Favorite Fall Patterns for Fly Fishing Western Streams in the U.S.

Fall brings some of the years best fly fishing on western rivers. The cooler temperatures make for active and feisty trout. Carrying the right patterns will help prevent the frustration of going fishless and allow you to take full advantage … Continue reading

Sea Kayaking with Outdoor Adventures, Lopez Island and More

The third largest in the San Juan archipelago, Lopez Island is one greatĀ placeĀ for watersports. It has plenty of beaches and its warm summer temperatures and scenery brings plenty of tourists. It’s easy to get to by air or … Continue reading

River Safety: 4 Lessons from Swiftwater Rescue Training

whitewater river with many rocks and obstacles

Having spent my college years as an avid whitewater kayaker and rafter, I considered myself to be reasonably skilled in river safety and self-rescue techniques. My trip leaders were never negligent. We learned to avoid strainers or objects in the … Continue reading

Canoeing the Congaree

Thereā€™s a place not far from Columbia, South Carolina, surrounded by enormous trees, where a person loses all sense of proportion. A sweetgum tree, for example, that from a distance appears tiny, turns out, upon close inspection, to be quite … Continue reading

Ocean Kayaking around Weymouth and Portland

The 2012 Olympics and Paralympics’ sailing competitions helped give Weymouth and Portland a massiveĀ boost in tourism. So it’ll come as no surprise that the area continues to attract watersports enthusiasts in huge numbers. Ocean kayaking – one of the … Continue reading

Canoes in the Lake District

Visited by more than 12 million tourists annually, the Lake District is England’s largest National Park. Designated since the early 50s, Scafell Pike, its highest peak and Westwater, its deepest lake, are just two reasons whyĀ visitors keep returning. AndĀ … Continue reading

SUP on the North Somerset Coast

Eighteen miles southwest of Bristol is Weston-super-Mare. This popular beach resort in North Somerset has been around since the 19th century and started life as a small village. Now, with an award-winning beach – one of the longest in the … Continue reading

Americaā€™s Foreign Country: Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin

For more than 18 miles, concrete and steel columns holding up Interstate 10 between Baton Rouge and Lafayette in Louisiana rise out of a swamp. Not just any wetland, but the Atchafalaya River Basin Swamp, which covers a third of … Continue reading

Falmouth, Watersports on the Fal River In Cornwall, England

Think of Falmouth and someĀ of the first things that come to mind are the Tall Ships Regatta and round-the-world-voyages. But theseĀ aren’t its only claims to fame. Falmouth Harbour is the deepest in western Europe, so it’s no surprise … Continue reading

Canoe Camping: Plan, Pack and Paddle

On a sunny weekend in June several years ago, a few friends and I scouted the Manitowish and Trout Rivers of the Northern Highland American Legion State Forest in northern Wisconsin. We were in search of a water trail for … Continue reading