Kayak's First Rides

I can't imagine a finer place for any boat's inaugural ride than on the storied waters of the Santee Cooper lakes, and that's exactly where my new Old Town Vapor Angler 10 first found water. Trip logistics really only allowed my 13-year-old son Asher and I to do test rides during last week's trip to Black's Camp. However, we both spent enough time paddling and casting to get a solid feel for the ride, and we loaded and unloaded it a few different times and hauled it 250 miles each way, mostly at interstate speeds.

I gave the Vapor the first trial, going directly out of Blacks in backwaters along the edge of Lake Moultrie on the day we got to town while Asher fished from a boat we borrowed on site. That was a brief arrival day window, though, and our plan was to spend much more time doing similarly the final morning we were in town. Unfortunately, that morning a harsh wind swept directly into those backwaters, and we decided to steer toward home. We did opt to stop at Santee State Park, where Big Poplar Creek feeds Lake Marion, on the way home. The creek was protected from the wind, so we slipped the boat in the creek for Asher to give the kayak a brief try while I watched and took photos.

So far I'm delighted with this boat, and I suspect it will accompany me on a lot of my trips. I can load, unload and launch it alone easily enough, when needed, so it will open fishing access to many new areas, along with providing many new photo vantages.

Once Asher and I figured out the best set-up, the two of us could load the boat and strap it down for a secure ride in about five minutes. On the water. it glides nicely and is simple to control and quite stable and dry, despite its small size. The paddle rest works nicely putting the paddle right where it's needed, and the rod-holders get rods out of the way but in very easy reach.

Having given the new kayak a couple of very brief tests, I'm more eager than ever to get it out on a more significant fishing outing. Soon!