Paddling Education

Whether your definition of a “long canoe trip” is a weekend, a week, a month or six months, you want to stay healthy throughout your trip. The longer the trip, the more important it is that you’re aware of and practice those things that will keep you healthy.

Do you ever wonder if there are special secrets or tricks to fly casting from a kayak? As an avid kayak fly angler who learned to fly fish after learning to kayak, I can tell you there are a few tips, but no real secrets or tricks.

Bending Branches’ ProStaff team member, Chris Funk, already loved our Angler Pro Fiberglass kayak fishing paddles. Earlier this year he decided to take a chance and buy one of these paddles with a cosmetic blemish.

Sight fishing in shallow water is a challenge, but is something every kayak angler can learn to do with success. Bending Branches ProStaffer, Gene Jensen, gives us his best tips and tricks for sight fishing from your kayak in this video

One of the best things about paddle sports like canoeing and kayaking is that they’re low-impact, healthy activities we can continue to do well into our older years. Here are a few gear ideas that will make canoeing and kayaking easier as you get older.

If you’re a new paddler, the short answer is: yes, canoeing is harder than kayaking. In no way does that mean you shouldn’t give canoeing a try, though…and learn to kayak, too! But if you must choose between the two, most beginners find kayaking easier to learn.

In this video, Bending Branches ProStaff team member Chad Hoover gives us his opinion on the 10 best fishing kayaks for the money. These are boats that were on the market in 2021, covered in his early 2022 video.

Here at Bending Branches, one of our main goals is to get more people out on the water in canoes and kayaks. That’s why we believe in adaptive kayak and canoe programs and equipment.

With another season of increased interest in canoe camping, Mikaela Ferguson shares the Golden Rules of Portage Etiquette to get through any portage without incident.

Choosing a kayak fishing paddle—especially if you’re a new kayak angler—is an important decision. More important than you might think.

A few years ago my dad vocalized that he’d always wanted to paddle the Nahanni River. He’d done a little canoe tripping in his youth, but he always reminisced about 5-day canoe trip on the Moose River when he was a Boy Scout. At this point, it had been almost 40 years since he’d held a paddle. This is how my dad and I worked our way up to paddling the Nahanni River, plus advice on how to start canoeing!

Les Voyageurs is a Minnesota-based non-profit organization that provides the adventure of a lifetime for young people—a month-long canoe trip into remote areas of the US and Canada.

Want to know more about our cosmetic second blades? This article discusses how we determine what is a cosmetic second and accompanying frequently asked questions.

Bending Branches ProStaffer, Chris Funk, kayak fishes all over the southeastern United States. One of the questions he gets most is: “How about paddling with gators? Are they dangerous? What do we need to look out for?”

Ian Finch and Jamie Barnes, both UK natives, partnered with two others for a winter canoe trip in the wilds of Scotland’s lochs. As often happens, their trip didn’t go quite as planned, but the changes brought them to a magical “hidden glen” they wouldn’t have wanted to miss.

No matter how clear and clean backcountry water looks, there’s no guarantee it’s safe for people to drink. Microorganisms in wilderness waters can cause an array of nasty consequences, from mild to severe.

Adaptive Adventures gets people with physical disabilities active outdoors, including on the water, through their adaptive kayak, paddleboard and dragon boat programs.

Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) and Bending Branches ProStaff team member, Chad Hoover, reviews the VISICarbon Pro, something “every kayak angler should have in their kayak.”

2022 marks our 40th Anniversary year here at Bending Branches. What began as a 2-man shop in a garage has grown to our 37,000 square-foot headquarters in Osceola, Wisconsin.

Bending Branches’ ProStaffer, Drew Gregory, takes us through his kayak fishing set-up when he wants to strip down for simplicity and ease of movement for a tournament.

Backcountry canoe camping is a pretty amazing way to spend a few days. You always have a lakeside campsite. You can fish, swim, relax. You can paddle from site to site or stay in one spot.