Why Pedals and Motors Won’t Replace Paddles
7-minute read
Bending Branches Regional Ambassador Cameron Smith uses both pedals and motors on his fishing kayaks. But he still knows the importance of having a reliable paddle.
Sure, pedal-drive kayaks and electric motors are great tools that many kayak anglers love to use for their fishing. They offer several benefits. Many of the anglers on our regional and national teams—like Cameron—use one or the other, or both.
That said, a reliable kayak paddle still has an important place among your gear. We hopped on a Zoom call with Cameron to get his first-hand take on why. Here’s our conversation with him:
BENDING BRANCHES: You use pedal-drive kayaks and motors when you fish. Why a paddle, too?
CAMERON: I do use both pedals and motors. I particularly like to use pedals because, for me, hands-free fishing is optimal. I fish a lot of shallow water and am always trying to navigate around sticks and trees. In my area down here in Texas, a lot of our waterways are flooded. But I still do like that natural ability to be able to paddle sometimes.
I’ve been fishing all my life and had always been a bank fisherman. But right after college, I was frustrated because I wanted to get out there on the water. I lived in an apartment with my roommate, so I didn’t have any space. But I came across this little inflatable for 50 bucks, and it came with some oars. Eventually, I put a trolling motor on it.
It was very ragtag, but it was something just to get me out on the water so I had a better chance of catching fish.
One day my battery died. There were a lot of high winds that day and I was probably a good mile from my launch. I hadn’t used the oars yet that came with this inflatable kayak—and they were so bad! I was just going in circles. Eventually, they were really only good to use to flag someone down to help me.
After that, I knew having a paddle was necessary. I upgraded to an actual kayak, a Perception Pescador 10, which was very lightweight. I was able to rooftop it. But again, at that time my finances were limited so I was only able to get a cheap little paddle.
The first day I was out on the water I realized why people say to invest in a good paddle. I struggled more with that paddle than trying to catch fish. Ever since that moment, I’ve had a good paddle.
That’s why I’m a big advocate for a reliable paddle when I’m talking to others. If you’re getting into kayak fishing—even with a kayak that has a motor and/or a pedal system—always invest in a good paddle regardless.
BRANCHES: When does a paddle come in handy besides for emergencies?
CAMERON: I do a lot of shallow-water fishing. Sometimes the pedal system I have—though quiet—slaps against the hull. So it creates a little bit more noise than I like, especially during the spring spawn. You want to be as stealthy as possible, and the paddle is quieter.
Additionally, it allows me to stand up and keep going into where I want to go. Again, here in Texas a lot of our reservoirs were flooded so there’s a lot of standing timber. Pedal and motor drives are limited when getting in skinny water, particularly in heavy vegetation areas. Whether I’m sitting or standing, having a paddle to push my way through is a great use so I can get to areas others can’t.
BRANCHES: How did you get connected with us?
CAMERON: I heard about Bending Branches through my friend Brandon who’s part of your team [Brandon Mayes is on our National Prostaff Team]. I had been fishing prior to meeting him, and so when we started working together, he told me about you.
I had already been out there on social media and doing tournament fishing. And
I always want to help people, so I reached out to see if I could assist in bringing kayak fishing to others who might not be thinking about the paddle.
I believe it’s my responsibility to promote good kayak safety and so having a paddle with you is a necessity. I feel like the partnership I have with Bending Branches is to keep promoting that regardless of the fact that I have a pedal and motor.
BRANCHES: How do you keep your paddle out of the way, but handy?
CAMERON: At least in the state of Texas you’re required to have a paddle with you in a pedal or motorized kayak for safety. For me, I take it to the next level where it’s actually ready to deploy.
A lot of people have the paddle inside the hole of their kayak in two pieces. They don’t take it out and snap it together unless they’re going to use it. I like to keep mine on a paddle holder clip along the rail. It’s easy to deploy whenever I’m trying to embark or disembark, then whenever I need it when I’m out on the water.
It’s close enough to the hull that I’m still able to use a net if I’m catching a fish, even on the side my paddle is on. For the most part, it’s not in the way when it’s as close as possible to the kayak.
Sometimes I keep it on my lap and I’ve kind of gotten used to it. Even though it’s long, I just need to be set up to make sure the line isn’t getting tangled in it.
BRANCHES: What does your current kayak fishing life look like?
CAMERON: I really wanted to get into tournament bass fishing, so I’ve been doing that the last two years with regional and even national tournaments. And I’m getting back to just doing fun fishing.
I recently purchased a Hobie Lynx, which is a very small, lightweight kayak, only about 50 pounds. I’m still able to pedal, but now I’m able to paddle exclusively too. I can also use it almost like a stand-up paddleboard. With my Angler Pro, I’m able to stand up with my height (6-foot 1-inch) and still have the paddle in the water to navigate.
There was a tournament recently where I fished with it. It was cold and rainy with a lot of high winds so I didn’t really get to use the paddle like I wanted to. But when I did, I was able to use different types of techniques that I was never able to do with a larger kayak. So I look forward to that especially this year, having a lot of fun fishing with it. It’s nice with the paddle.
BRANCHES: Any last words for our readers?
CAMERON: We touched on it a little bit, that you have to have a paddle for emergency uses. But I think there are still plenty of cases why you want to be making that investment into a good paddle.
Definitely for emergency use and being able to navigate shallow water. Investing in a high-quality paddle provides the advantage of having a well-designed blade, which enables me to paddle more efficiently with my larger kayak.
But also it just kind of gets you back into feeling closer to the water. Especially when we go into these bigger kayaks you kind of lose sight of just the tradition of paddlesports. It’s a different challenge. I really do encourage others to give it a shot again.
Our thanks to Cameron Smith for his time with us! He uses our Angler Pro Fiberglass paddle in high-viz Glowtek. You’ll find Cameron on Instagram and Facebook. He also enjoys inspiring kayak anglers through his YouTube channel.
All photos courtesy of Cameron Smith.
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us at 715-755-3405 or [email protected]
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