At 11:47 PM on a new moon night, I hooked the bass that rewrote everything I thought I knew about trophy hunting. The strike came on a black spinnerbait with a modified glass rattle, slow-rolled through a junction area where a creek channel met a shallow flat. That 8-pound largemouth fought like nothing I'd ever […]

Pregnancy transforms nearly every aspect of daily life, from what you eat to how you sleep. For active women who love the water, one question surfaces early: can you continue paddling while expecting? The short answer is yes, for most healthy pregnancies, kayaking remains one of the safest forms of low-impact exercise you can enjoy […]

Quick Answer: Yes, kayaks can sink, but most modern designs resist it. Sit-on-top kayaks are nearly unsinkable due to sealed hulls. Sit-inside kayaks can sink without proper bulkheads or float bags. Sinking typically happens from overloading, hull damage, missing drain plugs, or failed hatch seals. With proper maintenance and safety gear, sinking is extremely rare. […]

There is a moment every kayak angler faces when their drag starts screaming and they realize the fight is on. A few minutes later, they find themselves staring at something unexpected: a wide, wing-shaped creature with a whip-like tail that could land them in the emergency room. That was me fifteen years ago in Galveston […]

That moment when you pull your favorite fishing shirt from the washer three times and it still smells like you dragged it through a baitwell? I have been there more times than I care to admit. After two decades of chasing bass, catfish, and everything in between across rivers and lakes from Texas to Florida, […]

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 […]

There's a moment every angler knows—that sinking feeling when you've thrown everything in your tackle box and the fish just won't cooperate. I was drifting along a break line on a high-pressure summer day when I finally caved and tied on a dropshot rig I'd been avoiding. Twenty minutes later, I'd put five solid bass […]

Last July, I watched the sunrise paint the limestone cliffs of the St. Croix River gold while paddling my fishing kayak through glass-calm water near Taylors Falls. A bald eagle swooped down 20 feet from my bow, snatching a smallmouth bass from the surface. That moment reminded me why Minnesota offers some of the most […]

There's a moment on the Kansas River when the morning sun hits the water just right, turning the prairie sky into a canvas of gold and rose. That was the moment I knew Kansas had been keeping secrets from outsiders. Three years and hundreds of paddling miles later, I'm still discovering new sandbars, hidden coves, […]

Last summer, I watched my paddle slice through water so clear I could count individual rocks 20 feet below. The Wood River's turquoise current pushed my kayak through a corridor of aspens while Mt. McLoughlin loomed in the distance. After paddling in 15 states, I can honestly say Oregon spoiled me – and it'll spoil […]