5-minute read Whitewater the Canoe Centre (WWTCC) is a paddlesports specialty shop near London, England, located on the banks of the River Thames. It’s been serving canoeists and kayakers in their region since 1954.  Richard Marrill (Store Manager) and Pete Scutt (Owner) of WWTCC This independent shop offers a wide range of canoes, kayaks (whitewater, touring and recreational), paddle boards, paddles and paddling accessories for every level—novice to expert. Kayak fishing is a rapidly growing sport in the UK as well, which they’ve started leaning into. Besides their retail sales busine ..read more

10-minute read Ashley Bredemus and her husband Victor Pilon own and direct Birchwood Wilderness Camp in northern Minnesota. Canoeing and canoe trips are core to the programming of this small boys’ camp.   Young camper feeling confident on his canoe at Birchwood Wilderness Camp Birchwood has been in Ashley’s family since 1968 when her grandparents bought the property, just four miles from the Canadian border. In 1978 the area just north of their property line became part of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) with its million acres of forest, lakes and rivers. After a few ye ..read more

7-minute read Bending Branches Prostaffer and long-distance canoeist Martin Trahan wrote an Instagram post about the pros and cons of smartphone use on wilderness canoe trips. “Toxicity or an essential tool?” Martin Trahan, canoeist (photo courtesy of Martin and @canoe_and_tomato) As he notes in his editorial there, the Internet and cell service have been rapidly expanding so it’s often now possible to get access even in remote areas. Back in the first half of Bending Branches’ company history—and even in 1999 when Martin began covering huge distances by canoe—smartphones didn’t exist. All ..read more

6-minute read Minnesotan Rob Bossen has his hands in several paddling-related ventures including Bending Branches, Greg Duck Outdoor and US paddling’s newest trade coalition. We were able to catch him for an interview recently. Here’s what we learned from Rob… Rob Bossen, Branches sales rep and owner of Grey Duck Outdoor Representing Bending Branches Rob is part of a three-person independent sales rep company that represents outdoor brands across the Midwest. The team is made up of founder Chris Bindert, Tyler Henk and himself. Their client list includes Bending Branches and our sister compa ..read more

4-minute read Kristen Elgo has been a volunteer with San Diego Girl Scouts for more than a decade. She and other adult volunteers have gotten ACA certified so they can pass on their love of canoeing and kayaking to the girls they serve. Girl Scouts troop ready for their Black Canyon canoe trip (All photos courtesy of Kristen Elgo) We were happy to hear of Kristen’s love for our canoe paddles and how she and others use them as they work with the area Girl Scouts. She told us about her paddling background and how many of the Scout programs near her have incorporated canoeing and kayaking. Kri ..read more

4-minute read Camp Manito-wish YMCA is one of the top wilderness camps in the country. 2023 staffer Dave Scott co-led a 45-day canoe trip in northern Canada and shared his experience with us. The crew from Camp Manito-wish canoes Canada’s Clarke River (this photo and the others courtesy of Ryan Gasper) Camp Manito-wish YMCA is located outside the small town of Boulder Junction in northern Wisconsin. It’s been running programs for kids grades 5-12 since 1919, from Summer Camp to its intermediate and advanced wilderness trips and leadership development programs. All the campers get to experie ..read more

6-minute read Thousands of you read our blog! We thought it’d be fun to highlight your favorite canoeing and kayak fishing content of 2023. Here are the 10 articles that got the most online traffic in the past year. So get comfortable and enjoy browsing: 1. Why Your Fishing Kayak has Scupper Holes Most kayak anglers favor sit-on-top fishing kayaks vs. sit-inside models. And a unique feature of these sit-on kayaks are scupper holes. People ask, “Won’t your kayak sink with those holes in the bottom?” No, these holes won’t sink your boat! They offer a couple of important functions. Along with ..read more

6-minute read + 1 hr 50 min video Lake Superior isn’t known as an ideal canoe camping lake because of its vast size and unpredictable weather. But Canadians Jon and Erin took 11 days in 2023 for such a trip along some of its northern shoreline. Amazing drone’s-eye view of one of the couple’s campsites on Lake Superior These two aren’t outdoor rookies. Their YouTube channel, Lost Lakes, documents all their backcountry camping and paddling adventures in their native country—with 360+ videos uploaded so far. Their video that documents their 235-kilometer trip on Lake Superior is almost two hou ..read more

5-minute read You might think our underlying purpose at Bending Branches is to craft world-class canoe and kayak fishing paddles. But our Why goes deeper than that—it’s to inspire YOU to have memorable outdoor experiences on the water! Designing and crafting world-class paddles is how we do that. We get to help people get outdoors and make memories! (photo courtesy of Robbie Arkovich) Here are the ways our customers use our paddles to be inspired, have fun and make memories: Recreational Canoeing or Kayaking Experiences Canoeing and kayaking are both age-old activities here in North America ..read more

13-minute read

 Today’s paddlers and anglers have technology at our fingertips we could only dream about a few years ago—thanks to our handheld GPS and computer systems (commonly known as smartphones).   (photo courtesy of the Paddle Logger folks) Here are 20 of the best apps canoeists, kayakers, paddleboarders and kayak anglers can download for use on the water. Whether you want a free app or are willing to pay for premium content with no ads, here's the detailed information you need to choose the one(s) best for you. We've split our choices into four categories to make it easy for you ..read more