Tuesday, May 28, 2013

On the road!

I hit the road on May 12th for 2.5 weeks of travel through the BC Interior, the Kootenays, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Tonight I finally rolled into Winnipeg!

It's been a fantastic trip visiting 15+ shops so far and there are more to come.

The focus on this trip is to spend time with the floor staff and educate them about all of our industry leading brands.  We want them to be knowledgeable and comfortable talking about all of our products whether it be boats, PFD's, paddles or accessories AND we want to provide sales training as well!

We have even had the opportunity to do On Water Demos in Castlegar (Endless Adventure), Edmonton (Totem Outdoor Outfitters) and Saskatoon (Eb's Source for Adventure).


Laura from Endless Adventure trying out the JK Cruise and the Werner Tybee FGIM

Perry from Totem Outdoor Outfitters on the JK Coosa.  With the hi-lo seat the Werner Tybee FGIM at 250cm is perfect!!


Stay tuned for more stories from the road (p.s. I will be in Whitehorse THIS weekend for the Up North Adventures Demo Day.  Come by to demo some Esquif Canoes and Werner Paddles!!!





Friday, May 24, 2013

Spread the Word and Let's Go Fishing!!


For all you kayak anglers and those paddlers interested in becoming kayak anglers get involved in the Aquabatics (Calgary) Fishin' Derby!

Enter your photos on line for a chance to win some awesome prizes - Kokatat Watersports Wear is one of the sponsors.

There are 3 contests running between today and July 15th!



 


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Kayak Angling and Getting Proper Instruction

Kayak Angling is one of the two top growing categories in paddlesports and as we welcome anglers into our community it is important for us to share our varied experience.  Paddlers can become Anglers and Anglers can become Paddlers.

Earlier this season I was a part of a group of people that provided some Kayak Safety information to kayak anglers.  Part of our focus was on getting proper on water instruction.

Check out the recent blogpost by Nikki Rekman Sales Team Kayak Angler, Stephen Laurie on his blog, Fishnhound about getting a Higher Education in Kayaking with one of our Jackson Kayak and Werner Paddles dealer, Undercurrents in Calgary.






Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Chilliwack River World Kayak Hometown Throwdown


        A couple of weeks ago I along with many others had the opportunity to participate in a World Kayak Hometown Throwdown (WKHT) on the Chilliwack river.  For those of you who are not aware WK Hometown Throwdown’s are an awesome way to encourage fun community activity and skills development while promoting the sport of whitewater kayaking.  Without our world kayak ambassador for our region these events would not be possible.  Thanks to Kay from Purple Hayes School of Kayaking for taking the responsibility of bringing World Kayak programs to our area.


Paddler Sam Fletcher going bow down.  Photo: Rob Fletcher (Rfort Foto's)    

We had a good group of Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced paddlers.  The scoring system is simple; do anything to make the crowd cheer and you even get points just for catching a wave!  At the end of the day, it’s all in the name of fun and everyone gets a prize, raffle style.  Gotta thank WKHT sponsors for that! @Jackson Kayaks @Kokatat and many more!






The premise of our local WK Hometown Throwdown is for friendly competition and skill development for all levels of whitewater paddlers.  On Sunday, May 5th our WK Hometown Throwdown took place at the Osborne Rd Wave train on the Chilliwack River.  It’s the perfect spot for both beginners and experienced paddlers alike.  There is a huge first wave and a couple others in behind with huge eddy service for swim recovery and let me tell you, there were lots of swims including myself.



Having a good fun time! Photo: Rob Fletcher (Rfort Foto's)
Photo: Rob Fletcher (Rfort Foto's)

        I myself participated with my Jackson SUPerCharger stand up paddle board.  It is an unusual form of paddle craft for a throwdown although it’s wasn’t the first time for me. Even though the waves here are not ideal for a 10’ long board I did manage to stay on one of the smaller waves for all of 15 seconds before my graceful dismount.  That is if you can dismount a stand up paddle board gracefully.

My graceful dismount with my JK SUPerCharger and Werner Stinger Paddle.  Thanks to Rob Fletcher (Rfort Foto's) for the Photo.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

The Jackson Kayak Kilroy is FINALLY here!!

We have been waiting for the Jackson Kayak Kilroy to get in the hands of kayak anglers and hunters everywhere and the time has come.

Here is a fantastic walk-through by Jackson's own, Product Manager, Damon Bungard of the Kilroy.


Thursday, May 16, 2013

Tour de Indian Arm SUP Race Report by Eli Fischbuch


Tour de Indian Arm SUP Race Report by Nikki Rekman Sales Team Member, Eli Fischbuch.

 The first race for me this summer was the tour de Indian arm on May 12 (the race was 11.7km long). It was the longest paddle I have ever done. The longest I have ever done before was about 5 km.  wasn’t sure if I could even paddle that far so I decided to set my goal of just finishing the race.  When I looked at some of the times online from last year I wanted to get less than two hours.

When we got to Deep Cove it was raining a lot and a little bit foggy so I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to see the islands I had to paddle around. By the time the race started it cleared up and the weather was calm. I was looking forward to paddling on my new Naish 12.6 LE – I’d only been on it a couple of times. And also I had just got a new Werner Nitro so was looking forward to using that too.

Before the race I started to feel a bit nervous because there were lots of pretty hard-core people there.  As we started paddling I went pretty easy because I didn’t want to tire myself out too soon. The first stretch to the red buoy felt long because we just paddled straight for a long time.  Then we crossed the bay and had to weave in and out of three islands on the way back – it was cool because you could see the rocks under the water by the islands.  Going past the first island two scuba divers came up right beside my board!  About three quarters through the race I felt tired but I knew I could go harder and faster to finish the race.  In between the last island and the finish line I really started to push myself because I knew I was almost done and I wanted to finish strong.  My time was 1 hour and 42minutes, which I was pretty happy with. Overall doing this race was a neat experience because it was my first long distance race and I feel proud of how I did.

Great job Eli!!!!  We are looking forward to hearing about your summer of racing and your time on the river too.






Monday, May 13, 2013

I'm "Overboard" About a Great New Accessory Line!!






 

I am super stoked to announce that I am now working with Overboard Accessories.  All product is shipping out of Saanich, BC.

The product line has a great selection of waterproof and adventureproof gear from drybags to tech cases (for phones, iPads, e-readers, cameras etc.), duffle bags, backpacks, deckbags, bike panniers and MORE.

We are focusing on distribution in specialty paddlesports shops and some outdoor across Western Canada.

If you have not seen the line yet, get in touch with me. You will be seeing it soon if you have not already!!!!
Check out Overboard at www.overboardcanada.ca

We will get some gear reviews on the product for you in the coming weeks and months.

Friday, May 3, 2013

Gearing Up for a Sturgeon Slay Ride



 Welcome guest blogger, Rodney Wassenaar aka Sturgeon Rod.  I met Rodney at the recent kayak fishing seminar at Western Canoeing and Kayaking
and I told him I wanted to hear all about fishing for a sturgeon from a kayak - he was happy too oblige and his story is below.  


  
 I remember my first attempt at fishing for sturgeon from my kayak, to this day I get just as excited to toss my bait into the Cracker Jack box at the bottom of the mighty Fraser. 

One can get pretty zealous in the anticipation of hooking up with the mysterious bottom dwelling creature pulling at you line, especially from a tiny plastic bubble tethered at the surface of the unforgiving Fraser River as the effect of this cause can be loosely compared to that of the moments before you jump from a plane and the prehistoric slay ride accompanying a successful hook set to the free fall toward the ground.

I did say loosely and once you've experienced what I am trying to relay you might just agree.



Here are a few things will help ensure many safe, productive days of sturgeon fishing.



Safety 

First off I personally will never fish the Fraser or any other moving water alone and I always wear the proper PFD, there are many possible hazards in and on the water.  Before you drop anchor it is a smart idea to make sure that your drifting path is clear of potential hazards such as log booms or other boat traffic, I like to think of an exit strategy in case I hook into the ride of a lifetime and end up past the point of no return.

Pack a high protein snack for the inevitable paddle back up stream.

In most paddling situations I try to dress for ambient atmospheric weather as well as immersion temp.   

Anchoring in moving water is not for everyone most importantly the inexperienced paddler. It is important to understand how your specific anchor system works and how it might react in any given situation and know we're to draw the line and stay in a safe comfort zone.



Fish the Seasons

 With the seasons the natural food sources are ever changing and for the successful sturgeon angler adaption will result in increased productivity and a heightened potential for the ride of a lifetime.

In the spring and early summer the sturgeon will be recovering from the slow dormant winter months.  At this time they are willing to take almost anything offered to them in order to put on some much needed weight,

When the salmon start to migrate into the river systems during the end of summer deep into fall using the flesh from the predominantly migrating salmon species will be key to hooking up with a behemoth.



Big Bait = Big Fish

 You can look at this as a way to target a desired size of fish.



When in search of an intense work out that will surely rival any spinning class you might attend the bigger the bait the better and match your hook size to your bait size. In any bait situation it is best to cover the hook completely while at the same time trying not to Impede the hook set. 



A beginner may not want to target a 7' + dinosaur but instead a fish more in the 4-5' range, in this case bait a smaller hook with a small amount of available bait. That being said, there is no guarantee that a 12' river pig won't be pulling at your presentation.This is the exact factor that keeps me so intrigued in this fishery, you just never know what you have hooked into until it takes an acrobatic leap from the depths.



Line Maintenance


What's the point of having your presentation in the water if its not going to be up to the task.



Be sure to check the sharpness of your hook every time you reel in, hooks can easily be blunted by dragging against rocks and debris  at the bottom of the river bed.



Its also a good idea to check for abrasions in your leader or main line which can be caused by the scutes of your last catch, a tangle or even from your weight sliding along your line.

As the river bottom is constantly and forever altered there may be new material deposited into your favourite spots such as tree branches or even boulders. Some days when I find myself replacing gear often to avoid further abrasion problems I will move to a new location all together.



This is one topic I could write about for days but that would take all the fun out of getting out there and experiencing this amazing fishery for yourselves.



Tight lines and happy slay rides.





Green River, UT

Green River, UT
Photo: Shawna Franklin