# Sticky  Essential Web Sites



## streamstalker

I was thinking about suggesting this as a sticky the other day, and then someone got one started with yak pictures.

When Bubbagon posted the page for Walhonding access the other day, it made me realize that a lot of people are unaware of some of the great resources for yakking around Ohio.

There is the ODNR page for launch points: http://watercraft.ohiodnr.gov/where-to-boat/rivers-streams

and water trails: http://ohiodnr.com/watercraft/watertrails/tabid/2897/default.aspx

And the indespensable US Geological Service's stream gauge site: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt

Any others?

I have ordered a couple things from here and found their customer service to be good: http://www.austinkayak.com/


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## gibson330usa

http://www.kayakanglermag.com/index.php


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## lotaluck

http://kayakfishinggear.com/

Good prices on gear. Everything you need for bungies!


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## farleybucks

Not sure if it fits "essential web sites", but 
WhiteWater Warehouse in Dayton often put together many events friendly to kayak fishing. River cleanups, fishing kayak demos, trip reports, etc. I know a few people on this site are also fishing team members. Event Calendar link on the website shows all upcoming events/classes for fishing/whitewater/recreational/touring.

http://www.kayakdayton.com/


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## streamstalker

farleybucks said:


> Not sure if it fits "essential web sites", but
> WhiteWater Warehouse in Dayton often put together many events friendly to kayak fishing. River cleanups, fishing kayak demos, trip reports, etc. I know a few people on this site are also fishing team members. Event Calendar link on the website shows all upcoming events/classes for fishing/whitewater/recreational/touring.
> 
> http://www.kayakdayton.com/


I think it's great to build up a list of web resources. The thread title probably isn't the best.


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## flyphisherman

windalert.com

Great site......Gives good current info....and it has some nice forecasting options


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## streamstalker

flyphisherman said:


> windalert.com
> 
> Great site......Gives good current info....and it has some nice forecasting options


I like the way it gives you the arrows to give you an idea of how it's likely to be blowing on various stretches of river. I usually just use the www.intellicast.com site and click on the _hourly_ forecast for wind direction. That site is a lot more specific. 

I'm reentering it so you can click on it. www.windalert.com


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## landarcjedi

http://weatherspark.com
by far my favorite weather site, has sweet graphs that you can customize


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## farleybucks

Here are a few websites that would interest fishin yakers....
http://www.buckeyekayakfishingtrail.com/

http://www.kayakwars.com/index.php

https://www.facebook.com/BuckeyeKayakFishingTrail

https://twitter.com/BuckeyeKFT


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## Greenhorn

Thank You, excellent information. I have yet to make my maiden voyage in my Old Towne Saranac, it's 15'4 x 44.4. Square stern Minnkota Endura C-2 45 thrust. I'm in southwest Ohio, and can hardly wait to get wet!


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## gabertooth

This is a great conversation about some great websites! I have been looking high and low for a website that will publish the "normal summer pool" levels of the rivers and lakes in the areas... the waterdata website only lists the flood stages and current levels, but no where, that i can find, are the normal levels listed... Any ideas?


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## EcoAngler

All good suggestions. But here is one you can do for yourself. Create and maintain a simple water journal to better find your best and worst levels, access, temps and conditions. Added things like USGS river gage report, or other web-based resource.


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## streamstalker

Check out these topo maps for lengths of flows. You may have to download a few to fill in all the gaps on your flow...old school pencil and paper stuff:
ftp://ftp-gis.epa.state.oh.us/gisdepot/gisdata/dsw/RMI_Maps


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## meathelmet

Ohios Lake Erie Public Access Guidebook  Rivers Edition is available as a 285-page printed book as well as an online guide that includes links to interactive maps and Web resources.

http://www2.ohiodnr.gov/news/post/od...s-and-paddlers


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## FishFrenzy89

http://www.backcountry.com


This site has great deals on kayaks and kayak accessories.. Some of the prices on the kayaks are almost unbelievable.


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## Zachthebear

Are there any websites/resources that are like a GPS for river systems? Something to map out trip length, approximate duration, etc?


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## Bubbagon

gabertooth said:


> This is a great conversation about some great websites! I have been looking high and low for a website that will publish the "normal summer pool" levels of the rivers and lakes in the areas... the waterdata website only lists the flood stages and current levels, but no where, that i can find, are the normal levels listed... Any ideas?


If you look at the USGS stream gage sites themselves, there's always a series of orange triangles across the graph. They represent the "normal" levels for that time of year:







Zachthebear said:


> Are there any websites/resources that are like a GPS for river systems? Something to map out trip length, approximate duration, etc?


Google Earth will do the trick for you. It has a measuring tool that will allow you to click and drop bread crumbs along a river and it will cumulatively give you the total distance.
Fishing time is usually one mile of river per hour.


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## crittergitter

Here's a new one. Douglas Leed turned us onto a new interactive map that they have out. You can customize it and find access points for all the different flows in the state. Be sure to go to the tab in upper left designated for Paddling and Amenities

Interactive Map of Ohio's Stream Flows


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## streamstalker

I originally posted this on March 30, 2014 in the Central Ohio forum. I have updated it because of recent questions and the old photo links were broken.

Well, yesterday's precip had me checking the gages http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/?m=real&r=oh to see if there was anything worth paddling in my area...there wasn't. I figured I'd do a little primer on how I read the gages. I'm sure others will have things to add. 

The first thing I do is click on the Ohio portion of the map to give me an overview:


You'll see the dots are color coded according to how strongly water at that station is flowing according to at least 30 years of data at that site. The hollow dots are stations with less than 30 years of data, but they can still give valuable data on the flow, especially if you are familiar with that stream.

What I'm looking for this time of year are generally red or orange dots indicating the stream is running low. Why? Because it is spring, and the median flow rate is high--often dangerous or unfishable. Notice too, that the green/normal range comprises 50 percentiles, so at the bottom of that range it may be quite fishable; at the top it might be deadly.



Next, I move my cursor over the dots to give me a quick read of that station. If I am very familiar with that flow I may know immediately what I want to know: 250 cfs--let's go fishing; 750 cfs--keep on looking.



To get a better picture of what your stream is doing, click on the "hydrograph" tab:




For me, that is the money shot as you can see how the stream is trending and where it is against the 50th percentile of flow for that time of year (the triangles on the graphs). If the flow is within 25 percentiles above or below that triangle, you get a green dot on the map for "normal" flow.

Once again, that normal flow varies greatly according to the season. In June, I'm looking for green dots. In March/April, I'm looking for red and yellow dots. In August I'm hoping to see blue dots, or at least a green dot where the flow is on the high side of the third quartile.

If you want to get an idea of how your stream flows at different times of the year, you can change the date parameters: 


*The default setting is for the last seven days.*

Here is what the Scioto looked like the first week of September, 2013 (a traditionally dry period):



*Notice how the triangles indicate a median flow rate around 200 cfs for that time of year, versus the 2000 cfs median for right now.*

It's kind of neat to set a 360-day parameter to see what your river did over the course of a year:




*Looks like the Scioto ran from around 150 to 15,000 cfs in Cbus last year.*

Some cautions: If the gage you are reading is upstream of where you intend to float, consider that every tributary and runoff below that is adding to the cfs as you go downstream. Some streams may be much more radically affected by runoff than others. The gage in this thread is just downstream from the Olentangy/Scioto confluence. If I were going to float or wade down there, I'd also check the gages upriver on both flows to see what is likely to come down.


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## streamstalker

crittergitter said:


> Here's a new one. Douglas Leed turned us onto a new interactive map that they have out. You can customize it and find access points for all the different flows in the state. Be sure to go to the tab in upper left designated for Paddling and Amenities
> 
> Interactive Map of Ohio's Stream Flows


That is pretty cool! I noticed it has some glitches. If you click on the "details," it doesn't always sync with the right location. I like how you can switch to different views like on Google. 

ODNR also needs to update their location info. There have been quite a few "official" launch points added recently.


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## streamstalker

..........
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL0-pvp2blY[/ame]


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## fishmonster13

I use some apps on my phone that should be shared. One is called launch site, gives info on launch sites and the other is called fish brain, you can post your catches and it is like a fishing journal.


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