So simple yet so effective, hand paddles are a quick and slick way to sneak up on fish without messing around with an awkward full-length paddle. Read the details and see them in action. Ping pong balls not included.
How many of us have had the choice between trying to maneuver our kayaks with a rod in one hand and a long kayak paddle in the other, resorting to paddling one-handed with the long shaft and second blade only getting in the way? Either that or resorting to innefectively paddling with one hand or kicking our feet?
Florida-based Backwater Paddles has come to market with a solution that seems so obvious, it's a wonder we didn't all think of it ourselves: a hand paddle that you can stow between your legs and pull out for a quick forward or backward stroke with one hand.
Backwater makes two styles of hand paddles, the Predator shown above, which has a hook included for grabbing onto tree branches and such, and the Piranha, which includes the hook and also has serrated teeth for digging in and pushing off of the bottom or the bank.
Here's a vid of the Backwater Hand Paddles in action.
Backwater Paddles are designed by Ed Halm, a retired US Naval Survival Instructor who founded the company in 2007.
Backwater will be taking its patented "hook and teeth" blade design into a full-size kayak paddle coming out this summer, called the Raptor. The DIY version: Find an old ping pong paddle in your basement. Drill a hole in the handle for a lanyard. Cut teeth and/or hook with jigsaw (optional).
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