Cliff Jacobson

You can't do good work without the right tools. A paddle that's too long is awkward, while one that is…

I resisted bent-shaft paddles long after they were in vogue. I thought they looked goofy and in…

Saturday is "turnaround" day at many fishing lodges in northern Canada. Eager to take advantage of the…

The thin blue line that winds irregularly across your topo map suggests a wild Canadian river -- no…

At the outset, I should make it clear that when winter comes to my northern Wisconsin home, I don't go…

A multipurpose cruising canoe should be capable in intermediate (Class II) rapids, athletic enough to…

For most people, a "first" canoe is like a "first" car - functional and reliable, but often stodgy and…

Canoes depreciate about ten percent when they leave the store, another ten percent when they get their…

Even the best paddlers goof up occasionally, which is why they take small stuff so seriously. When…

You're canoeing a big lake and come to a large bay. It's one mile if you head straight across, or 10…

Experienced wilderness canoe trippers know that small errors can cause big problems. In my previous…

In the mid-seventies, I shared an afternoon with the famous woodsman, Calvin Rutstrum, whose flagship…

River Bends Whenever possible, stay on the inside of bends. Rivers run fastest and deepest at the…

Many years ago, I capsized in a rapid on Ontario's Steel River. The canoe slammed a boulder and incurred…

You are planning to canoe a Canadian river that has many challenging rapids. Weeks before the wheels…

Earlier this year, a manufacturer of high-end composite canoes sponsored a weekend paddle down a local…

You are canoeing a rapid in a loaded, open canoe. At the end of the run, you pause to bail; your friends…

I once asked some whitewater experts if they thought 15-16 year old's who had never paddled a canoe…

For years, I've envied accomplished FreeStyle paddlers and have tried to copy their moves. But doing…

Most white water paddlers don't think much of flat-water canoeing. After all, what could be attractive…

Some years ago at Canocopia in Madison, Wisconsin, I chatted with a young man who had recently completed…

You begin by running rapids that require precise maneuvering. Then, you power across a huge lake into a…