A Texas rig for bass pairs a bullet-shaped slip sinker, an offset worm hook (or extra-wide-gap hook), and a soft plastic rigged weedless so the hook point sits inside the bait. It's the most versatile freshwater bass rig we teach at our shop, and one I personally lean on from January through December on everything […]

I lost more walleye in my first two seasons than I care to admit, and almost every one of those losses came back to the same lesson: I did not know how to rig a live bait for walleye the right way. I was tying my hook straight to the mainline, skipping the swivel, and […]

Rigging a kayak for fishing means installing and arranging the safety gear, paddle, electronics, rod holders, storage, and anchoring accessories needed to fish effectively from a sit-on-top or sit-in kayak. After spending more than 80 hours on the water with three different kayaks and counting, I have learned that a properly rigged kayak keeps your […]

I was halfway across a flat-water cove when my board started going soft underneath me. No pop, no slap, just that slow, sinking feeling as the air seeped out somewhere I couldn't see. That was the day I learned how to repair a puncture in an inflatable SUP the right way — and I've patched […]

Yes, a cracked hardshell kayak can be repaired at home. If you've spotted a hairline fracture or a through-crack in your polyethylene, ABS, or composite kayak, this guide walks you through exactly how to repair a crack in a hardshell kayak using plastic welding rods, marine-grade epoxy, and the prep steps that prevent the crack […]

Learning how to remove a tick safely has been a non-negotiable skill since I started hiking and paddling seriously eight years ago. Our team has pulled ticks off kids, dogs, and each other after long weekends on the trail, and the procedure we follow is the same one the CDC, Canadian Public Health Agency, and […]

You do not need to register a kayak in every state. How to register a kayak in your state depends on three triggers: motorization, length, and your specific state's rule on paddlecraft. About 30 states exempt non-motorized kayaks entirely, while the rest require registration once a motor is added or once the boat crosses a […]

If you flipped your kayak and you are reading this with wet hair, here is the short answer: stay calm, hold your paddle if you can, lean forward, pull the spray-skirt grab loop, push off the coaming, surface, flip the boat upright, then re-enter with a paddle float or a partner. Learning how to recover […]

Learning how to read a topographic map is the single biggest skill upgrade you can make before heading into the backcountry. A topo map turns a flat piece of paper into a three-dimensional picture of the terrain, showing hills, valleys, saddles, water sources, and trails long before you reach them. After hundreds of miles hiking […]

I have spent more weekends than I can count staring at a printed solunar chart taped to the dash of my truck, trying to decide whether to launch the kayak or stay home and mow the lawn. A solunar fishing calendar is a forecast tool that predicts the best times to fish based on the […]