Kayaking the Kish made easier with Paddle On! Outfitters

GENOA – Tom Lazar and his girlfriend, Leigh Cregier, both of Sycamore, were thinking of a weekend date idea and came up with kayaking.

Instead of traveling to a far away lake or river, they looked online and rented kayaks from Paddle On! Outfitters Inc., based in Genoa.

“We have kayaked before, but wanted to do something fun together this weekend,” Cregier said. “It’ll be fun to float along the river and relax. We’ll take our time, get some exercise and kayak together for a few hours.”

Paddle On! provides a variety of rental options, including sit-on, sit-in, fishing and tandem kayaks. Kayaks are rented for 4-hour or 8-hour rates, not miles. Some kayakers choose to swim or fish with their remaining time.

Featured trips include from Genoa to Kingston and from Kingston to Kirkland. Other northern Illinois creek and river trips include Belvidere to Atwood, Garden Prairie to Burgess, Union to Marengo and Sumner to Trask Bridge. Trips can be booked digitally online at www.paddleonoutfitters.com.

Owner Matthew Capes had the idea to start the kayak rental business after his son was born in 2017.

“I told my wife that I wouldn’t be kayaking as much, and she told me I should open a kayak rental business,” Capes said. “I thought the idea was great. I would have loved to have a business like this around when I was kayaking.”

Capes started the business in 2018 with 14 kayaks. He now has 28, which allows for large group events. There is a group discount if more than five people participate. Children can also kayak, riding tandem with an adult. Capes’ sister has a separate tube rental business that can be paired with kayak rental.

“We’ve had offices, school districts, businesses and wedding parties rent kayaks for events,” Capes said. “One of our most popular events is the Ladies’ Wine Float, where they paddle from Genoa to Kingston and have a wine pass to the winery in Genoa.”

To make kayaking from one point to another easier, Paddle On! provides a free shuttle service. Kayakers can park their car at the ending point and a shuttle will take them to the starting point of their trip, where the kayaks have already been prepared for them.

Paddle On! also provides life jackets and paddles. A short presentation on kayak and river safety and rules is delivered before the start of every trip. Kayakers are also given a laminated map and directions. Most maps have a list of local restaurants on the back, offering suggestions where kayakers can visit afterwards. For $5, kayakers can rent a dry pack, where they can keep their phones, wallets and keys protected.

Kayak rental depends on the weather. The business will close for the season at the end of October.

Capes said that when he first started Paddle On!, business was slow, but over the past year, business has been booming.

“Once COVID-19 happened, kayaking became very popular,” he said. “It was a way to get out in nature alone or with a few people. It became a way to introduce people to the sport. I think a lot of people have realized how much fun it is. Sometimes you don’t even realize or consider it exercise, it’s more of a social activity.”

Brady Brewick, Capes’ assistant, describes working with kayaks as “the best job there could be.”

“Kayaking is a lot of fun, you can get wet and cool down on hot days, get out on the water and out in nature,” he said. “I think it gets people out of the house and away from their computer and cell phone screens for a little while. It’s something fun, something different to do.”

For more information about Paddle On! Outfitters Inc., visit www.paddleonoutfitters.com or call or text 815-762-4009.