Paddling Education

Paul Villecourt and Christian Barbier took a month for their le voyage en canoë + vélo—their canoe and bike trip—in May, 2021 in their native France. They dubbed their trip their Canovélo Tour.

Ken Whiting of Paddle Tales takes us along with him and his buddy on a 5-day canoe trip deep into Canada’s gorgeous Killarney Provincial Park.

How do you know which fishing kayak to choose when there are so many on the market? Kayak Bass Fishing’s Chad Hoover goes over five things to consider before you go out to shop for your first (or next) kayak.

If you’re new to canoe tripping in the Boundary Waters, here’s an overview of some important keys you need to know as you plan your trip.

I paired my Bending Branches Angler Navigator with the CK1 Venture and enjoyed how the kayak responded to my paddle strokes. The CK1 performed exceptionally well in moving water and it did equally as well on flat water.

Many of the Story Contest submissions we received from our readers were sharing their paddling adventures. Here are a couple of them…

There are some pretty alarming statistics about the rise of mental and emotional health problems among teens and young people today, especially young women…One of the ways we can help these young women is to offer more positive influences in their lives—like outdoor adventure.

I initially thought that a pedal drive might eradicate the need for a paddle. Being a bit of a control freak, that thought gave me considerable pause. I wasn't sure I could totally control a kayak with just my two, middle-aged feet.

Here at Bending Branches we believe in crafting canoe paddles that will last for decades. Adding a fiberglass wrap to most of our wood paddles is one process we use to ensure you’ll get those years of great performance.

Hey kayak fishing anglers—don’t throw your old fishing line into our creeks, rivers, lakes or oceans! Instead take it with you and recycle it to help keep our waterways clean and the local wildlife safe.

In July of this year (2021) Jeff Kalil will embark on his Catawba Chain of Lakes endurance fundraiser “Paddle for Progress” to raise an ambitious goal of $10,000 for brain tumor research.

Bending Branches’ Angler Scout kayak fishing paddle gives you plenty of extras at a great price. Branches’ Ambassador, Bill Sikora, recently produced a video with a review of the Scout. Here’s what he had to say…

Our friends at paddling.com recently published their list of Best Canoe Paddles of 2021. They sifted through thousands of their readers’ comments and reviews to narrow down their choices. 45% of the canoe paddles on the list are hand-crafted by Bending Branches! Let’s take a look…

To paddle a canoe successfully in high wind and waves is tricky business. Some skilled paddlers love the challenge and even look for waves and river rapids to run. But wind and waves can quickly turn a recreational canoe trip into anything but fun. Here are some tips to handle these conditions…

Harsh winter conditions have finally given way to warm days, sunny skies, and most importantly, upper 60’s water temperatures.  Bass this time of year are eager to move shallow to spawn, and kayak bass anglers are just as eager to...

One of the best investments you can make to protect your kayak fishing paddles is a quality paddle bag to keep them in.

Sometimes our day on the water canoeing or kayak fishing doesn’t turn out like we expect. When we asked readers for their stories for our 2020 Story Contest, a couple brave souls entered tales of their misadventures.

Protect your canoe paddles with a paddle bag that protects them from scratches, dings and dust. They’re great for both storage and transporting. You can either buy a bag designed for canoe paddles, adapt a bag or make your own…

Bending Branches Regional Ambassador, Kyle Hines, took up kayak camping in 2017 and found it’s something he loves to do. We got him on the phone recently so we could pick his brain for suggestions and tips for others who want to get into this adventure sport, too:

We’ve collected a few of the most common questions about canoe tripping in the Boundary Waters, along with some of the recommendations given by the others. We also added a few comments ourselves, as well as links you’ll find helpful…

Many of the stories we received from our readers for our 2020 Story Contest were about their kayak fishing adventures. We want to share a few of those with you here…