, they are light in weight, fun to use and will go almost anywhere in relatively calm water. I know, because I’ve been there and done that with both canoes and kayaks right here on Lake Conroe. I would like to interject right here that I prefer a kayak to a canoe because I find a good kayak designed for my purpose is a better and more stable craft than a canoe.
Naturally I stay north of the FM 1097 bridge where the lake is in the National Forest because there is not much I find less appealing than to go boating in an area where all you see is a lot of people driving overpowered boats and personal watercrafts with little respect for anything or anybody, and houses stacked in so close together it’s hard to tell if they’re individual dwellings or apartment buildings.
When I get on the water, I want to see and hear nothing but Mother Nature in all her beauty and being serenaded by the water lapping at the hull, the birds singing and the sound of an occasional fish hitting the top of the water.
I guess that’s because of when and where I grew up. It was on the edge of Port Arthur, Texas and across the street from my house the coastal marshes started and there was nothing for twenty nine miles until you got to Winnie.
When I went out in the marsh most days, you would never see another boat or human and when you did they acted like they had good sense and would swing wide of other boats and anglers on the shore and slow down.
Now before you start with ‘it’s too hot, too cold’, ‘I don’t know where to go’, ‘I don’t own a kayak’, or any of the innumerable excuses that may cross your mind let me assure you that all of the equipment is readily available for rent right here on Lake Conroe.
The north end of Lake Conroe is ideal for a paddling outing. A few of the experiences you can seek after are comfortably fish the area where power boats cannot get to, birding, explore the lake, or just listening to Mother Nature and take in all of her beauty. One can seldom hear or feel such peace away from the noise of the 21st Century as when on the water paddling.
I strongly recommend for beginning paddlers that you definitely start by renting a kayak. That way you will get a kayak you need for the outing you have planned with all of the safety equipment and other accessories. That will enhance your beginning experience to paddling and you may choose to never purchase one for yourself and instead let the professionals supply you with what you need.
Whatever you do, do not go out to one of the many sporting goods or department stores and buy a kayak. Unless you are really and experienced paddler the odds of you getting what you really need for your trips is close to zero.
The North Lake Conroe Paddle Company has been renting all of the equipment you will need for your outing over twenty years. It matters not whether you are a beginner, well seasoned paddler, or a group out for a day on the water in the Sam Houston National Forest just plug their name into your search engine and you will find that Larry Mason and his team will have everything you need.
Oh, anglers don’t ask them about the current fishing information as they supply equipment, for fishing information read my fishing report in the Conroe Courier in hard copy or online.
Birding is also a favorite among kayakers as one can unobtrusively glide into areas, where motorized watercraft cannot go, and not disturb the wildlife. I have on many occasions sat watching Great Blue Herons hunting in the shallows and marveled and the stealth in which they can move in pursuit of a meal in the water. You may also see Bald Eagles, Osprey and numerous other raptors just to mention a few that I find fascinating.
If you would like to seek other kayaking adventures, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department states that Texas has more than 3,700 named streams, 15 major rivers and some 3,300 miles of tidal shoreline along the Gulf Coast that offers unlimited possibilities for paddling adventures and angling opportunities of all types.
So folks, if you want to give it a try and don’t want to go far from home to do so, I suggest you contact the North Lake Conroe Paddling Company and setup a trip to your liking right here on Lake Conroe. They can be reached at (936) 203-2697 or on line.
