Ottertail Canoe Company

09/17/2019

Dawn on Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge.
The refuge is an excellent place to explore beautiful bayous, and some of the last of remaining coastal barrier habitat in Alabama.
For more information on guided paddling trips around the refuge contact [email protected].

09/15/2019

09/13/2019

https://alabamanewscenter.com/2019/09/12/great-alabama-650-toughest-paddle-race-in-the-u-s-hits-water-saturday/

The longest single state river race in the U.S. kicks off tomorrow, and guess what? All of the action takes place right here in Alabama!
The Great Alabama 650 is a 650 mile paddle race that runs from northwest of Gadsden to Fort Morgan.
Visit AL650.com to track paddlers along their journey.

Marathon contest starts at Weiss Lake and ends in Mobile Bay

08/31/2019

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RDtF8j_wdOI

Happy Labor Day Weekend, y’all stay safe out there!

Canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards were involved in 20% of all boating casualties last year (U.S. Coast Guard 2013 Recreational Boating Statistics). T...

08/27/2019

Showing a group from Montgomery around the lower delta, besides a little wind we couldn’t have asked for better weather. We spotted osprey, loads of herons and egrets, and a hefty gator on our paddle.

Shoot me an email if you’re interested in hitting the water: [email protected]

08/23/2019

Redfish will soon begin moving inshore to bayous, creeks and shallow water around Mobile Bay. Experience the thrill of fighting these brutes in an intimate angling setting. You’ll also learn about the biology behind this seasonal event.

08/19/2019

Fall paddling season is right around the corner, and this is the perfect time to book a trip. Two of my favorite trips during fall are a Lower Delta wildlife tour or a trip to the Champion Cypress Tree.

For more information contact me directly at [email protected] or visit ottertailcanoes.com

08/16/2019

Dawn on the Mobile -Tensaw Delta, scouting locations for our guided fishing trips.

🛶 For information on guided canoe and fishing trips contact: [email protected]

07/08/2019

July 4th weekend was busy for the First Coast Guard District, which encompasses Maine to the Jersey shore. The district responded to 31 separate reports of unmanned and adrift paddlecraft. The resulting search & rescue operations cost approximately $428,300.00; about 450 man-hours were spent searching for unconfirmed persons in the water. Some of this effort could have been spared by a simple ‘If Found’ message on each paddlecraft.

The Coast Guard reminds boaters to take precautions while on the water:

• Wear your life jacket, it can save your life!
• Label your paddlecraft with contact information. You don't need a sticker, just a permanent marker and some clear tape to protect the ink
• When you are done for the day, secure your paddlecraft well above the waterline in cases of high tide and strong winds
• Tell someone where you are going and when you are going to return
• Have a light for night paddling
• Have a sound making device
• Know your limits; paddle in safe areas under safe conditions

Prior planning and safe boating practices can save lives, reduces responder fatigue, and minimizes the waste of tax-payer dollar on unnecessary searches.

-USCG-

02/20/2019

10 tips that will teach your dog to be a perfect paddling companion

01/01/2019

Happy New Year folks, wishing y’all the best in 2019!

12/29/2018

Osprey returning to nest on the lower Mobile-Tensaw Delta, a fairly common sight on our lower delta tours.

12/26/2018

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

12/23/2018

We’re currently running a giveaway on our Instagram page, jump over there and enter to win!
https://www.instagram.com/ottertailcanoes/

Big thanks to Red Beard's Outfitter for helping out with the gear for this one. These folks have an awesome shop filled with excellent outdoor gear. They also work hard to promote outdoor recreation in our area and as they say “Inspire Adventure”!

The prize pack includes a 32oz Nalgene water bottle, Brunton’s TrueArc 3 Baseplate Compass, and a pair of 50 upf fingerless paddling gloves.

Winner will be chosen on Dec 25, by 7pm so enter soon. Good luck everyone, we can’t wait to see who the winner is. Please like and share!

12/20/2018

Big thanks to Mobile Baykeeper for the feature!

“Reflect upon your present blessings-of which every man has many-not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
-Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
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Chacaloochie Bay along the lower Mobile-Tensaw Delta, an excellent place to view wildlife including huge alligators, ospreys, and wading birds. We’ll be announcing new trips for this area soon!
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12/13/2018

Loving this photo from one of our fall trips into the upper delta. We are not ready to see these beautiful colors go, but we’re thrilled to get to work on exciting new trips for spring!
Visit Mobile Mobile Baykeeper

12/08/2018

A beautiful film on canoe culture by Goh Iromoto. Perfect for this rainy Saturday, this one’s sure to get you hyped for your next big paddling adventure.

“If it is love that binds people to places in this nation of rivers and in this river of nations then one enduring expression of that simple truth, is surely…

12/05/2018

Looking for an exciting outdoor adventure around Mobile, Alabama? Come out with us on a canoe trip to see Alabama’s largest known cypress, and second largest tree. This relic is around 200-300 years old and measures just over 27 feet around the base. Contact us to book your trip, we’ll get the canoes ready!


Partial Photo Credit: Josh Kersey & Richard Brewer

12/03/2018

Paddling in coastal Alabama means beautiful scenery year round like this view of the Tensaw River.

11/30/2018

Looking for a place to do some fall paddling? The Bartram Canoe Trail offers plenty of options in the Mobile area. Give us a shout if you need a guide, we’ve got you covered on gear too!

11/26/2018

This photo is from one of our favorite paddling routes along the lower delta. It’s only minutes from Mobile, and an excellent place to view wildlife including big alligators, ospreys, and wading birds. Viewing the sunset from a seafood restaurant on the causeway is one of our favorite post-paddle activities.
Bluegill Restaurant

11/20/2018

Beautiful fall colors on the upper delta. Come on out with us and see it for yourself!

11/11/2018

Another wonderful trip to the upper delta. The paddle started out cool and a little windy, but it warmed up quickly.
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During our trip we spotted a number of birds including a red shouldered hawk, kingfishers, white ibis, egrets, herons, and loads of waterfowl.
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This is a great time to get out for a fall paddle!
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11/07/2018

Hello everyone!,

I’d like to thank you all for supporting Ottertail Canoe Company, welcome to our page! We will be rolling out more information and updates over the coming weeks and finishing up the website. In the meantime if you would like more information about tours and reservations please call or message me directly.

Sincerely,
Jason Mellos
248-345-3022

11/05/2018

Have a look at this massive bald cypress tree, it measures over 27 feet around! This giant is Alabama’s second largest tree and it’s located about 30 miles north of Mobile. The trip in consists of a paddle through a serene bottomland forest and a short but muddy trek among a beautiful grove of trees. This is a bucket list experience, and it’s absolutely worth the effort.

11/02/2018

One of many beautiful paddling routes along the Bartram Canoe Trails, a trail network with over 170 miles of paddling. Most of these routes are within 30 minutes of Mobile, Alabama.

10/31/2018

This illustration depicts a scene from the tale of “The Bewitched Canoe”. In this story a group of voyageurs make a pact with the devil to visit their sweethearts during New Years Eve. They fly through the night over 300 miles to reach their destination of Lavaltrie, Quebec in just two hours! The men party a little too hard they have to rush to return to camp. In their haste they plow into a snow bank and the leader curses god, which breaks their pact with “le diable”. They lose their souls and are forced to paddle the bewitched canoe for eternity. Many old voyageurs have reported seeing a bark canoe full of men flying through the night, singing and paddling away.
Happy Halloween!
👻🛶🎃 .