I'm in the upper Chesapeake Bay region. We got plenty of grass and black mud in the shallow tidal spots where I fish for bigmouths in the weeds and reeds. So I decided to retire the kayak and order a little SPS 6.5hp kit to push a light flat bottom. We're not bustin' the bayou around here. Just need some transportation.

Here's the dilemma: I also do a lot of smallmouth fishing in the upland rivers like the Potomac, Susquehanna, Shenandoah and others. Rocks, rocks, more rocks. Since I fish in a kayak and went with an SPS I guess you already know I cant afford a $30K Rock Proof Jet River Rocket ((http://www.rockproofboats.com/)). Anyway, my boat's not big enough to hang even a small 25hp jet O/B. So now I figure I have to try and rock guard that little longtail even though I'm certain many experienced hands will tell me its a dumb idea.

The vendor sells a rock guard that looks laughably flimsy, but I ordered it anyway. I'm aware it will slow me down and won't work in weeds but I'm not too stressed about that, as long as I can take it off for marsh runs.

Surely there must be something better, but my web searching turns up nothing else that looks usable. If you know of a product, please post.

I'm already scheming to fabricate something that I can quickly attach to the skeg for river runs --- and remove fast with no more than a socket wrench when I go back down to the bay. When I was a kid my neighbor hung a pitchfork on his little 9.5 -- but I'm not there yet. On the other hand, I sure am hoping some experienced hands can weigh in with advice or ideas.