I'll never forget my first time kayaking the Mountain Fork River in southeastern Oklahoma. The morning mist was lifting off the water when I spotted a bald eagle perched on a dead snag, surveying its kingdom. That moment – paddle frozen mid-stroke, heart racing – sold me on Oklahoma kayaking forever. After 15 years exploring […]

Last April, I found myself paddling the Kansas River at sunrise, watching a bald eagle snatch a fish from the water not 30 feet from my kayak. The mist was rising off the water, cottonwoods were budding along the banks, and I thought – why did it take me so long to discover Kansas paddling? […]

The first time I tried drop shot fishing, I was anchored in my fishing kayak just off a rocky point on Lake Travis. After struggling all morning with Texas rigs and getting nothing but short strikes, I tied on a drop shot out of desperation. Within ten minutes, I'd boated three chunky smallmouth that had […]

Last Saturday morning on Lake Travis, I watched my buddy struggle with his brand new Heddon Spook for nearly an hour. The lure just wouldn't walk - it kept coming straight back like a submarine periscope. By the time I showed him the slack line trick, he'd already spooked every bass in the cove. That […]

Last April, I watched the sun paint the Blue Ridge Mountains gold while paddling through morning mist on Lake Moomaw. A great blue heron stood perfectly still on the shoreline, waiting for breakfast. That's when it hit me – after 12 years of paddling every corner of Virginia, from the wild dolphins of Virginia Beach […]

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 – just 45 minutes from Minneapolis – reminded me […]

Last September, I was paddling the Upper Iowa River when a fellow kayaker from Chicago pulled up beside me at Chimney Rock. "I had no idea Iowa looked like this," he said, staring up at the 300-foot limestone palisades. "I thought it was all corn fields." I hear that a lot. After 20 years of […]

Introduction Last summer, I paddled the Pembina River just as the sun broke through the morning mist, and I'll never forget how the water looked like liquid glass between those towering valley walls. North Dakota might not be the first place that comes to mind for kayaking adventures, but after spending three months exploring every […]

Last Saturday, I watched a fellow paddler score an incredible deal on a $1,200 touring board for just $400. The catch? He knew exactly what to look for. After buying and selling dozens of used paddle boards over the past decade, I've learned that the right knowledge can save you hundreds of dollars—or prevent costly […]

Last April, I watched my depth finder mark a massive school of bass suspended over a submerged roadbed 30 feet down in O.H. Ivie. Three casts later, a 14-pound largemouth nearly yanked my rod from the kayak. That's when I knew Texas wasn't messing around with their ShareLunker program. After 20 years of chasing bass […]