Bending Branches’ Angler Pro Paddle Wins Again
4-minute read
We’re honored to announce that our Angler Pro Posi-Lok kayak fishing paddle has received TWO industry awards for 2026: “Best Fishing Gear Accessory” by Kayak Angler Industry Awards and by Paddling Magazine Industry Awards.
We’ve worked so hard to make this paddle the very best it can be. Receiving these awards is extremely satisfying, especially knowing it’s the anglers themselves who are the voters.
Both these awards are sponsored by Rapid Media:
Paddling Magazine Industry Awards
The 2026 Paddling Magazine Industry Awards “recognize significant and innovative achievements in the development of products introduced to the paddlesports market this year…[the] categories represent every aspect of the sport across all disciplines.”
The winners of each category (as well as those of the Kayak Angler Industry Awards, below) were chosen by more than 17,500 voters. These voters are active paddlers and/or kayak anglers.
The Angler Pro Posi-Lok received a major upgrade with the addition of our proprietary Lam-Lok™ edge protection (included in the new Bruiser color as well as our Angler Pro Carbon model) and the robust Posi-Lok™ ferrule system.
(Photo courtesy of Chris Funk)
This upgrade was the catalyst for the acclaim from this award, as well as this next one…
Kayak Angler Industry Awards
The 2026 Kayak Angler Awards “celebrate groundbreaking advancements and outstanding achievements in the kayak fishing world, recognizing the products that have made the biggest impact on the sport this year.”
These are a focused award category inside the overarching Paddling Magazine Industry Awards, specifically for kayak fishing.
Bending Branches is no stranger to the Kayak Angler Awards and its predecessor, the Kayak Angler Choice Awards, which was in partnership with YakAttack: The Angler Pro won “Kayak Fishing Paddle of the Year” for six consecutive years, from its inaugural year in 2013 through 2018.
Bending Branches also won a couple of awards as a company a while back:
- “Accessory Brand of the Year” in 2011 by Canoe & Kayak Magazine (now also part of Rapid Media)
- First place for companies with 10-50 employees in the American Made Outdoor Gear Award in 2013, sponsored by Kokatat and recognizing US-based companies
- “Manufacturer of the Year” in 2019 from Manufacturers Alliance
(Photo courtesy of Kate Wright)
About our Angler Pro Posi-Lok Kayak Fishing Paddle
“The Angler Pro has been a favorite among kayak anglers for years,” said Kate Wright, Branches Marketing Director, “and we've continued to push it further with improvements like Lam-Lok™ edge protection and the Posi-Lok™ ferrule. It's exciting to see those upgrades resonate with the anglers who depend on their gear every day.”
We think it’s amazing that so many kayak anglers have found such value using the Angler Pro over the years. And from our innovative patterns and colors, to our materials, to our dedication to improvement, this paddle just keeps getting better.
Our newest addition to the Angler Pro family, the Angler Pro Posi-Lok, is a sight to behold with its fresh Bruiser color hand-designed by a Wisconsin artist.
As with all our fiberglass Angler Pro models, each blade is carefully hand-crafted by sandwiching printed silk fabric between layers of fiberglass, then pressing the layers together in a custom compression mold.
The edges of these gorgeous blades are then reinforced with 16.5 feet of aramid stitching before getting the final resin coating. We call this stitching Lam-Lok™. In a word: durability. Our factory tests show that they’re at least five times more durable than blades without it.
We also vastly upgraded our snap-button ferrule with our Posi-Lok™ ferrule on this model—it’s one we’ve used for years on paddles by our sister brand, Aqua Bound. Posi-Lok™ is extremely easy to adjust, tight-fitting, lightweight and offers several feathering angles.
Angler Pro Posi-Lok is available with its 100% carbon shaft in five different lengths. It weighs just 29 ounces. So light you’ll hardly notice it’s in your hands, yet it packs a punch on the water, pulling your loaded kayak with ease.
More Angler Pros to Choose From
We have other Angler Pro kayak fishing paddles as well:
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Angler Pro Carbon Posi-Lok, also new for 2026—Same Lam-Lok™ edge protection, same Posi-Lok™ ferrule system, but with compression-molded carbon blades that feature a high-tech spread tow weave. At just 26 ounces, it’s the lightest kayak fishing paddle on the market.
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Angler Pro Versa-Lok and Angler Pro Carbon Versa-Lok—The same great paddle but with the Versa-Lok™ ferrule system that allows up to 15 cm of length adjustability. (Only the Bruiser and Carbon models have the Lam-Lok™ edge protection.)
- Angler Pro Snap-Button—If you’re looking for an Angler Pro at a slight discount, we still offer two of our colors with our original snap-button ferrule. Not quite as fancy, but still reliable and wobble-free.
(Photo courtesy of Kate Wright)
Take your pick of the best kayak fishing paddles in the industry. You can’t go wrong no matter which one you choose.
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us at 715-755-3405 or bbinfo@bendingbranches.com, or choose our online chat option.
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