This one step, easy application provides an unique interface with today’s technology and marketing tools to keep pace with our customers demanding thirst for product information and availability. 

These QR codes are presently found in print advertising, vehicle wraps, signage or any other marketing platform that sits still long enough to be photographed.

Simply take a photograph of the QR Code with your smart phone (QR Code app installed) and instantly you will be redirected to the appropriate site as directed by the code!  Amazing technology at our fingertips!

As our new Assault Hand Paddle makes its way to the paddle sports market this spring, our strategy is to embrace all marketing techniques that will educate our customers about our company and our paddle products.  

Backwater Paddle Company, staying at the front of technology to provide our customers with as much product information as possible!

The Paddle Matters!!  Paddle on my friends!

What we really hope for, is that the change is for the better!  The Assault Hand Paddle reflects the latest changes Backwater Paddle Company is making to their legendary kayak fishing hand paddle collection. 

The latest designed BPC hand paddles will be made from plastic.  The Assault will replace the original, hand made, wooden Predator Kayak Fishing Hand Paddles.  The Predator lead the kayak fishing hand paddle evolution.   With the explosion of water sports, particularly kayak angling, the boats have grown larger to accommodate their environments.  Larger boats have made the shorter Predator paddle almost obsolete.

New BPC Paddle...Assault Hand Paddle

 Below is the physical differences between the Assault and Piranha Hand Paddles.  The plastic Assault Hand Paddle will be 2″ longer and 1/2″ wider than the wooden Piranha. 

 The Assault Hand Paddles will be available Spring 2012.

Ed and Kurt at the OR Show

 Backwater Paddle Company has stepped off the front porch and is now running with the big dogs!  After a trip out west to Salt Lake City, Utah August 3rd thru the 7th, this wonderful destination provided to be a pivot point of evolution and continued growth for Backwater Paddles.   We can see how and why Brigham Young brought his Mormon disciples to this area.   It is truly a place for the avid outdoorsman!!

The 2011 Outdoor Retail Summer Show is the largest and most significant trade show for any outdoor sporting company to be involved with.   This show is designed for the sports market manufacturer/exhibitor to meet up with prospective buyers and make deals.   As this was Backwater Paddle Company’s first venture into this massive show, we did not know what quite to expect.

2011 OR Show Room Floor

The size of the event is overwhelming.  You feel like a kid in a candy store as you walk through all the displays.  It is sensory overload.  Everyone has designed their booth for the maximum impact, both visually and physically.     It blows your mind as to how much money is spent by these large sporting goods manufacturers to grab your attention.  You think of any soft or hard goods sporting manufacturer, and they are here.

Fortunately our national distributor, Outdoor Specialty Innovations, was there to provide moral support for the show.  Having been to a number of ICAST Shows, OSI’s Ron and Pete, along with Kurt, Backwater Paddle Company’s vice president, provided the manpower to entertain all the potential customers of our paddles as well as the EAsy2Hook fishing products.

Pete and Kurt manning the Backwater Paddle Company booth.

Despite all the obstacles to get to this event, it has been quite the learning experience.  We have met some seasoned exhibitors and obtained some extremely useful knowledge for our future events.   Mostly we have learned…having a unique product matters!!   As far as displaying your product, size and being outrageous also matters. 

Although no orders were directly written, we networked with some of the industries leading retail buyers in the paddle sports market.  We obtained a number of solid contacts and will be working with them in the next few weeks.

Now that this experience is behind and we can look forward to next years OR Show with less trepidation, more imagination, and hopefully a new paddle product.  Our imaginations are at work already!

Time to get to work for the 2012 Outdoor Retail Summer Show!!  Paddle on my friends!!

2011 ICAST OSI Booth

The ICAST 2011 Showin Las Vegas last week was Backwater Paddle Company’s (BPC) first venture into the fishing sports marketing arena.  Our national distributor, Outdoor Specialty Innovations (OSI),invited me to attend as their guest.  Ron Baskett, OSI’s main man, and his crew helped soften the sensory overload by providing a booth chair  for me  to observe how the game is played.   I had to mention “chair” for the simple fact I spent a lot of time holding it to the floor, as I just blown my knee out earlier in the week.   Being in Las Vegas and confined to a chair was not the experience I had in mind for this road trip! 

Mind you, my full intentions in coming to Las Vegas was for the ICAST Trade Show experience.  I had to see and feel the atmosphere of an event of this magnitude.  Next week Backwater Paddle Company will be sponsoring our own booth (Booth MZ-163) at the Outdoor Retailer Show (OR) in Salt Lake City, Utah.  What a wake up call the trip to Las Vegas has been!

So being semi-incapicitated, I was forced to slow down, watch, learn and observe the tactics being displayed to posture your product before the respective buyers.  The atmosphere is electric.  You cannot imagine the scope of this venue.   It takes a couple of hours to saunter by and visit each booth throughout the venue.  Quite frankly, I’m not sure that I even saw every booth displaying their wares?  It was that massive.

The dollars budgeted for the displays alone by some of these well entrenched and major sporting goods companies is mind blowing.   Hundreds of thousands of dollars are being spent to provide the most attractive, ginormous and eye catching display possible.  Think Eagle Claw, Daiwa, Shimano, Rapala, Zebco all laying it all out for their buyers.  In this business, you do not get a second chance to make a first impression!!

So coming back to Florida was a bit titillating.  Now I had to face reality and the scope of the upcoming OR Trade Show.   Suddenly it was not just new ideas on how to market our product, but realizing how small BPC really is!   Now it becomes…how do we maximize our exposure without going bankrupt…basically, getting more bang for our buck.  Again, realizing that simply stretching our 3 x 5 BPC logo banner between two stanchions is not going to cut it! 

As we prepare for the upcoming Outdoor Retail Show in Salt Lake City next week, it is Backwater Paddle Company’s time to step off the porch, get down into the yard and run with the big dogs.  With great anticipation and some trepidation, we are hoping to make our mark in the paddle sports industry. 

At the ICAST Show we met, and will be networking with, some of the more experienced sporting goods manufacturers in establishing industry contacts for Backwater Paddles future growth.  As we work on a time frame for the introduction of our new Piranha-X hand paddle, these new contacts will be instrumental in achieving our goals. 

Now I sit here blogging, patiently waiting for my $2000 pop-up display to arrive here in Florida.  After observing the “minimum standard” of displays at the ICAST Show, we had to bite the bullet and not be the odd man out for the upcoming OR Show.  This short time frame between the events is all we had to work with in providing a unique and eye catching display. 

Actually, the graphics are what we hope to be the attention grabber.  This pop-up display is 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide, and collapses down into a shipping container.  My main man, Terry Griffin at Colossal Signs in Cocoa Beach, tightened up the graphics for the display.

So again, we wait patiently for the display to be sent from Rhode Island for our inspection and trial set up prior to sending it on to Salt Lake City.  How tight is the schedule you ask…the display is supposed to arrive August 2nd and we are on the plane August 3rd.

Panicking…not yet.

Backwater Paddle Company Hand Paddles
Backwater Paddle company has produced two hand paddles that allow you to maneuver the kayak while still keeping a hand on your fishing rod. I have been using them for a few months now and they are great inexpensive addition to you kayak fishing arsenal. Back water makes two version of this paddle the Predator, which has a square design, is touted for use on Sit In Kayaks (SINKs). The Piranha which has a longer asymmetrical design is the preferred paddle for Sit On Top kayaks (SOTs). Both paddles are designed with a built in Hook for retrieving fishing lines, anchor lines, etc. The Piranha sports a scalloped blade edge for pushing off of rocks, pilings, etc. What a great present for the kayak angler who has it all. MSRP is $24.95. Their website is www.backwaterpaddles.com.

Visit Tidalfish.com at http://www.tidalfish.com/forums/content.php/756-KAYAK-FISHING-Gift-ideas-for-the-Kayak-Angler-Gifts-for-Guys-Presents-for-Men-Fisherman-Gift-Ideas to see the Backwater Paddles and other great gifts for kayak anglers!

We appreciate all your support at Tidalfish.com.   Paddle on my friends!!

Predator Kayak Fishing Hand Paddle in action.

Since the introduction of kayak fishing hand paddles, paddle sports, particularly the sports of kayak fishing, hunting and photography has embraced these simple, yet indispensable paddling accessories with open arms.  Having open arms, at least free hands, while fishing, hunting of taking pictures is what every paddle sportsman desires.   Paddle sportsmen want to focus on one thing and one thing only.  They want success in getting close enough to catch, capture or photograph their prey.   The last thing a paddle sportsman wants to do is scare their prey away, or not be at the ready, before they have the opportunity to perform.

Kayak fishing hand paddles make it much easier to keep fishing, hunting or your subject within the camera view finder without spooking your elusive prey.   The problem all paddle sportsmen encounter is how to stealthily maneuver their boat within close proximity while still accomplishing their mission! 

Compact and lightweight, kayak fishing hand paddles allow you to stow those bulky, seven foot kayak paddles.  Simply keep an eight ounce kayak fishing hand paddles between your legs, or within easy reach, and with one hand, stealthily move your boat to within range without ever setting down your fishing rod, gun or camera.   Now you can easily fish, hunt and photograph while moving your boat!

Previously, the kayak sportsman got as close as he could with his seven foot kayak paddles.   Once on target, he commenced to do what he came to do.   As we know, wildlife becomes very skittish when man, whom they view as a predator, enters their protected domain.   The natural tendency of wildlife is to move away from their predator, with stealth if possible.  The more action you provide in your approach, the faster and further they flee.   Wildlife often watch with intrigue as you approach from a distance, however, encroaching into their fight or flight zone, wariness ensues.  Flailing seven foot kayak paddles while in close proximity to wildlife is tantamount to certain failure.  They will soon be gone.

Kayak anglers continually find it necessary to stealthily move their kayak short distances to stalk their prey.  Fish are always on the move.  Facing a common dilemma as how to keep fishing, move your boat and not scare prey away, became problematic.  Having to break out their seven foot kayak paddle and lay down their fishing rod just to move their kayak a few yards put them in jeopardy of losing sight or frightening away their prized lunker.  Fish have eyes, and believe me, those eyes are always looking for predators.  No matter how stealthy you are while flailing seven foot kayak paddles, it is surely to grab their attention and send your prize darting away.

Duck hunters find kayaks as the ultimate method of quietly sneaking across lagoons, lakes or ponds.  Getting your boat situated in the reeds or cat tails, sliding into a blind or silently slithering along the surface is paramount to successful duck hunting.   Turning your boat for the correct presentation to aim your gun without sending the flock flying is easier said than done.   Again, having to break out your seven foot kayak paddle and setting down your gun to attempt a stealthy maneuver without scattering the flock is a challenge most duck hunters wish to avoid. 

Water fowl, shore birds and marine mammals live in a very dynamic environment and are particularly hard to photograph unless you have a plan, or a huge telephoto lens.   Kayak photography has taken off as the innovative method for obtaining those natural habitat photos of wildlife.  Half the battle of getting that perfect photograph is being in the right place at the right time.   Paddle sportsman, particularly paddle photographers, are taking advantage of the stealth that kayaks provide in locating and snapping that once in a lifetime shot.   However, just like fish and ducks, marine wildlife is easily spooked by flailing objects.  Breaking out those seven foot kayak paddles to maneuver closer for your shot is a guarantee that your subject will be spooked.  Photograph missed.

Kayak fishing hand paddles provide the ultimate opportunity for paddle sportsmen to stealthily maneuver their boat in any scenario.  Whether you are kayak angler, duck hunter, or paddle sports photographer, having the capability to stealthily maneuver your boat determines whether you become a player or get skunked.

Kayak fishing hand paddles simply allow you to put away those awkward kayak paddles, stealthily move your kayak one-handed and successfully  keep fishing, hunting of shooting photos.    

Terry fishing with the Piranha Kayak Fishing Hand Paddle

Backwater Paddle Company is proud to announce that Outdoor Specialty Innovations(OSI) will become the exclusive distibutor of Backwater Paddle Company paddle products throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and Australia.  Late October, OSI approached Backwater Paddle Company wanting to market, distribute and sell our legendary Predator and Piranha Kayak Fishing Hand Paddles.

Ron Basket, CEO and founder of Outdoor Innovations (OSI), a Nevada based company, is dedicated to the development and discovery of innovative products designed to ease and heighten the joy of the fishing experience.   Ron has come up with answers to some of these perennial fishing frustrations with his own line of Easy2Hook non-threading loop tie fishing hooks and the company’s patented clip-on Bait Strap bait and attractant holder line of products.

Integrating the innovative paddle concepts of Backwater Paddle Company with Outdoor Specialty Innovations patented fishing tackle and accessories is a natural path for mutual growth and prosperity.   Paddle sportsmen are clamouring for the latest and greatest gear,  equipment and accessories.   OSI has experience in outdoor marketing and sales, having attended the 2010 ICAST  show in Las Vegas earlier this year.   OSIs employment will launch Backwater Paddle Company into the paddle sports and fishing markets  sooner and more efficiently.    

Outdoor Specialty Innovations’ Easy2HookUSAs, non-threading loop tie line of fishing hooks,  exemplifies how practical solutions solve the difficult and time consuming process of attaching your fishing  line to an open eye and even more difficult,  spade-end hook.  But not anymore!  OSI made it easy with the ultimate fishing hook you can attach to a line in five seconds!

Backwater Paddle Company’s Predator and Piranha Kayak Fishing Hand Paddles will continue to be manufactured and headquartered in Central Florida.  Our regional sales force and company dealerships will continue to grow, working under the auspices of Outdoor Specialty Innovations.

Backwater Paddle Company’s future plastic and composite line of paddles are working their way through the designing and testing phase.   In the works are another plastic/structural foam kayak fishing hand paddle, the Raptor Kayak paddle and the Havoc Canoe paddle, all reflecting Backwater Paddles patented “hook and teeth” blade designs.

Contact Outdoor Specialty Innovations  at  www.outdoorspecialtyinnovations.com for all your Backwater Paddle Company paddle requests and inventory.    Outdoor Specialty Innovations Inc 800 North Rainbow Blvd Suite 208 Las Vegas NV 89107

I was first introduced to Backwater Paddles earlier this year. When I first saw them I was skeptical, I didn’t think the paddle had a place in my already cramped kayak. Little did I know, the Backwater Piranha was going to become a mainstay on my kayaks.

My first use came on the Georgia Kayak Fishing Tournament Trail. The Lake Harding event made for a great proving ground – the waters were high and fast. Holding over an area without an anchor was going to be difficult, and this is where we kayak anglers usually fish with a rod in one hand and an 8′ paddle in the other. I think it’s safe to say that this isn’t the most ideal situation.

I took my regular paddle out of my lap whenever I wasn’t paddling to my next spot – that is to say, fishing. The Backwater Paddle made keeping my spot easier. I wasn’t fighting 8 feet of paddle lying across my lap or in one of my hands. I was able to make adjustments to my position with the Backwater Paddle with very little effort, and without the splashing around you’d normally get with a standard paddle. This meant I was able to spend more time fishing, and less time spooking fish. It didn’t take long before this paddle impressed me.

Fishing along jetties had me switching up between rod and traditional paddle to keep me off the rocks. The Backwater Piranha Hand paddle worked just as well to shove me off the rocks, and I didn’t have to put my rod down to do it. The cut edge gripped the rocks well and allowed a great push-off.

It’s also come in useful when anchored in moving water. Sometimes water movement might sway you just out of where you wanted to be. This is definitely inconvenient right before you cast. I just drop the Backwater Paddle into the water and use the drag created to swing me back into position.

By far the most important thing I found with the Backwater Paddle is efficiency. Kayak fishing is a very physically active sport. I’ve paddled as much as 12 miles in a day. Any amount of time I can spend not throwing around a heavier kayak paddle one-handed just to maintain position gives me more energy to get from hole to hole. The Backwater Paddle makes it easier to fish more water – that means you can catch more fish.

The only issue I have for the Backwater Paddles is the finish. While this paddle has held up just fine in the last 7 months, I think an epoxy might be better suited. So far it’s held up in fresh and saltwater, so I my concerns with the finish probably are not warranted.

I like the Backwater Paddle so much that I now have one paddle for each of my kayaks, and one to give anyone I might end up fishing with. They’re that nice to have.

You can find this product at Backwater Paddle Company for about $19.95.

Please feel free to leave your comments below if you have used this product or have questions and we will be happy to help.

Outdoor Products 360 Field Staff
Isaac Miller
Portland OR
11/03/2010

Backwater Paddle Company Distributors and Retailers Needed!

ATTENTION: Looking for Backwater Paddle Company Wholesalers, Distributors, Sales Rep and Retailers for our new and revolutionary Predator and Piranha Kayak Fishing Hand Paddles.  

NOTE: This is not a Pro Staff offer but a chance to help sale and market some of the newest paddle sport accessories  in Kayak Fishing.  

REPS: MUST HAVE SALES EXPERIENCE AND GOOD PEOPLE SKILLS AND BE WILLING TO DO POSSIBLE TRADE SHOW/SHOWS   

Email  Ed Halm at:   ephalm@yahoo.com or ed@backwaterpoaddles.com 

Subject Line: BPC Distributors  

IMPORTANT:  Please include resume and or Company Contact Information

We appreciate all your time and consideration in this matter!!  Paddle on my friends!!

Closing events at GKF

This past weekend, September 16th – 17th, was spent up at Lake Oconee, Georgia with the Georgia Kayak Fishing 2010 Tournament Trail.   Backwater Paddle Company has been a sponsor of  this state’s kayak fishing tournament all season.  This last trail leg was blessed with beautiful Lake Oconee as a backdrop and finally, wonderful weather!  No rain!!

The last time Backwater Paddles met the GKF Team was up in Tallulah Falls, Georgia earlier this year to fish the northern lakes.  All I can say, coming from Florida up to the Georgia hills and mountains is a special treat.  Florida, being a topographically challenged state…all flat, driving through the mountains and seeing all the terrain features is something I just cannot get enough.

Tony Narcisse and his Georgia paddle sports posse, put together one of the finest kayak angling tournaments.  I cannot fathom all the hard work and logistics that must go on to present such a fine event.   All I know is that he has some of the best staff (men and women) working relentlessly to get this show out.

Visit the GKF website for all the final results of this four leg kayak tournament at  www.georgiakayakfishing.com/Tourney  or at www.kayakfishingtrail.com

Special thanks to Tony, Stan, Zach, Ruth and Debbie for the wonderful tournament presentation!  Paddle on my friends!!