Learn before you launch.
Written by anglers who paddle these boats every weekend.
Pedal vs. paddle: which kayak is right for your first season?
If your hands are full of rods and tackle, pedals win. If portability and price matter more, paddle wins. Here's how to actually decide.
Old Town Watercraft: 125 years of wood, plastic, and pedal drives
From birchbark canoes in 1898 to the ePDL+ pedal drive in 2024 — how a Maine workshop became the brand every angler eventually owns.
What every first-time buyer wishes they knew about hull width
Wider isn't safer. Narrow isn't tippier. The truth is in the secondary stability curve — and we'll show you what that means without the engineering jargon.
California Delta: the home water — launches, seasons, and what actually wins
22 real tournament results from 2017 to 2025, from the 79-inch best-4 era at Paradise Point to a 128.5-inch May limit. Where to launch and what it takes to cash.
Clear Lake: the big-fish lake — the Chris Laird Memorial and the numbers behind it
Six runnings of an August big-fish classic won between 22.0 and 24.5 inches, and a 117.25-inch June limit. Ten real tournaments of proof that this is trophy water.
Lake Berryessa: the April lake — seven tournaments of spring proof
Six of seven club events here landed in April, with winning bags from 83.25 (best-4 era) to 121 inches — and a 26-inch bass, the biggest in the whole dataset.
Lake McClure: the rotation stop — six years of results from Barrett Cove
Six tournaments from 2020 to 2026, every winning bag between 93.25 and 112.25 inches. The most consistent leaderboard in the club's dataset.
Lake Don Pedro: what won in June — a real June 2026 case study
One angler topped three leaderboards in one weekend: 110.75 inches on the main board. Plus the April 2024 event that drew 99 kayaks. Here's the full picture.