The "Backwaters" of Fond du Lac

Fond du Lac has been a place where I have explored many new locations to kayak and and enjoy the outdoors. With the help of my little map on google, I noticed a couple of rivers to trek up but when I accidentally zoomed in further, I noticed this fine line of water. It’s called Taycheedah Creek.

Beautiful little creek especially right after spring. It’s a narrow creek about 12 feet wide. It was enough space for me to turn my 9.5 feet kayak around to go back for pictures. It’s also very shallow, about 1-3 feet deep. The dimensions are not the reason why I have written about this creek though. The reason why I focused on this site was because of the simple fact that not too many people know about it nor pay any attention to it as a possible place to kayak. I was shocked when I asked a kayaking friend of mine if they have ever been in the back water and they just looked at me. “You know, Taycheedah Creek?” I got nothing but a deer in the headlight look from them.

See something jumping out of the water?

This little spot of water holds a “Hall of Nature” feel to me. After I came in the west side of the creek I had a view from the water that looked like looking down a hall to a very large mansion. This hall held some beautiful images of nature than couldn't be held in a frame.
During the full trek, there is one place where a kayak might get hung up for a little bit, where the two creeks intersect, but nothing a little scooting couldn't handle.

I highly recommend exploring the creek that intersects with Taycheedah Creek if for nothing else, just to see the different area and experience the little babbling brook at the end of it. Just make sure your kayak is small enough to turn around, otherwise you will be paddling backwards instead.

The Taycheedah Creek is an amazing little backwater to paddle down. You can witness wildlife such as deer, ducks, cranes and much more in this little place that is right on the southern side of Lake Winnebago. I highly encourage any novice to come down and get your feet wet in this little area.

Getting Fond du Lac on the Paddling Map

Around mid-June I wrote an article about the Fond du lac River and submitted it to Paddling.net website. They approved it and now it is available for all to see. They didn't post the image I was hoping for but it was still nice.

I am trying to draw more attention to Fond du Lac's kayaking resources because there are many places you can go to in the area as well as using FDL as the start of the trek.

Here is a link to the article:
http://www.paddling.net/places/showReport.html?2938

The Nice Back Waters Isn't So Nice...Anymore

Crawfish Hunting For My Girls

So do you remember me mentioning before about the portion of the West Fond Du Lac river that I wanted to keep in mind for the future? Well, it's the future now. I went back up that way to find some crawfish for my girls. They wanted something different in the fish tank and the crawfish was a good idea. I was able to catch 4 of them but in the end, I only kept 1 little guy.

My girls were so happy about that. After having the little guy for a few days, the tank started getting some algae growing on it so I bought a plecostomus. The bad thing about this little guy was the fact that the crawfish, who is very little and no bigger than the plecostomus, ate him within three days of having him. I knew that crawfish would eat them but I was hoping that the plecostomus would try to stay away from him. I guess I need to get a bigger one next time.......much bigger.

Two Can Be Better Than One

A Friend of mine wanted to go kayaking so I was all for it. The problem for me was the fact that I had a wedding to go to around 2pm and I still had some chores to complete before anything else could happen. She offered to help get it all done and we were able to get that completed within an hour.....amazing.

She and I hit the water and decided to go to Supple Marsh and in order to do that we had to go up the river and then go under the bridge which is about 2 feet tall. Let just say she handled it really well and kept her cool. We then slowly went around the marsh and she was just excited to be back in the water all over again. I hope she can make it in the water more often, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't go kayaking for the rest of the summer......I would be a sad man.

The trip was a a good trip and next time, we would have to spend more time in supple marsh to fully explore the rest.

Did Some Hand Walking and The Water Was Good

Went a Little Further This Time

So, Walleye Weekend is still going on and I don't have access to my boat landing. So I went to Supple Marsh to put the boat in. There is a little bridge that connects that marsh to the river and it is approximately 2 feet tall and posses a little challenge to get under to the other side, but I like a challenge.

I took the river up as I normally do and once I got to the rocks that stopped me before, I got out and went for a little walk. While I was walking up the river I noticed a lot of crawfish and thought I would keep a mental note for my girls in the future. I got back into the boat and continued on further but not for long. I then turned back at Siemor Road.

On my way back, it started getting a little dark but not too dark that I needed lights. I still need to create some kind of lighting system that is very compact and concealable. 

Exploring the East Fond du Lac River

Passed The Hump In The River

Almost Made It Through

Lake Flies and Diving Ducklings