Small River Fun In The Liska

Small rivers can be a blast when the hot, humid summer days get cranked up. Over Memorial Day weekend we got an early taste of the 90’s and that southern Indiana humidity. Knowing we had 3 full days to fish we opted to head to the Blue River and chase down a few smallmouth bass in the new Liska’s. It’s a popular venue but one I’d never personally visited so I was pretty excited to wake up Saturday morning to check it out.

The Blue River by no means is a big river but it is big enough that it offers some great fishing and some fun floating. Grubbs and I decided to meet at Old Mill Canoe off of US 150 in Fredericksburg, IN. Old Mill Canoe provided us a great spot to meet up half way  travel wise and is one of the first usable put-in points along Blue River. Our plan was fish down river until the 1^st float trip of the day caught up, then start working back up the river to the area above where the day trips start.

The Liska offered up a great choice in kayak for the day as well as offering some great options to pack gear for a small river trip. One thing I added to my personal Liska was the under seat storage tray, the storage tray made it great to pack a couple Plano boxes, pliers and my fish grips. In the center console I able to pack 2 water tight boxes that housed my wallet, phone, keys, hooks and weights. The front hatch had my rain gear, the tank well housed my lunch box and the seat bag a few soft plastics. Throw in a couple rods paired with the lighter weight of the Liska and you have a day of run ahead.

River conditions were great for the day, the shade that small river provided was welcoming as the sun got high. The fishing was good as well, we were able to hook up with a few line burning smallmouth during our trip.  The Liska really held up her end of the deal as well for fishing on the Blue River and made the day a breeze. She battled everything we threw at her going up and down sections of water with ease. The kayak never felt over matched for the day. To be real honest I was just as comfortable in my Liska as I’d been in my Big Rig.

We left a lot of river to explore for future trips and it’s a trip we will be taking again soon enough as the heat of summer continues to build. Places like the Blue River offer a nice break from the lakes this time of year. When the suns hot and the temps are climbing the shade cooler and water can make a day of fishing way more pleasurable. It’s also fun to have a kayak like the Liska that provides the ability to fish so many different ways comfortably.

Lastly a big thanks to the folks at Old Mill Canoe rental for letting us come in at 1^st light and use their launch site. We look forward to our next trip down the Blue River.

Stay Crazy,

Chad Brock