Seals Ratchet Bow and Stern Tie Downs

Believe it or not, one of the most common causes for repair to canoes and kayaks we see here at WCK is damage from transportation. The leading cause of "road rash" on canoes and kayaks is simple, the lack of bow and stern lines, especially the bow line.

Besides providing a safety blanket if one of your other tie downs should fail the bow and stern line play another important role in keeping your rack attached to your vehicle. Over the years here at WCK we have seen several cases where a boat comes off a vehicle while still firmly tied to the rack. This is because the rack can actually pull off the vehicle, especially some factory racks. It's also worth noting that most after market rack manufacturers (ie Yakima & Thule) clearly state in their warranty information that your rack warranty is void if you are not using a bow and stern line while transporting your canoe or kayak.

Having the bow and stern of your boat tied down to the bumper or tow points on your vehicle moves all the upward pressure on your rack down to the frame. 9 out of 10 times that a boat comes off a roof there is no bow or stern line attached.

To make securing your canoe or kayak to your vehicle easier we are now stocking the Seals ratchet tie downs. These easy to use one handed ratchets are probably the simplest and quickest way to attach a bow and stern line to your vehicle.

These ratchet tie downs sell for $26.95 and are a great way to protect your canoe or kayak from the dreaded road rash.

We are hugely excited to announce that WCK will now be stocking Trak kayaks. These kayaks have completely changed the world of portable kayaks, finally a performance folding kayak.

Check out the latest edition of Trak TV to see what all the excitement is about.

We are expecting out first shipment form Trak early in 2013 so stay tuned for when these boats will be available for demo.

Hobie Adventure Island Tent Mod

Check out these pics we just got from another happy Hobie Island owner. This tent is setup on a custom wooden platform. The Hobie Adventure Island was already a really versatile craft being able to sail, paddle, pedal or motor, now add sleeping accommodations!

Huge thanks for sending in the pics, looking forward to the trip reports!

"One happy camper...

Happy to report that everything worked out just fine.

I was able to set the tent up while afloat and it didn't  capsize with my weight on it."

- Alex

For those who don't know what the Hobie Island is all about check out this great video done by the Hobie Island Club.

WCK Staff Ryan Bayes and his first ever Sturgeon . . . from a kayak!

For more pics and the full story check out the WCKfishing blog.

http://wckfishing.com/2012/10/06/fraser-river-sturgeon-fishing-round-1-success/

Watershed Dry Bag Review @ WCKfishing.com

What makes a great piece of gear? For me, a great piece of gear is useful for more than just one sport or adventure. It has to be something that time after time does its job and never lets you down. Other than remembering to pack it, it shouldn’t cross your mind, cause you know its bomber and going to do what you need it to.

- Click here to see full review @ wckfishing.com

New WCK Fishing Specific Blog!

Kayak Fishing here at Western Canoe and Kayak has really started to take off in the past months. Most of the staff here have jumped right in with both feet. It didn't take long for us to realize that this kayak fishing thing was here to stay, and probably worthy of its own blog.

So here it is: wckfishing.com

This new blog will be a venue for our newly formed WCK Fishing Team to post trip reports, kayak mods, videos, pictures and generally anything kayak fishing. We also love to post pics and trip reports form our customers that are enjoying their WCK canoes and kayaks so feel free to send in some material if you have something you want to share . . . or brag about!

WCK Staff Dave, Laura, Robyn and Ryan at one of the  Thursday Mill Lake afterwork session this summer.

Ryan

A weekend of Kayak Fishing at Ross Lake.

This past weekend Sandra and myself loaded up some fishing kayaks and headed up to Ross Lake just outside the town of Hope (British Columbia). We had heard lots of reports of easy to catch rainbows and Dollys, and with the lack of fish caught on our last couple trips we were more than happy to try a new location.

Awesome view to enjoy a cup of morning coffee to.

Being that Ross Lake is created by a dam in Washington only the very northern tip of the lake is in Canada. We didn't want to buy WA. state fishing licences so we decided to fish the mouth of the Skagit River where it enters Ross Lake. We had heard the fish were smaller in and around the river mouth but easier to catch as well.

We were also going to try and paddle down the last couple kilometres of the Skagit River, a section that is world famous for its trout fly fishing. Having paddled the steeper sections above earlier this year in whitewater boats I knew we would likely have to portage some log jams so we decided to bring smaller lighter kayaks.

I chose to borrow the Jackson Coosa from the WCK demo fleet, that kayak is really a no brainer when it comes to rivers and creeks (Coosa review coming soon). It is also one of the lighter fishing kayaks so incase we had to do some bush whacking it seemed like a good choice. Sandra, with only 1 Coosa in the demo fleet decide to take the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 100 for a couple reasons. First off, its really light and easy to carry should the situation arise. Secondly, Wilderness Systems boats with Slide Trax outfitting is the quickest and east system to rig out for fishing, this is very important when you don't own your own boat. While the store is nice enough to give us free range on the demo fleet their never really excited when we start drilling holes in them to mount stuff.

We arrived early on monday morning of the BC Day Long Weekend to a surprisingly empty campground at the Lake. We wasted no time and got on the water as quick as we could. It is only a short 10 minute paddle to the mouth of the river where we first threw some lures out. I immediatly got a bite and played a fish for a short time before it wiggled of the hook. The next hour or two were pretty slow so we pushed up the river to just below the fishing river boundary sign, catch and release only in the river.

As soon as we moved up river Sandra started slaying fish! Its okay now, Im well used to her out-fisihng me at this point. Within an hour Sandra landed a Cutthroat, a fish that is apparently fairly rare there, followed by a nice Rainbow and then a Dolly. Having seen nothing but White Fish the past month we were stoaked to not only have caught some fish but three different kinds!

I did eventually end up catching a really nice Rainbow (that was bigger than anything Sanadra caught I might add!) In the end Sandra landed a bunch of nice fish and had some even bigger ones that managed to get away at the very last second.

Sandra early morning on day 2. Who ever said the Tarpon 100 wasn't a stand up kayak?

The next day we decided to return to the same spot and had a great time. We both caught several more rainbow and a couple Dolly's, nothing very big but lots of fun. Ross Lake has definitely earned a spot on my list of favourite kayak fishing locations. The fishing is good, the scenery is even better and the campsites are abundant. I highly recommend putting this on both your paddling and fishing destination to do list if you have not already.

Here are some pics form the weekend, and yes, Sandra promises to wear her PFD the ENTIRE TIME on our next trip!

 A nice little trout late in the afternoon.

My nice little rainbow.

The Coosa and the Tarpon 100. Huge thanks to Western Canoe Kayak for keeping the demo fleet so well stocked!

Pictures and Text by: Ryan Bayes

Liquid Logic Stomper Review: WCK Team Paddler Steve Arns

WCK Team Paddler Steve Arns has been hard at work testing out the new Liquid Logic Stomper. Steve has put the new boat through just about everything, including lots of class 5/5+ whitewater from Europe to all over North America. Check out his review here on what has been by far the best selling creek boat here at WCK in many years!

Location: Little Qualicum Falls, Vancouver Island, BC. 
Photo: Greg Dashper/Maxi Kniewasser.
Paddler: Steve Arns 
Boat: Liquid Logic Stomper 90

Pulling Together nominated by Canoe & Kayak Magazine

Canoe and Kayak Magzine has announced it's nominees for their inaugural award category "Paddle with a Purpose" These awards are a forum for the paddling community to recognize excellence in paddling.  Winners are nominated by their peers and chosen by everyday paddlers like you. Canoe & Kayak celebrates all aspects of paddling but like to focus on events that inspire readers to seek out their own paddling adventures. 

Pulling Together is one of five noteworthy nominees. Their paddling journeys focus on building trust between police and native youth.  Along the way paddlers pull together to renew trust and bridge cultrual gaps through the common cause of paddling canoes. Hundreds of paddlers have participated in the journeys that have happened all over Canada's west coast since 1997.

Clipper Canoes has been a proud supporter of the Pulling Together Journeys, and we'd love it if you could
support this worthwhile cause by casting your vote today. Please go to http://www.ckawards.com/ scroll down to Paddle with Purpose...and cast your vote today.

Nahanni- an RM Patterson themed trip

Experience the Nahanni in this RM Patterson-themed trip with his biographer David Finch
 
       Trip dates are July 30 to Friday, August 10, 2012.
 

Experience the places where Patterson walked, canoed, camped and wrote the impressions in his diary that he used to create his classic book, The Dangerous River. David will tell stories by the fire, read bits from the diary, and help you see the river through Patterson's eyes…. This adventure allows you to experience the Nahanni’s “Grand Canyons” during a relaxing float down the river in a raft or a canoe.

Twelve day trips from Virginia Falls allow lots of time for exploring and savoring the beauty of the Nahanni because…why rush if you don't have to?
The price for this trip is about $6000 from Fort Simpson - plus park fee.
See this link for details about the 12-day trip:  nahanni.com/trips/twelvedaynahanni

Video: How to Assemble Nested Prospectors

Fly in canoe trips, don't have to cost a fortune. Being able to nest a canoe inside of another canoe can save thousands of dollars, which in return can equal more trips, more trips equals more fun!

Check out the video below.  The assembly of a 'take apart canoe'  is very simple and straight forward. Once assembled the Clipper nestable canoes are as rigid and durable as the standard construction that people have trusted and loved for years. If you do lots of fly in northern trips this could be an option worth looking into, one float plane is sure a lot cheaper than two.

Happy paddling from your friends at Clipper Canoes.

More mods from WCK Fishing Team Member Len Zilkowsky

Len has rigged up some sweet new mods on his Jackson Cuda. Check out Len's blog here for the full story: The Fish Whisperer

WCK Paddle Team Puntledge River Festival Report

The WCK Paddle Team just got back from another awesome Puntledge River Festival on Vancovuer Island. To see the full report check out the FVWW blog here:


http://fraservalleywhitewater.com/creeks/2012-fvww-puntledge-report/


WCK donated paddles, Skirts, thorw bags and DVD's as prizes and raffle items again this year as well as bringing the demo boats out for everyone to try.

 WCK Team member Ryan Bayes in the new Jackson Kayak Funrunner 60. - Photo by Dan Bentley

The always popular "Tarp and Play" wave. - Photo by Ryan Bayes

Missouri River: Sea Clipper

Here is another trip report form another happy Clipper Canoe owner:


"Just back from the Montana section of the Missouri River. Really nice trip. Used John’s shuttle service out of Fort Benton which was a great idea, nice people and saved a ton of driving. We used our Sea Clipper and its combination of capacity and easy paddling made it a good choice. I do love that boat. We used a mid deck cover which keeps rain and hail  and sun out of the main gear as well as cutting down on windage perhaps ? We had to do about twenty miles a day for our plan to fit our time so cruising along with steady cadence was the usual experience. Beautiful camping in cottonwood groves and some really nice hikes out of the camps. All in all a great desert river trip. Thanks for helping make this trip such a good memory. That canoe has taken us on some wonderful adventures so far and we are planning more." - Don Buethorn

Thanks Don for the picture, were glad to hear your making great memories in your Clipper, Happy Paddling!

WCK Spring Gear Up Sale

Western Canada's Largest Paddle Sport Specialty store is having Western Canada's largest canoe and kayak sale!!!

It's back, the legendary Gear Up Sale starts this Saturday, April 28th and runs thru the following week. Over 1100 canoes and kayaks in stock discounted, new and used.

We have more paddling accessories than every other shop in BC combined, and its also all on sale!

Come check out what the hype is about and get out this season on the water with some new gear.

Fishing Kayaks?? Yup, about 150 of them in 30 different models. Canada's leader in kayak fishing, come pick our kayak fishing staff's brains to get the right fishing platform for your fishing needs!

WCK Clean River's Initiative!

Here on Canada's west coast we are lucky enough to have some of the most pristine and beautiful river systems the world has to offer. Unfortunately not everyone shares our appreciation for these wonderful places. The sad truth is that while paddlers and most outdoor enthusiasts would never dream of leaving garbage in these wonderful places, not everyone that vistis these river systems shares our views and values.

Luckily though every year paddlers, fisherman and river stewards of all backgrounds converge on these rivers for a day of cleaning. Our local river, the Chilliwack, is a perfect example of this with up to three river clean up days a year. The Vancouver Kayak Club has always had a strong presence at these clean ups.

To encourage more paddlers to show up and help out out with these great events, Western Canoeing and Kayaking is starting the Clean Rivers Initiative. We will be collecting names of all paddlers in attendance and after the last River Clean Up day for the year we will do a draw for a chance to win some WCK gift certificates.

There will be a $50 WCK Gift Certificate to the paddler that attends the most River Clean Ups in 2012.

There will also be a random draw for a $100 Gift Certificate to be won by someone that attended any River Clean Up Day. Paddlers' names will be entered once for every clean up they attend.

Besides the Gift Certificates, every paddler will be awarded positive River Karma for their efforts in keeping BC one of the best places on earth to live and paddle!

Check out these pics form the first River Clean up of 2012.

Thanks to everyone that came out and helped with the clean yup efforts. Thanks Marvin for the photos as well.

WCK Paddle Team.

GoPro Camera's are here!!!

GoPro cameras are used by more professional athletes, sports filmmakers and core enthusiasts than any other camera in the world. The HD HERO2: Outdoor Edition is the most advanced GoPro camera yet. Wearable and gear mountable, waterproof to 197′ (60m), capable of capturing professional full 170º wide angle 1080p video and 11 megapixel photos at a rate of 10 photos per second, the HD HERO2 is the world’s most versatile camera. Whether your goal is to capture a great day out with friends or you’re gunning for the cover of a magazine, the HD HERO2: Outdoor Edition can help you nail it and look like a HERO.

Included are mounting accessories you’re most likely to use during outdoor sports like biking, skiing, skating, kayaking and so on. Other accessories are available for mounting to boats, boards, bikes, cars and just about any place you could ever want a camera.

The HD HERO2: Outdoor Edition is compatible with all GoPro expansion accessories and BacPacs™, including the Wi-Fi BacPac and Wi-Fi Remote (coming soon).

What’s Included:

1. 1 11MP HD HERO2 Camera
2. 1 Waterproof Housing (197′ / 60m)
3. 1 HD Skeleton Backdoor
4. 1 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
5. 1 USB Cable
6. 1 Vented Helmet Strap
7. 1 Head Strap
8. 2 Curved Surface Adhesive Mounts
9. 2 Flat Surface Adhesive Mounts
10. 1 Three-Way Pivot Arm
11. Assorted Mounting Hardware

The GoPro2 pictured above with the "Outdoor" setup, this is the kit we stock at WCK and several other mounting options for kayaks and fishing boats.

If your still not sold on this do everything little package camera, check out this promo video shot entirely on a GoPro2.

Silent Traction now at WCK!

Check out this post by WCK's Angling Pro Len Zilkowsky on Harmony Gear's Silent Traction kits for fishing kayaks. This is a must have for any fishing kayak and is now available at WCK.

Lens Silent Traction post.

Jackson Kayak Pro Angler Attacked by Goose!

We don't usually consider kayak fishing to be an extreme sport, after watching this video of Jackson kayaks Drew Gregory we might be changing our minds.

Don't forget to always wear your life jacket, cause you just never know whats going to happen!

New Boats, Paddles and Goodies

We have been busy here at WCK stocking up on the latest and greatest gear for your next paddling adventure. We have got lots of hot new products in just about every category. Here is a crash course in some of the new items, more to come later.

As far as boats go, we have a few new ones. The Ride 13.5 and Ride 11.5 are Wilderness Systems new for 2012 'standing friendly' fishing kayaks. This fishing kayak is crazy stable, easily tricked out for fishing and as always has Wilderness System's awesome seating systems for all day fishing comfort. This kayak is also equipped with slide-trax outfitting, if you fish and you don't know what Slide-trax is you need to spend some quality time on Wilderness Systems Fishing Page.



We also got some new whitewater boats from Jackson. The Zen, in 3 sizes, with all the the fixings! If you somehow missed the last several months of blogasphere hype about this boat then check out Jackson's web site. This is a full bodied river runner capable of getting you down all but the gnarliest whitewater, but unlike you clumsy creek boat this will be a lot of fun to paddle!



We also have some brand new Camouflage Adventure Technology Fish Sticks Paddles in 220cm and 230cm lengths. These paddles are light weight and have the ergonomic AT bent shaft. The fish will never see you coming!!! Priced at $355 this also one of the lightest paddles on the market in that price range.



More and more paddlers are venturing out onto the waters these days with the company of their trusty phones, tablets and numerous other wireless gadgets. Protecting these expensive electronics has always been a challenge. This year, Outdoor Research has stepped up to the plate with new products to help protect your valuables from the elements.





Both the phone and tablet cases by OR come standard with these features:

-Waterproof
-Submersible
-Touch screen sensitive
-Redundant, waterproof zip lock and roll-top closure
-Integrated waterproof headphone jack
-Radio frequency welded seams
-Attachment loop
-Fits a range of sizes of smart phones

We have a long list of new products to tell you about so check back later this week for more updates.

Kayak Fishing Specific Paddles, Werner Tybee 250cm

Over the last 3 or 4 years there have been some huge advancements in Fishing Kayaks. Most notably the presence of standing kayaks. Most companies now offer kayaks that have a flat area for your feet and are stable enough to stand on. These kayaks offer enough stability to comfortably stand while paddling or casting. This amazing stability is achieved by flattening and widening the hull.

While kayaks have advanced for this new genre of kayaking, paddles are just now starting to catch up. With wider boats and elevated seats, longer paddles have become essential for comfortable paddling. For 2012 Werner Paddles is offering their popular Tybee paddle in longer lengths up to 250cm. This is a high angle blade on a longer shaft that makes moving some of these larger sit on top kayaks a little easier.

We now have stock in both the fibreglass reinforced blade and the carbon reinforced blade in 250cm. Both shafts are a hybrid carbon and glass mixture offering excellent strength and weight. At $130 for the fibreglass reinforced blades this is an awesome choice for anglers on a budget. The carbon reinforced blades are also very reasonably priced at $180 and offers additional weight savings as well as a stiffer more efficient blade.


The fiberglass reinforced blade is yellow.



The Carbon reinforced blades are black.

Come in and check out these new exciting fishing blades.

Fishing Seminar Recap!

Well the first ever WCK Kayak Fishing Seminar wrapped up on Friday evening. We couldn't be more stoked with the event. With just over 30 eager anglers showing up, some reps and pro's, tons of great prizes and give aways from all our sponsors and some short kayak fishing films to wrap it all up. Huge thanks to everyone that came out to make this event a huge success.

Both Len Zilkowsky from The Jackson Kayak Fishing Team and Kevin Henderson with Wilderness Systems Kayaks gave great presentations on kayak rigging, safety and tips on fishing from a kayak. Len also shared some of his videos form his web site, thefishwhisperer.ca

In total I think about half the crowd went home with some prizes from the raffle and door prizes donated by our great sponsors for the event. Wilderness Systems stepped up with several great prizes as well as Scotty Fishing Accessories with a couple rod holders and camera mounts. The hottest prizes though were the Kayak Fish Finder Package with a Lawrence Fish Finder and Install Kit, Adventure Technology Oddesey Fiberglass Paddle, Stohlquist Fishing PFD all donated by WCK! There was also a draw for $400 in Scotty Accessories and SLidetrax parts donated by Wilderness Systems and Scotty, this was a joint effort by both companies. In order to be entered into this draw you had to have purchased a SlideTrax outfitted Wilderness Systems Fishing Kayak, as if the boats went cool enough already.

We are stoked and looking forward to this season of kayak fishing. If you missed this event be sure to mark it on the calendar for next year.


Kevin doing a short presentation on safety and kayak fishing clothing.


Len brought his own freshly decked out Cuda to show his latest round of mods, you can find more info on rigging the JK Cuda on Lens site.


Kayak Fishing Movie time, thanks agin to Len for letting us show his vidoe's.


The lucky winner of the $400 Slidetrax/Scotty give away. Wildenress Systems ran an amazing promotion for our Boat and Fishing Shows this year. Every happy new owner of a Wilderness Systems Fishing Kayak received a free HumminBird FIsh Finder and there name into the draw for the Scotty Slidetrax package.


Not to be outdone WCK put up some wicked prizes as well, the show stopper here was the Lawrence Fish Finder and Kayak Install Kit made by Hobie Kayaks, this complete kit makes rigging your boat with a fish finder a breeze.


Another happy winner, the Adventure Technology Odyssey Paddle is a great choice for kayak anglers, the blades are super tough and the fiberglass shaft keeps the weight down for long days fishing from the yak.

In total our raffle brought in almost $170 to be donated to the Wilderness Committee. The Wilderness Committee does lots of hard work to keep fish in our rivers and lakes, if your not already member check them out.


Thanks again to all the sponsors and help: Scotty, Wilderness Systems, Harmony Accessories, Len Zilkowsky, Kevin henderson

More happy WCK customers!

Here at WCK we love to hear how happy our customers are with the products we sell them. Being in the showroom instead of out on the water where we would likely rather be is a little easier knowing someone, somewhere is on the water with a big smile because of us.

Check out this email and picture sent in by some happy customers from the Okanogan.


"Thank you Ryan so much for giving us such a wonderful deal on both of the Pyranha Burns. Casey and I went out for the first time today in them and they were amazing. We can't say enough about them. They are much faster than our other kayaks and the secondary stability gives it a real creek boat feeling. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED mine. Now I can't wait to do some harder stuff.
Oh Happy Day!!!" - Brneda Myers, Penticton, BC

Len Zilkowsky Joins WCK Kayak Angler Team

As the unprecedented growth in the fishing kayak market continues to surpass our expectations it's all we can do here at WCK to keep up. While most of our staff here are casual anglers and avid paddlers it was evident we were going to need a real keener on hand to keep us on the cutting edge of this exciting time in the kayak fishing world.

Enter Len Zilkowsky. It's possible that there could be a kayak angler out there that's as fired up about kayak fishing as Len is, but I doubt it. Having recently been picked up by Jackson kayaks for their Kayak Angling Team getting Len onboard was the obvious choice.



Living in Chilliwack Len is local to some of the best kayak fishing destinations in the world . . . and of course Canada's best kayak fishing store.

Len can be found paddling and fishing his way around all the local lakes and rivers in his freshly decked out Jackson Coosa and Cuda. To help promote the sport and share his adventures and tips Len has a new web site: thefishwhisperer.ca, He regularly updates it with pictures, videos and gear reviews, be sure to check it out, lots of great content.

Len will be here at the WCK Kayak Fishing Seminar on March 16 with one of his decked out boats.

We couldn't be more excited to have Len on the team, we're already learning lots about kayak fishing modifications and fishing tips, and we're sure you will as well.

Here is one of Len's latest videos from a day kayak fishing on the Harrison River.


If you see Len out on the water be sure to say "Hi" and maybe he'll even let you take his Jackson out for a spin.

WCK at the 2012 BC Boat and Sportsmen's Show

Come check out our booth at this years show. We have a wide range of boats from canoes, kayaks, Stand Up Boards and a massive kayak fishing display with reps and pro's on hand to answer all your questions.

Abbotsford Ttradex Building, 1190 Cornell Street, Abbotsford, BC V2T 6H5

Show Times:
Friday, March 6th 12 noon - 9 pm
Saturday, March 7th 10 am - 8 pm
Sunday, March 8th 10 am – 5 pm

Admission:
Adults: $12.00
Seniors (60+): $10.00
Students (6-16): $8.00
Children 5& under: FREE
Family (max 2 adults): $30.00

Parking:
$4.00 (Pay Upon Exit)

18th Annual Boat & Sportsmen’s Show and 6th Annual BC Hunting Show – The biggest and best sportsmen’s show in the country. Over 225 displays for the outdoor enthusiasts. Boats, marine accessories, fishing equipment, lodges & resorts, RV’s, campers, ATV’s and much more. Expert presentations, demos, entertainment & great prizes.

No other show kicks off the season like this one. Outdoor enthusiasts flock to the Fraser Valley Boat & Sportsmen’s Show because it has the largest and most complete selection of boats, outdoor products, and fishing gear. They see products they’ve never seen, equipment they have to have, and above all--a good time. It’s a hands-on event where enthusiasts can try out new fishing gear, see informative presentations and talk to the experts. Get in on the industry’s top show.

New member to WCK Whitewater Team - Steve Arns

There are very few whitewater paddlers in BC that give as much back to the community as Steve Arns. Aside from being a very accomplished whitewater paddler with over 300+ rivers and creeks under his belt in 8 different countries Steve has also started one of the most valuable resources for river beta in BC. Steve started the hugely popular Liquidlore.com site in 2009. Since then he has added dozens of river guides and blog posts. The site focuses mainly on BC but has lots of good beta for the east coast and California as well. It is the online bible for class 4+/5 whitewater kayaking in BC with amazing photos and accurate beta.

- Steve on the Homathko Portage, Day 2.

Aside from his online exploits Steve spear heads the Callaghan Creek Race in Whistler. Steve has also been one of the most active paddlers in the fight to preserve recreation on the hundreds of creeks in BC currently under threat of hydro development. This is a battle that consumes a lot of time and often has little or no reward. Either way, we really appreciate his efforts on this front.

- Spirit Falls, Little White Salmon River, WA

Steve has been paddling since 2002 "Learned to paddle in Newfoundland. Slowly migrated to Ottawa, where the boating was better, then to BC where the boating is the best..." - Steve Arns

- Upper Stave River, BC

We are super stoked to have Steve as part of the team. Check back here, and on the Liquidlore.com site for updates on river conservation, trip reports and even some product reviews. If you see him on the river be sure to thank him for the beta and efforts to keep water in our creeks.

WCK Paddle Team

Reel Paddling Film Festival - Fraser Valley

Join us and Valhalla Pure Outfitters for the annual Reel paddling Film Festival.

Date: March 09, 2012

Venue: University of the Fraser Valley,
33844 King Rd
Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M7
Canada

Show Time: 7:00pm

Tickets: $10.00 in adv or $12.00 at door
Tickets are available at Western Canoeing & Kayaking & Valhalla Pure Outfitters

Slalom Ice Breaker

This past weekend the Chilliwack Center for Excellence hosted the first IceBreaker Slalom race and it was a great success! 10 new racers, and lots of enthusiastic parents enjoyed the day at the Hope Slough in Chilliwack. The morning started with registration and a 2 hour slalom clinic and after a lunch break the races started. Winners included: Barb Taylor, Sam Fletcher, Isabel Taylor and Finley Capstick.

For more information about slalom whitewater competition contact Shonnet at slallen@tellus.net


The next 2 races are on Saturday February 18th at Ft Langley and Sunday February 19th at the Highway Gates.

Kayak Fishing Seminar

Join WCK for our first ever Kayak Fishing Seminar
Friday March 16 @ 7pm

We will have factory reps and sponsored kayak anglers on hand to answer all your questions about the industries best lines of fishing kayaks.

We will have some never before seen footage from a new Kayak Fishing Show featuring Sturgeon Fishing on the Fraser River.

Chat and share ideas with other up and coming kayak anglers. Come check out why kayak fishing is the fastest growing side of both kayaking and fishing. WCK stocks 4 makes of fishing specific canoes and kayaks as well as full selection of accessories to help customize your ride to your fish and your area.

Admission: Free
Door prizes and raffles with proceeds donated to the Wilderness Committee
Address: 1717 Salton Rd Abbotsford - Western Canoeing & Kayaking Factory store
Time: 7pm