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The first time I dropped my kayak into the emerald waters of Emerald Cove, I couldn't believe this desert state held such paddling treasures. After five years of exploring Arizona's waters from the Colorado River to hidden mountain lakes, I've discovered that this "dry" state offers some of the most spectacular kayaking in the Southwest. […]

The morning sun cast long shadows across Lake Powell's red cliffs as I launched my kayak from Antelope Point Marina. Three hours later, after weaving through Antelope Canyon's narrow walls and discovering hidden alcoves that most boaters never see, I understood why this place has become my annual pilgrimage destination. Lake Powell isn't just another […]

That morning on Caddo Lake will forever be etched in my memory. My golden retriever, Bailey, stood on the dock watching me load the kayak, tail wagging with pure excitement. She'd seen this routine dozens of times but had never been invited along. When I finally called her aboard, the look of pure joy on […]

Last Saturday morning on Lake Travis, I was dead-sticking a wacky worm along a rocky point when my buddy Chad powered past me with his trolling motor humming. Twenty minutes later, he'd boated three solid largemouths while I sat there fishless. That's when it hit me – I'd been overthinking bass fishing for years when […]

I'll never forget the day my $300 YakAttack BlackPak fell off my kayak and sank in 20 feet of water at Lake Travis. Standing there watching bubbles rise where my fancy crate disappeared, I made a promise: never again would I spend big money on what's essentially a glorified milk crate. That weekend, I built […]

I still remember my first kayak fishing trip on Lake Travis. My buddy Jake spent the entire drive trying to talk me out of it. "You're gonna flip that thing the second you hook a fish," he warned. "And good luck catching anything - fish can hear kayaks coming from a mile away." Three hours […]

I'll never forget my first attempt at fishing from a kayak. Picture this: Lake Travis, 6 AM, me trying to paddle with one hand while casting with the other, only to hook my own life jacket and nearly flip the whole setup. Twenty years and thousands of fish later, I'm still learning new tricks about […]

I'll never forget the day I discovered my 3-year-old Perception fishing kayak had literally crumbled under its own weight. The hull split right down the middle as I lifted it off the rack – $1,200 worth of plastic turned into oversized recycling. That expensive lesson taught me everything about UV protection for kayaking the hard […]

Last summer, I launched my kayak into Tomales Bay just as the morning fog lifted, revealing a pod of harbor seals playing in the glassy water. After 20 years of paddling California's diverse waterways - from the rugged Lost Coast to the desert lakes of SoCal - I'm still discovering new favorite spots. The Golden […]

Bottom Line Up Front: Two documented cases show kayakers being temporarily engulfed by humpback whales—one in Chile (2025) and another in California (2020). Both paddlers survived unharmed, and experts confirm whales cannot actually swallow humans due to throat size limitations. Here's everything you need to know about these incredible encounters and how to stay safe […]

The first time I paddled into Painted Cave on Santa Cruz Island, my headlamp died halfway through the 1,200-foot cavern. There I was, in complete darkness with only the sound of water lapping against ancient volcanic walls. My guide's voice echoed from somewhere ahead: "Just follow the sound of my paddle." That moment of pure […]

The sun was barely peeking over the treeline when I slipped my kayak into Miller's Farm Pond last spring. Within ten minutes of working a weightless Senko parallel to the cattail edge, a 5-pound largemouth exploded on the surface. That fish taught me something I'd been missing after years of chasing bass on big lakes: […]