Page 167 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2021

RIGHT: DANIEL FELSHER paddles a canoe through a small lake. Often, narrow, shallow channels lead to “lost” lakes where large boats can never go. BELOW: TWO PEOPLE paddle a canoe on a small creek. Canoes tend to run larger than kayaks, so then can carry more gear and people.
BELOW BOTTOM: An angler shows off a speckled trout she caught from her kayak. With a kayak or canoe, anglers can get into small areas where larger boats cannot go.
recommend a sit-on-top kayak. It’s self-bailing to let water out. If a paddler falls off, that person can get back on a sit- on-top kayak easier than another type of kayak or a canoe. Before buying a boat, I recommend a beginner rent one or two types to try first.”
Companies sell kayaks specifically designed for fishing. Paddlers can catch everything from bluegills to blue marlin. Some kayaks come with comfortable seats, bait wells, built- in rod holders, enclosed storage areas and other features. Anglers can place a couple rods into the holders and troll while paddling to their favorite fishing holes.
Many paddlers like to drift rivers. This involves floating with the current to a take-out point. Paddlers would need to preposition a second vehicle downstream or arrange for a pick-up so they can return to their original launching point and retrieve their first vehicle.
“The Tchoutacabouffa Paddling Trail in D’Iberville on the Tchoutacabouffa River is a great place to paddle,” Alexander advises. “It’s not really a fast-moving river, so anybody can paddle it and stop at numerous sandbars to eat lunch, swim, fish or just relax.”
Many nature preserves, wildlife management areas and national wildlife refuges around South Mississippi offer excellent paddling opportunities. Some of these include
the Wolf River, Escatawpa River Coastal Marsh Preserve, Pascagoula River Marsh Coastal Preserve, Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Biloxi River Marshes Coastal Preserve, the Jourdan River and Bayou Caddy.
“The best part about living in Coastal Mississippi is we have so many different kinds of places to paddle,” Alexander says. “We have rivers, bayous, marshes, bays. People can paddle out to Deer Island in about 10 minutes. There’s a lot to do out there and the scenery is great. Anywhere off the beaches would be great places to paddle.”
People interested in seriously getting into paddling might considering joining a local canoe or kayaking club. Do a little internet search to find paddling clubs.
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