Simms was founded in 1980 by visionary angler and longtime river guide John Simms. Having spent decades providing clients with life-changing experiences on the world’s most majestic rivers, John realized the waders available at that time weren’t up to the job of keeping the folks he was guiding dry, comfortable and safe on the river. So, he set about creating products worthy of a new generation of anglers who, like him, wanted to get out on the water earlier and stay out longer in any weather. This is why we carry Simms at Pack & Paddle. It's purpose built for ...

If you’ve been dreaming of being on the water, now’s the time!  We’ve got some special summer deals for you on both new and lightly used kayaks.  Check them out and come by the shop or give us a call at 337 232 5854 for more info ...

The Buffalo river in Arkansas looms as the largest of icons in the Williams family lore growing up in the 60’s and 70’s.  Our family's tradition was to take a canoe camping trip on the Buffalo every year.  This tradition continued for over 30 years and has been passed on from parents to children to grandchildren and now great-grandchildren.  Many of our best memories come from the times we spent on the river together. What many people don’t know is that the Buffalo river was very nearly ruined.  If not for the efforts of citizen groups like the Ozark society, much ...

Designed by Tami Lange, sister in law of two breast cancer survivors was concerned about women having a save, secure, yet convenient place to keep their mobile phones.  Tiny pockets and bras are not the best solution! After researching options, she developed a stylish purse with a touch screen in back.  These new purses allow the wearer to perform normal smart phone functions while the phone is safely secured in the purse. We are stocking a wide variety of these unique purses.  Come by to check them out today.  A portion of the profits from the sale of these purses is ...

Buying a kayak at Pack & Paddle is known to be a great experience: Free demos every week, Love it or Trade it policy, seasoned staff, transport instruction and much more.  Now, we have partnered our local expertise and industry connections to bring you a direct source line of basic kayaks at box store prices - Tidal Watersport. Why stand in a box store trying to get someone to help you, risk buying a boat without trying it first and have no service after the sale?  Come in, shop with our great staff and get just the right boat - even ...

Ultra-comfy Smartwool and Darn Tough socks are one of the best items you could pick for that special someone.  Warm, amazingly comfortable, long wearing and (possibly most importantly) super cute.  We've got a great selection.  Stop by soon! ...

John and Becky are the owners of Pack & Paddle.  John’s job includes creating, writing about and scheduling the events and trips that P&P does.  In addition, John does much of the gear and boat selection for the shop.  Becky works with our bookkeeper to keep the office humming.  In addition, Becky works with Amy to choose most of the clothing and footwear we sell in the shop. Here’s an intro from John’s blog so that you can get to know them better: Becky and I really enjoy hiking, canoeing and spending time outdoors. We ride our bicycles to work ...

Stand Up Kayak Fishing Tips by John Williams There’s a revolution going on in fishing kayaks and it’s all about standing up in the boat. This article will cover everything you need to know about the art of standing in a kayak.There are several reasons that you may want to stand in your kayak while fishing. First and foremost is to improve your ability to find fish. Sight fishing for Reds and other species is exponentially easier while standing. The angle of your vision into the water is greatly improved with a higher sight angle. Along with sight fishing, you ...

Staying Warm Kayak Fishing by John Williams Early winter represents some of the best times to be out in your kayak fishing. Cooler water temperatures bring the speckled trout into range for our kayaks. The redfish are grouping up and patrolling the shores of the larger inshore lakes in large packs.Cool fronts are pushing tides lower making sight fishing opportunities some of the best of the year. One of the challenges that keeps kayak fishermen in watching the NFL instead of out in the marsh however, are worries about staying warm. The first concept to think of for cooler weather ...

Keep Your Tackle Basic For Kayaking by John Williams Because kayaks have the advantage of stealth, multiple trunks of tackle are simply not necessary to bring along on your kayak fishing adventures. For spring and summer saltwater fishing, I recommend bringing 3 rods.The first rod is rigged with a 1/4 oz jighead and either a purple with chartreuse tail cocahoe or a glow with chartreuse cocahoe. In a pocket keep a simple 2″ slotted popping cork. This gives you the ability to fish tight line (no cork) and then clip on a cork if you feel you need the extra noise ...

Gettin’ Stealthy by John Williams One of the great strengths of fishing from a kayak is that you can be astronomically more stealthy than you can be from a powerboat. If you don’t think that being stealthy when fishing is that important, try putting your head underwater and tapping your kayak with a paddle or fishing rod. The goal of this article is to help you understand what types of things you should do to become deadly silent in your kayak.For starters, you should begin to think about paddle noise. Obviously, avoid bumping the boat while paddling. Also, when laying ...

Strategic Kayak Positioning by John Williams  A kayak has two very important advantages over fishing in a powerboat. One is stealth and the other is the ability to position the boat just about anywhere. This article is designed to help you understand the basics of how to fish a particular area of marsh.Yes – a fish can be almost anywhere, but your odds increase drastically if you focus on 3 key areas: Points, Pockets and Trenasses. Points make great places to catch fish because fish tend to use them as ambush points. This can be particularly true when you have some tidal ...