2 moves to gain a stronger paddle stroke

Let’s face the truth...many of us are kayak anglers.  And although Winter is breathing down our necks you can start getting ready for soft water and have a stronger paddle stroke. We got into kayak fishing for our own reasons but really, we want to catch a new personal best.  To help us get those honey holes we need our trusty kayak and motor.  Oh WAIT! We don’t have motors, we have paddles.  So let’s rev up your guns chilling on the outside of your shoulders and gain a stronger paddle stroke. Why? So you can get to that honey hole faster and catch even more PB!

Making 8’s - sideways

Paddling our kayaks utilizes many of our core muscles. So let’s make them stronger! Sit on the floor with your legs slightly bent.  Your kneecaps should be facing the ceiling. Then while maintaining a straight back lean backwards towards the floor.  Without falling onto your back interlace your fingers and let your palms touch.  Then with your hands make a sideways figure 8 motion.  Your upper body should rotate with your hands.  You should feel this in your abdomen.  Do this move as long as possible To intensify it, add some weights and/or get lower to the ground.

Boulder Shoulders!

Our shoulders are the one muscle group that attach our arms to our body and help transfer the energy from our torso to our paddle.  So let’s not only get them stronger but build up endurance. Stand tall with your feet shoulder length apart.  Now imagine you’re a zombie and raise both arms forward without bending the elbow.  Bring your arms down and then raise them sideways without bending your elbow.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.  Do this as many times as possible.  To intensify this move, add some weights!

5 Road Trip Snacks for the Health Conscious

5 Road Trip Snacks for the Health Conscious

One of my favorite things about kayak fishing is our community.  You can meet people at tournaments, boondoggles, trade shows, Facebook, and at many other places.  These events usually include a road trip but then we may take a trip to go visit our friends and fish with them.  That calls for…. you guessed it!  A ROAD TRIP!  As we drive on the concrete river to our destination we start to snack.  Sadly, many convenience stores don’t have the healthiest options.  So here are 5 snacks you can either bring from home and/or pick up at a gas station.

-Apples

            These tasty fruits are a great way to stave off hunger and get a fruit in your diet.  A medium apple is just shy of 100 calories and counts as 1 of the 2 daily recommend cups of fruits adults should get every day.  On top of that they are a great source of soluble fiber, vitamin C, and are suggested to help lower the chance of a stroke.

-Jerky

            Beef Jerky is a great snack while on the road or water.  It is packed with protein and doesn’t raise tell your body to store fat by raising insulin levels.  Many people think that it isn’t healthy for you because of the preservatives and high amounts of sodium that can be found in many packages.  This is true to an extent.  There are a number of preservative free and low sodium options out there.  Give them a shot and get some protein while on the road.

-Nuts

            I can’t think of a better snack while I’m driving than nuts.  I can literally go through an entire can in a 4 hour drive without even thinking about it.  I really need to measure out how much I’m going to have in one sitting.  I do this by putting the nuts in the lid, taking one handful, or if I’m smart and thinking ahead pre-pack them in a container or bag.  Nuts are great because they are packed with protein and filled with the right kind of fat.  Depending on the nuts, they have unsaturated fats, Omega- 3 fatty acids, Vitamin E, Fiber, and much more.  Remember you do need fat in your diet, just the healthy kind of fat!  And as far as the sodium goes, look for unsalted or slightly salted nuts.  I have just recent found Planters NUT-rition to be a delicious and healthy treat.

-Bananas

            Unless you are on the water (bad juju and all), then bananas are a delicious and easy snack for your road trip.  Already set for easy handling, just unpeel and eat!  Besides being easy to eat bananas are great for you. They have numerous essential nutrients, fiber, and several antioxidants. So grab some of these yellow beauties and enjoy!

-Baby Carrots

            I mean really, baby carrots.  How can you go wrong!  Colorful, crunchy, and super nutritious health food that’s easy to handle!  These little guys are packed with Fiber, Vitamin K, antioxidants, and so much more.  You could almost call them a Super Snack!  Grab a bag of rinsed baby carrots from the store and start snacking away.  Instead of dipping them in ranch or something not as healthy, try peanut butter.  A fun and different way to have these amazing roots.  Give it a try, it may become your favorite food!

Load Gear without Injury

You’ve heard the story before, whether loading gear or moving items, people twist weird or lift something incorrectly and they end up hurting themselves.  Whether it’s just a pinch or a full on throbbing pain that hinders their ability to do much of anything it could have been avoided.  Sometimes you do need more than yourself and you should ask for help.  Although, other times you just need to watch your form and build up some more muscle.  Here is one simple exercise you can do to help gain strength and build in the correct form.

Pick it up and set it down

This move is quite easy but take it slow, don’t use any weights at first and concentrate on your form.  To start stand tall with your shoulders back and feet shoulder length apart and your feet comfortable.  Then step your right foot away from your right side and a little forward.  (Essentially lunging to the right)  Your right knee should have a 90 or so degree angle and your left knee should be bent.  Keep your butt low and reach towards the floor imagining you are picking up heavy box of jig heads.  Ensure that as you lean your upper body forward you are keeping your back straight .  Bring your imaginary jigs towards your chest, stand up while untwisting and pretend you are putting the jigs on a high shelf above your left foot. As you are standing up your right foot goes back to it’s original position.  Then go back down and repeat.  Do this 20 times on that side. Switch sides and do 20 reps.  After you have done all that do it again on both sides!

For more intensity, grab a light weight.  Start small and work your way up. 15 pounds would be max!

Now while the majority of our equipment is light there are a couple things that do weigh quite a bit.  Items like our crate, kayaks, livewell, and even a stringer full of fish.  Anytime we load or unload these items we are twisting and placing them somewhere.  Learn to use the proper form in a controlled setting so when you move like that in real life, you will use the correct form and not hurt yourself!  All leading you to continue to enjoy our great hobby!

Skunkset: Staying positive

The dreaded Skunkset picture. You know, the one that you post on social media when you went fishing but didn't land anything. Almost every one of us has had this awful experience.  We load our gear, double check to make sure we have everything we need and want to bring.  We get to the launch, load our kayaks with our gear and push off in hopes of catching a new personal best.  After throwing lure after lure we start to get disheartened.  We push on, tie on a bait we rarely use in hopes it would work.  Nothing.  Then we finally tie on our good ol’ sure-to-produce lure.  Aaannnddd nothing.  

Experiences like this can be extremely disappointing and make one of our favorite pass times that is suppose to calm us do the exact opposite.  It makes us irritated and wondering why we even decided to take it up.  Sadly these experiences don’t just happen to on the water.  They can happen with anything.  For example: running, learning a new subject, construction, and so much more.  The below tips although directed more at fishing they can apply to any part of your life that you are experiencing this disappointment.

Breathe

Yes, you read that correctly.  Breathe.  Take a couple seconds, close your eyes, and breathe.  It may sound ridiculous but it will work.  So close your eyes, open your ears to hear the sounds around you, and breathe.  Then open your eyes and look at the beautiful place you get to fish.  You are able to be there, catching is secondary at best.  Use this time to connect with nature.  Look at the water, shoreline, sky, all of it and breathe all while listening to the sounds of nature. All around you.  Clear your mind and just let your surroundings entrance you.  After a couple breaths, breathe one more time and then go back to fishing.

Change Got to Get

As hard as this is to say and accept, especially when you’re feeling the skunk make this one change.  Instead of saying “I got to catch a fish” or “I need to catch a fish” say “I get to go fishing”.  It’s a blessing that you are able to go out and fish.  Let’s put some perspective on it.  Some folks may be stuck at work, have family commitments, or who knows what.  They may much rather be out there on the water, even if they aren’t catching.  You are lucky to have the time and everything it takes to be able to chase our hobbies.  It’s not a necessity, you don’t need to, and you don’t have to catch a fish.  You get to go fishing.

Original Reason for this Passion

When I get extremely frustrated with not having success I try to think back on why I originally took up this hobby.  Personally, I took up fishing because I couldn’t find a summer job after graduating college and wanted something to help me pass the time in between applying for jobs.  As soon as I hit the shore and started casting I remembered how I used to love the outdoors.  Something I completely forgot about for 6 years.  I love being in the fresh air, relaxing, and enjoying nature.  So when I get frustrated with a lack of success I go back to that feeling.  The love of being outside.  Then I breathe, intentionally smile, look around at the beautiful place I get to fish, and remember that I took this hobby up to pass the time and enjoy nature.  Why waste time getting mad or upset.  Just be outside and enjoying life.

Now all this is easier said (written and read) than it is to do.  I understand that.  Even I struggle with staying positive when I’m getting skunked.  I do my best to follow these three tips and I usually end up happy again and enjoying my time on the water.  I get to fish in amazing area's with great friends, and I’m able to be lucky enough to take the time to enjoy this hobby.  So don’t let the frustration get the better of you.  Remember to enjoy being outside, breathe, relax, and take in the fact that you get to do this!

5 Healthy on the Water Snacks

Ever get the munchies?  I know I do!  Especially since I started working out and eating well it seems like I am constantly snacking throughout the day.  Needless to say when I’m spending hours on the water I get hungry.  Here are some healthy snacks that work great when you are on the water and keep you on your diet.

Apples

  Red Delicious, Honey Crisp, Gala, or any others for that matter.  Apples are a fantastic quick and easy snack to have while you are on the water.  Not only are they easy to eat they provide you with some hydration!  

Seeds

  Snacking on seeds while on the water is a great way to keep to enjoy a simple snack and get some fiber and healthy fats.  Pick your favorite ones and snack away!  My favotires are roasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.  Especially the non shelled sunflower seeds.  Grab a mouth full and keep on fishing and/or paddling away!

Nuts

  Nuts are a great source of protein and healthy fats.  Plus they are a quick and easy snack when you are paddling and/or fishing!  The biggest thing is to try to stay away from the salted variety.  Try to grab lightly salted or just plain roasted.  Even Honey Roasted works well.  Some of my favorites are peanuts and almonds.

Carrots

  Grab some baby carrots! You only get in a vegetable but have a fun finger food snack. I portion some out in a bag when I know I'm going to need a snack and put it next to my kayak seat and snack away.  It’s easy to quick grab one in between paddle strokes or casts.  You can keep on munching and paddling/fishing.

Granola Bars

  Granola Bars are one of the easiest snacks to grab on the go and are a great source of fiber, protein, and much more!  There are many on the market but not all of them are healthy.  The tricky part is finding one that fits your tastes and needs.  If you rather not shop, you can always make some at home and bring them with you.  Just search the internet and you can find lots of recipes.  So find or make your ideal ones and snack away! Here is one of my favorites (Energy Ball) https://youtu.be/Jxk-6mjZN6U

OUCH! Get Sweet Relief from Casting BIG Lures

You are on the water before the sun rises and come in after it sets.  With every cast you are eagerly anticipating a huge tug on the end of your line. So whether you are chasing bull reds, stripers, muskie, or anything else for that matter your casting arm may get sore after chucking lures hours on end in hopes of catching a new personal best.  Try these 3 stretches to find relief from soreness.

Wrist Relief

After casting and reeling all day your wrists take a beating.  To find some sweet relief keep your palms up and extend your arm in front of you.  Gently bend the wrist of the extended arm toward the ground.  Then with your other hand slowly and gently press the wrist of the extended arm toward the ground even more.  Do this until you feel a stretch in your forearm.  Be careful not to go too far.  It should be a mild stretch and not a painful one.  Hold for 10 to 20 seconds and then repeat 3 times.  Repeat with the other wrist.

Soothing Shoulder Soreness

After paddling and casting for hours on end my shoulder is sore.  To soothe that soreness extend your right arm straight ahead of you and bring it across to the left side of your body.  With your left hand hold onto your bicep and gently pull your right arm closer to your body.  Ensure you keep your chin out of the way and look forward.  Hold for 10 to 20 seconds.  Then raise your right arm above your head like you are eager to answer a question from your favorite teacher.  Keeping the upper part of your straight arm up, bend your forearm and drop your hand towards your back.  With your left hand hold onto your right elbow and gently pull it towards the left side.  Do this until you feel a mild stretch.  Hold for 10 to 20 seconds.  Repeat both of these moves 2 times.  

BONUS MOVE!!! Check it out here and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Page! Watch below or click here: https://youtu.be/9fLDJXcx7AU