Bending Branches; and Moving Rocks!

A few weeks ago I got to take a kayak fishing trip with a couple of friends, Geno and Jamie N.  We met at Canoe KY in Frankfort and shuttled over to our put-in.  It was then that I realized there wouldn’t be much fishing accomplished that day, man was that water moving fast!  We still had a great trip, just being outside, on the water, in spite of the temperature being just slightly above freezing.

After the trip we loaded up the yaks to drive back to my truck.  Backing out of Canoe KY, I happened to look over and see a paddle laying beside the truck. Geno stopped and I hopped out, grabbed the paddle and threw it in the back of his truck. We drove on our merry way.

As you may have guessed, a week later as I readied my Hobie Outback to put into the water, I came to the grim realization that my paddle had been crushed. It was like it had been ran over or something!  With a trip to Jacksonville planned to fish the flats of Little Talbot Island, I needed to replace my paddle.

Given that I pedal more than paddle most of the time thanks to Hobie’s Mirage Drive, I’ve never given a whole lot of thought to paddles.  I went to Canoe KY the following weekend to have Nathan Depenbrock (co-owner) help me get some rod holders and other accessories mounted on my yak.  While he was hard at work I used my time to check out the big selection of paddles that were available.

That’s when I first noticed the Bending Branches Impression.  It was the only wooden paddle in sight. In spite of the beautiful woodgrain I disqualified it immediately, anticipating the excess weight a wooden paddle was bound to have.

Thank goodness I picked it up! 40 ounces! It was considerably lighter than the paddle I had been using and the slightly oval shape of the handle made it more comfortable than I expected.

Blade Shape:  6.8″ x 19″ (104 sq. in.)
Shaft Type:  Solid Basswood
Lengths Available:  210, 220, 230, 240 cm
Weight:  40 oz.
Drip Rings:  Heavy duty
Ferrule Angles:  0° and 60° left or right
Shaft Size:  Regular

The Impression features acomposite ferrule that won’tcorrode or seize up. Theblade features
basswood, red alder, and butternut.

Soon after falling in love with the way this paddle felt in my hands I learned it had been ordered for another yak angler, Tommy Puckett. He graciously volunteered to let me buy that one and have another one ordered for himself since I needed it for the upcoming trip in four days. He told me a couple of stories about using fiberglass paddles he’d previously owned and had broken while trying to push his kayak off a rock or other obstacle. We then took turns leaning on the paddle to see if any damage occurred while applying massive amounts of pressure.

I’ve used my new Bending Branches basswood paddle a total of seven trips now, and couldn’t begin to count how many times I’ve used it to push off of things or nudge rocks out of the way. The paddle is proving to be solid and quite strong in spite of its beauty and light weight.

The next time you find yourself considering a new paddle, take the time to look at the Impression by Bending Branches. You may find yourself moving rocks too!