John caught this magnificent largemouth bass in very shallow water (see movie) – John says that his W kayak would take him to spots where no other boat can go, including other fishing kayaks. It has to do with the fact that you can launch the W practically anywhere, and go with it over obstacles in shallow water, as well as stand up in it anytime you want, and scout for passages in the thick vegetation, and sometime even push pole in very skinny water – One of the reasons why a long and sturdy W kayak paddle is practical, and more useful than other paddles.

It proves again that you don’t necessarily need a 50 grand bass boat to catch big bass, and yet be comfortable and dry while you’re doing it, which you can’t be if you fish from kayaks other than the W.

More about kayak fishing in Wisconsin >>

We did not raise shipping prices, although the carriers we work with are asking us to pay more than last year. We’ll try subsidizing shipping by a little more, knowing how much our clients hate paying for shipping.

Paddling was easy, with no big effort; I paddled for almost two hours continuously with small breaks to watch the birds and fish, without feeling pain or tired.
Based on the bay size I think I put somewhere between 3-4km. Next time I will take the GPS to track the distance.
To change direction by 90 degrees it took only one backwards stroke.
I did not splash any water inside. For a newbie like me I think this is also good.

The paddle bought with the kayak is good, does the job well. I dropped it in the water; It floats and does not retain any water.

The lower part of the legs is well protected by the cockpit.

I did not have any problem in keeping direction while paddling. I found that it is easier and faster to paddle sitting at the rear, and not in the middle of the kayak, but please note that my daughter who weighs 16kg (35 lbs) was sitting on the front.
The kayak absorbs impact, and I think this is good, and at same time it feels rigid enough.
The tips of the kayak are great and very handy for storing stuff, plenty of open storage.

I found the eyelets mounted on the body useful for rigging various stuff.

Now, after the trip, strapping it to my minivan looks easy, using only 6 straps. No additional device to rig on the car, no foam, no special rack.

In my opinion the kayak delivers the features that are posted on the manufacturer’s website. For me, it met all the aspects that I was looking for. I don’t see now major changes needed to the design or rigging. I will mount maximum four RAM 119 rod holders, nothing more. I have a portable fish finder. I don’t think that the kayak needs more rigging or holes.

Overall I am happy with my purchase, and I am looking to have good time with my family using the kayak for fishing and just touring.
As a veteran Wavewalk kayak angler (Rox) said  – Life is good.
Regards and safe paddling from Ashbridge bay, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
29 August 2010

Petru Rotariu

NEW: Read Petru’s report from his first kayak fishing trip >>

Contrarily to what most kayakers seem to believe, aboriginal kayak paddle were not necessarily short as standard modern paddles are, and some could be as long as the paddle Kevin made, and even longer. The decision about the length of the paddle depended on the owner’s plans for usage and paddling style, and sometimes on the availability of materials in the barren Arctic.

Says Kevin:

-I made a Greenland/Aleutian paddle for my W500.  So far it seems to be working out very well, and it has the advantage of being very light.  One face of the paddle is the beveled Greenland style and the other face is a flatter Aleutian style.  The Greenland face allows for quicker acceleration while the Aleutian surface shines at faster speeds.

It’s 9 1/2 feet long and about 3 1/2″ wide at the tip.  I made it from a 10′ cedar 2X4 and finished it in teak oil.   The loom (hand hold area) is 24″. I think using cedar is the key for this long of a paddle.  Using some of the other woods used for shorter Greenland paddles would make it a bit heavy.

The paddle is nearly as light as the Pacific Design paddle I use for my other kayaks, and has a very low swing weight because of the thin blades, making it easy to paddle long periods without fatigue.  The flex of the wood and dynamics of the paddle also make it easy one the joints.

I took a picture with it next to my Pacific Design paddle for size comparison:

Since I’m in Florida with oyster bars everywhere, I decided to protect the paddle tip with fiberglass cloth and epoxy.  So far that is keeping the oysters at bay.

The drip rings are made out of oval pieces of inner tube.  These are essential since the long blade surface accumulates a lot of water that will otherwise end up in your lap.

This is a fairly easy project for anyone that is game to try.  There are lots of “how to” articles to be found on the Web.  It’s also the first time I’ve made one.

The paddle can be used very well without a sliding stroke, but if you need to dig in on a turn it helps out. Also when standing, the sliding stroke helps with more speed, but is not needed.

One thing it does do is allow you to keep the paddle very low around the waist when stroking and use your torso to put the power to the paddle well.

I was going to order an extended midsection for my P.D. paddle initially, but after using this, I may just be content.

I’m going to take some GPS readings to see what speeds it will cruise at vs a traditional wide paddle.

I’ll send some more pictures of my W500 when I finally decide on how I’m going to rig this boat.
I did a little umbrella sailing yesterday and that was interesting.

Kevin

Until August 20th, 2009, all W kayaks and W fishing kayaks we have in stock will be on sale, and you’ll be able to get a 10% discount on them.

After that date all kayak prices will go back to normal.

Unfortunately, we can’t offer any discounts on shipping, paddles, anchors, rod holders and stake-out poles.

Yoav