Last Saturday morning on Lake Travis, I watched a guy flip his brand-new inflatable kayak three times trying to get in from the dock. By the fourth attempt, half the marina was watching – and offering advice. Sound familiar? Getting in and out of an inflatable kayak doesn't have to be a spectator sport. After […]

Last summer, I drove 2,400 miles from Austin to Alaska with my inflatable kayak stuffed in the trunk of my Honda Civic. No roof rack, no trailer – just me, my camping gear, and a rolled-up Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame packed between my cooler and sleeping bag. That trip taught me everything about transporting inflatable kayaks […]

The rod bent double, and my 4-pound smallmouth launched itself skyward. That's when Ranger, my 65-pound Lab, decided he absolutely needed to investigate this splashing situation – immediately. In one fluid motion, he lurched from his spot behind me, the kayak tilted precariously, and I found myself making a split-second decision: save the fish or […]

Last month, I made a costly mistake that still makes me wince. After a fantastic day paddling Lady Bird Lake, I was exhausted and hastily rolled up my inflatable kayak while it was still damp. Tossed it in the garage and forgot about it for two weeks. When I pulled it out for my next […]

Last spring, I watched my neighbor drag his heavy hardshell kayak across the parking lot at White Rock Lake, sweat pouring down his face. Meanwhile, I rolled up with my inflatable tucked in a backpack, inflated it in 10 minutes, and was on the water before he even reached the launch. That's when he asked […]

I'll never forget my first time trying to inflate my brand-new kayak at Lake Travis. There I was, manual pump in hand, sweating bullets in the Texas heat, wondering if I was about to blow up my $800 investment. Sound familiar? After years of inflating kayaks everywhere from calm Florida springs to rocky Colorado rivers, […]

Last summer, I watched my neighbor's Lab leap from his kayak for the fifth time in ten minutes. The poor guy spent more time hauling his dog back aboard than actually paddling. That's when I realized that kayaking with dogs isn't just about bringing them along—it's about setting up your kayak so both of you […]

I'll never forget the morning I discovered finger mullet as bait. After three hours of throwing artificials at Lady Bird Lake without a single strike, an old-timer paddled up in his beat-up kayak. "Son, what you need is some of these," he said, holding up a bucket of silvery finger mullet. Twenty minutes later, I […]

Last Saturday morning at Lake Fork, I watched a guy in a $70,000 bass boat strike out while I landed six solid largemouth from the bank. He had all the fancy electronics, custom rods, and a tackle box worth more than my truck. Meanwhile, I was working a beat-up spinnerbait along a fallen tree with […]

I'll never forget the morning I first launched my kayak into Chocolate Bayou. The sun was painting the Texas sky orange, and within minutes of paddling past the FM 2004 bridge, my rod nearly bent in half. A fat redfish had crushed my gold spoon in less than two feet of water. That 27-inch bruiser […]