Great Outdoor Blog

Learn to tie seven traditional patterns that will give you a great start to a lifetime of tying.

The tips and techniques learned can be applied to virtually every pattern made. The class will be broken up into four 1.5 hr sessions. Space is limited to ensure a more personalized learning experience. Stop by or call the Raleigh shop to register (payment required to hold your spot).

• Admission: $100 (Four class series)
• Limit: 6 tiers
• All materials & hooks provided
• Vises & materials provided  or bring your own vise
• Learn 7 proven traditional flies
• New Tips & Techniques

When: Wednesdays, August 5, 12, 19 & 26 • 6:30-8pm

Where: Cameron Village • 2017 Cameron St • 919.833.1741

>> Also check out our Fly Fishing Classes this Fall

John Pugh is paddling the Neuse River Canoe Trail this morning in a Hurricane Kayaks Santee Expedition 128. Trip report to follow. Read more about John’s Adventures at sourcetosea.net & follow him on Twitter.

About the Neuse River Canoe Trail: The Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department provides 5 canoe launches along 17 miles of the Neuse River starting at the Falls Lake Dam. The access points are designed for paddle-craft and are open from sunrise to sunset. CLICK HERE for access locations, directions, and river miles from Falls Dam – Mile 0. Maps for the two most paddled sections are available below:

• Map – Falls Dam to Buffaloe Road
  
• Map – Milburnie Dam to Poole Road

For More Information Contact:
Seth Yearout – Adventure Program Manager
Parks and Recreation Department
2401 Wade Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-831-6855

by Gwen Crabtree

I’m up in Delaware for a short while and found some time this weekend to head to the coast for a kayak lesson and short trip. For the amount of water here I was surprised at the lack of outfitters, but after a bit of searching I settled on Coastal Kayak and signed up for a Bracing and Edging class. The folks there were super nice and very accomodating since I didn’t have any of my gear with me. I even had the privilege of taking the lesson with Mitch, the owner of Coastal Kayak. If anyone is in the area and wants a place to rent or take instruction from, I would highly recommend these folks.

After getting our gear together, we loaded up and went to an area that was a bit less windy. Our location for the morning was the Little Assawoman Bay on the Delaware coast. After a bit of stretching and on-shore instruction, Mitch took us out into some of the tidal creeks to show us the finer points of edging and bracing sea kayaks. I already had some practice with these techniques, but Mitch did a great job of expanding my knowledge and cleaning up some of the bad habits I had started to form. After the lesson was over, I thought we were simply going to load up the boats and head back to the shop, but Mitch generously offered to let us paddle back. He was even surprised when we showed back as quick as we did. This was a great offer considering we only paid $50 for the 2 hour lesson and this included all the gear.

 Save up to 80% Fri-Sun @ the Cameron Village Shop!

Setting up one of the footwear tables!

GOPC Kayak Fishing Team Member, Will Huffine, was featured in a Fisherman’s Post Article with Hobie Kayaks. Read the full story HERE.

Riding the tide, swimmers paddled and kicked their way past us as Gary Hurley (Fisherman’s Post), Will Huffine (Great Outdoor Provision Company in Wilmington), Hobie Kayak Rep Michael Garet and I turned our bows south after launching from the soundside of Wrightsville Beach into Banks Channel.

On most of my kayak adventures, I try to plan my trip to head the way of the swimmers, paddling with the tide one direction to my destination and, after the tide change, enjoying the tail current on the way back, too.

This, however, was no ordinary paddle. In fact, it’s far more accurate to call it a pedal, as the boats we were in are propelled by Hobie’s patented Mirage Drive pedal system instead of a double bladed paddle. Mine wasn’t even technically a kayak; as Michael told me, Hobie has labeled it a Pedal-Powered Fishing Platform.

I had my butt parked comfortably in the seat of one of Hobie’s newest creations and their latest Mirage-Driven PPFP, the Mirage Pro Angler.

At nearly 14’ long and 38” wide, the Pro Angler has dimensions closer to a small jon boat than a kayak, and the width gives it far more stability and carrying capacity than even the largest fishing kayaks. I’d pored over every curve and feature of the Pro Angler at Great Outdoor’s Wilmington location and thought the craft looked incredible, but at 6’8” I wasn’t sure I’d fit in it.

My doubt was bolstered by the fact that when I was searching for a fishing kayak last year, my choices were restricted to just a tiny fraction to of the models on the market—not even the majority of the longer, wider kayaks marketed for the big guys would allow me to extend my legs and settle down comfortably.

The second time Will saw me eyeing up the Pro Angler at the front of Great Outdoor’s kayak section, he had some good news. He’d told Michael of my concerns, and the company rep was nearly certain the boat would accommodate me. >> Read the full story HERE.

Scott Wood sent in this pic of his son, Alex, with a nice bass!

“10 lb. test, crappy drag on a spin caster, canoe spinning in circles. It was one of the most exciting fish I’ve ever seen caught and one of the most excited anglers.”

NC-16 to US 421
8:30am – 4:30pm Workday Hours

July 9, Thursday
July 11, Saturday

“Big Dig” – July 24-26, 2009

August 6, Thursday
August 8, Saturday

September 10, Thursday
September 12, Saturday

Please note message below about rain dates.

Blue Ridge Parkway – South Ashe Task Force – Construction continues on the MST section between NC 16 and US 421 along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Meet near Milepost 272 on the parkway at 8:30 AM. The worksite is south of the junction of NC 16 and the Blue Ridge Parkway near Milepost 272. Look for orange “MST Work” sign and directions on vehicle windshield. Some tools will be provided but you can bring mattocks, hand loppers, hand bow saws and leaf rakes. Bring plenty of water, sturdy work boots, gloves, a jacket and raingear. Lunch, energy snacks and a light day pack with first aid kit may also be helpful. The worksite is near the parkway so access to your vehicle should be easy and nearby. For questions contact Jim Hallsey (336) 877-8831 or jhallsey2@cs.com.

Special note: Parkway closure pending between Phillips Gap and Jeffress Park (MP 270 to 271) If you travel the BRP south from NC 16 to the meeting site you will have to follow a detour on Phillips Gap Road to Idlewild Road to US 221 to US 421 and back to the parkway overpass at US 421. Then go north on the parkway to the meeting site.

Every Thursday Before the Second Saturday we will meet at 8:30 AM at a location to be announced. Every Second Saturday of EACH MONTH we will meet at 8:30 AM at a location to be announced. As usual, rain/snow dates will be the following Thursday or Saturday if needed. This extends our construction season to year round!

Contact – Jim Hallsey – (336) 877-8831 or jhallsey2@cs.com

Learn about the MST at greatoutdoorprovision.com/mst

The Category 5 is a New Lightweight Performance Touring Kayak / Fitness Kayak from NC’s own Hurricane Kayaks. We are one of a handful of dealers in the country that have this boat. Stop by the Raleigh & Charlotte shops to see one in person!

Read More HERE

Just in the Raleigh Shop!

The Future of Freestyle Kayaks is Now a Reality- The best is now even better!

Do you want to learn to spin, blunt, cartwheel or loop? Are you wanting the biggest air, most retentive wave machine, and to win the World Championships? The 2010 Star series is the unparalleled answer to your playboating dreams!

Imagine yourself doing more and learning faster than ever before. This design delivers on JK’s promise to always stay well in the lead for easy to use, comfortable, high performance playboating machines.

Design and Performance characteristics: Short, short, short!

1. Makes it the easiest for spinning, cartwheeling, blunting, looping, or any maneuver requiring you to rotate in any direction or get air.
2. Easier to launch off the water on waves.
3. More retentive- much easier to stick moves
4. Faster rotational speed (12% faster in the air and even faster when the ends are in the water)
5. Less bottom impact- boat will last longer and low water is no longer an issue.

Wedge shaped deck:

1. Even bigger loops.
2. Easy to control symmetrical wing shaped cross sections making for smooth ends and low water resistance.

High performance hull

1. New rocker Profile packs more speed into a shorter hull!
2. Fast and easy to lift off the water- a hard combination to pull off- but this boat does it perfectly.
3. Easier than ever to “reel up” both forward and backwards for all aerial moves on waves or holes.
4. Slick loose hull that you can “slide out” to spin, grind, or helix, while still offering the legendary “no paddle needed” directional control with simple edging.

Comfort package moves yet another step ahead of the pack.

1. Narrower Knee position for improved leg comfort.
2. More hand and paddle room for vertical paddle strokes
3. Sweet Cheeks 100 easily switched out for Sweet cheeks 150 or 200 depending on your size (at the dealer).
4. New Hip pad design with more hook and wider coverage area.

Light- Weight, Comfortable, Durable, and Dry

1. New Formula Cross-linked Plastic takes durability to a new level. (now being cooked in the oven for 45 minutes at 600 degrees- compared to industry standard of 20-25 minutes for linear plastic)
a. More rigid
b. Better for the environment, and the molders, no peroxides.
2. Overall boat weight reduced by 2 pounds over 2007-2009 Star series
3. New Cockpit design improves dryness to an all time high.s
4. Total ergonomic package takes another leap forward.
5. New Stern and bow shape are specifically designed for abuse at the shallow whitewater parks of the world. New shape will wear three times longer!

A quick note about this incredible design:

David Knight and I stressed heavily over the river running capabilities of this boat when we were designing it. Only a real test would tell. WOW!!! It is even easier to keep the ends out of the water and with more volume and less surface area, and more speed, it is easier to go down river! That was the icing on top to make it hands down our biggest achievement in a playboat! Beginner, intermediate, or want to win the world champs, this is the only choice worth considering at this point in time. Sweet!

EJ
p.s. See you on or above the water!

Premieres on PBS September 27-October 2, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. ET

Filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature’s most spectacular locales — from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska — The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is nonetheless a story of people: people from every conceivable background — rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs; people who were willing to devote themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in doing so reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy. It is a story full of struggle and conflict, high ideals and crass opportunism, stirring adventure and enduring inspiration – set against the most breathtaking backdrops imaginable.

For Film Trailers & more visit: pbs.org/nationalparks/