Ok, so the weather is starting to turn cooler and the leaves are starting to change. The breeze brings a slight chill, but the direct sunlight will balance that out and keep you warm. If the wind is winning out over the sunshine then you just add another layer! This is fall and this is the time of the year when I love to be outside in Arkansas.

So my wife and I decided to head out on a kayaking adventure. Originally, I wanted to head out early in the morning and make it an all-day adventure, but I conceded to wait until mid-day. So the temperatures hit 70 degrees, which I can honestly say it was a good decision to wait. Hope and I headed down to 2 Rivers Park, in Little Rock, and launched our kayaks. We headed west on the Little Maumelle River because kayaking out into the Arkansas River is just silly.

Taking the Ascend FS12 kayak out on the Little Maumelle River in Little Rock, AR.

The breeze was mild but slightly cool and the sun was warm but not overbearing. It was an absolutely beautiful day to be outside. There were a few motor boats out, but they were mostly trolling along the rock wall. My experience with kayaking in this area is that the boats are mindful of the canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards. I’ve heard stories of boaters who were oblivious of their paddling cohorts, but there are so many paddle people in this area now that I have to think that people are mindful.

One of the particularly neat things about this day was the vast amount of really small fish that were rising to the surface of the water. I have no idea what species they were but they were neat, small, and silvery fish that were just all over the place. They were really active and swimming in the top two inches of the water column. Every once in a while a couple of them would jump and splash.

However, this adventure was specifically to get some paddle time in, so I didn’t take much in the way of a fishing pole or tackle. I’m not saying that I didn’t take anything or that I didn’t fish, but I did agree to make this kayak trip all about the paddling adventure. We went a total, round trip, of 2.15 miles and it was a tone of fun. I did manage to catch a small bass on a crankbait that I painted, so that was a lot of fun.

A view of the Big Dam Bridge from the Little Maumelle River in Little Rock, AR.

We had a great 2-hour kayak adventure! Regardless of whether you are out for some fishing or just out for a great paddle, I highly recommend this stretch of water. This is especially great if you just want a quick adventure in Little Rock and just have a couple of hours to spare. I know that I don’t have the stamina or the endurance, but I really think that this is going to be a goal for an all-day fishing kayak adventure.