Last Saturday morning on Lake Travis, I watched my friend Sarah, seven months pregnant, gracefully paddle her sit-on-top kayak across glass-calm water. "I feel more comfortable here than walking on land," she laughed, patting her bump. That moment perfectly captured what I've learned after talking with dozens of pregnant paddlers – yes, you can kayak […]

Last summer on Lake Travis, I watched a paddler's sit-in kayak slowly disappear beneath the surface after he forgot to replace his drain plug. As he treaded water in his PFD, waiting for his buddy to paddle over, I couldn't help but think about all the misconceptions surrounding kayak flotation. That incident sparked countless conversations […]

The morning I landed my first stingray while kayak fishing in Galveston Bay, I had no clue what I was getting into. Twenty minutes later, after nearly impaling myself twice trying to unhook it, I realized stingray cleaning isn't something you wing. The venomous barb demands respect, but once you know what you're doing, stingray […]

Last weekend on Lake Travis, I helped my buddy land a 7-pound bass – his personal best. We were stoked until he realized his favorite fishing shirt smelled like he'd been swimming in a bait bucket. Three washes later, that funk was still hanging on stronger than a catfish on a trotline. After 20 years […]

The first time I tried filleting a bass, I butchered it so badly my fishing buddy asked if I was making fish nuggets or cat food. That 3-pound largemouth from Lake Travis deserved better, and I knew it. Fast forward ten years and thousands of bass later, I can now produce two perfect boneless fillets […]

Last April, I was paddling across Lake Fork in Texas just as the sun cracked the horizon. The water temp had just hit 62°F, and I knew the big females would be moving up. Twenty minutes later, my drop shot got crushed by a 7-pound largemouth in 8 feet of water. That's when the light […]

The splash came out of nowhere at 2 AM, nearly launching me out of my kayak on Lake Travis. My black buzzbait had been gurgling across the surface for what felt like hours when a monster largemouth decided it was dinner time. That 7-pounder changed everything I thought I knew about bass fishing. Since that […]

Last spring, I watched a friend struggle for hours in his brand-new 17-foot sea kayak on our local lake. He'd bought it because it looked "professional" and cost twice as much as the recreational models. Problem was, he couldn't turn the thing to save his life – spent more time doing three-point turns than actually […]

Last February, I was breaking ice with my paddle just to launch my kayak on Lake Travis. The water temp read 42°F, and everyone at the ramp thought I'd lost my mind. Three hours later, I paddled back with a 7-pound largemouth that crushed a jig in 25 feet of water. That's when I learned […]

Last Saturday on Lake Travis, I watched a guy struggle with his catch for five minutes before finally tossing it in his cooler – still flopping. The fish suffered needlessly, and I guarantee his fillets tasted worse because of it. After 20 years of kayak fishing from Texas to Florida, I've learned that how you […]