Last summer, I finally hit my breaking point. My garage looked like a kayak graveyard with boats stacked on boats, paddles scattered everywhere, and my wife threatening to park my truck outside if I brought home "just one more" fishing kayak. Sound familiar? That's when I decided to build my own kayak storage shed. After […]

Last Memorial Day weekend, I watched in envy as a parade of kayakers glided past my picnic spot at Lighthouse Point Park. Their colorful boats dotted the calm waters of Morris Creek like floating confetti, and that's when I knew – I'd been missing out on one of Connecticut's best-kept secrets. After spending the entire […]

Last Friday at dawn, I sat in my kayak watching the mist rise off Lake Travis, completely still except for the gentle drip of water from my paddle. That's when it hit me - the quote my grandfather used to say: "The river teaches what books cannot." Twenty years of paddling later, I finally understood […]

The morning mist was just lifting off Lake Willoughby when I first dipped my paddle into Vermont's waters. That was 12 years ago, and I've been hooked ever since. Between the covered bridges reflecting in calm waters and the blazing fall colors framing every paddle stroke, Vermont has become my go-to destination when I need […]

Last weekend at Mosquito Lagoon, I watched a game warden write three tickets in under an hour. The violations? Missing safety gear that most paddlers didn't even know they needed. After 20 years paddling Florida waters from the Panhandle to the Keys, I've learned that understanding Florida kayak laws and regulations isn't just about avoiding […]

I'll never forget my first run-in with Michigan DNR officers on Lake St. Clair. There I was, paddling my brand-new fishing kayak, feeling like the king of the water – until the patrol boat pulled up. Turns out, my trolling motor meant I needed registration numbers, and my "I'll just grab a PFD if I […]

Last Saturday at Lake Travis, I watched two friends have the exact same argument I've been hearing for years: "Kayaks are way better for fishing!" versus "Dude, paddleboards are so much more fun!" After 12 years of paddling both and owning three kayaks plus two SUPs, I can tell you they're both wrong – and […]

The sun was just breaking over Lake Travis when I watched a first-time paddler struggle to keep his rented canoe going straight. Twenty minutes later, his buddy in a kayak had already made it to the far shore while canoe-guy was still zigzagging like a drunk fish. That morning perfectly captured the canoe vs kayak […]

I'll never forget my first kayak crabbing trip in Puget Sound. I thought I knew what I was doing after years of fishing from my kayak, but watching my borrowed crab pot sink into 40 feet of water with no buoy attached taught me a $50 lesson real quick. The old-timer who lent me the […]

The first time I paddled beneath the towering cliffs of Pictured Rocks, my hands were shaking - not from fear, but from pure awe. A 200-foot wall of multicolored sandstone rose straight out of crystal-clear water so cold it took my breath away. That was twelve years ago, and I've been obsessed with Lake Superior […]