When I started choosing my kayak fishing paddle, I immediately knew Bending Branches was going to be the brand. They are hand-crafted in my home state of Wisconsin. They are world-renowned for top-notch quality and performance. Easy choice. The difficult choice was which model. They all are rated well in various circles. My fishing kayak is wide and stable. Thus, I wanted the lightest paddle possible to extend my time on the water. The Angler Pro was the obvious choice. I fell in love when I first held it and said, "Is there really a paddle in this bag?!?!?!? Indeed there was not only the lightest paddle I've ever held, but it was beautiful. We were in love.
When I first paddled the Angler Pro, other than the weight, I noticed how well it sliced through the water. It sliced through the water like a hot knife through butter, propelling my large kayak with ease. I admittedly don't have the best paddling technique. This paddle immediately compensated, as confirmed in my first scary adventure with it.
I was new to the kayak fishing scene. I had paddled before and fished out of small boats and canoes. But I was eager to hit the water in my ultra-stable kayak with my ultra-efficient paddle. Being VERY early spring, I opted for a river since there was no ice impeding my adventure. Fast-forward to shortly after launching when I snagged my jig on a tree with 50lb. braid. The high water and swift current wasn't as noticable, but I was able to get myself out of the hairy situation where I nearly fell in the water and lost my paddle. However, I was able to escape the bad situation. I was even able to paddle my large kayak upstream back to the launch in fast current. I fully belive any lesser paddle would have never got me back to safety. The full story can be read here: http://www.smallcraftfisherman.com/2016/04/bass-goggles.html
In addition to this scary situation, I used my paddle for countless hours over the course of the year. I bashed it on concrete, rocks, boulders, sand, used it as a push pole at boat launches, etc. It looks and performs like new. Watch a video where I paddled UP rapids through boulders to get to a sparsely touched fishing spot. The sounds made by my paddle scraping on the boulders would make most people cringe. But I knew my Angler Pro could handle it. And it did.