The Past, Present, and Future of Kayak Fishing

One of the great joys in my life is pursuing mighty offshore fish from a kayak. For more than twenty years, I've been out beyond the breakers, chasing some of the most desired species in Texas. Toothy king mackerel, tricky ling, tasty sow snapper—all present unique challenges and generate their own brands of thrills for those who manage to catch them from the back of a kayak. I feel honored to have been one of the individuals who helped pioneer big-game kayak fishing.

Rest assured, kayak fishing in the Gulf of Mexico is neither for the weak, nor the faint of heart. Anyone daring to participate in this endeavor must be mentally prepared and remain keenly alert for all possible scenarios. Some people pursue these quests mostly for a bounty of fresh fillets while others pursue them purely for sport.

My happy place is on the back of a kayak, with the morning sun glistening off glassy nearshore water. I'm a bit more of a pleasure seeker than a meat hunter. The sometimes surreal world of kayak fishing puts me square into one of my favorite elements.

Certainly, curiosity started me down the path to fishing the open ocean on a kayak. When I started, I used an original, sit-on-top kayak. Back then, only a few brands existed, the most notable being the Ocean Kayak brand. I named my first kayak the "Yak Board." The unique boat was designed as a hybrid, partly for fishing, partly for surfing.

I purchased it for a third purpose, and for that purpose only. I wanted to use it to deploy baits for sharks. Having just finished high school and still residing in Austin, I began playing around with my new toy in the small, quiet creeks in the northern parts of our capitol city. Soon, I started taking it to the coast and deploying shark baits off the piers jutting out into the Gulf. The small boat worked great for this, light enough for me to throw over the rail at the end of a pier without any help.

Ultimately, the pleasures I experienced on the "Yak Board" led to experimentation. Around 2002, when I moved to Corpus Christi, I began to fish from the kayak, instead of just using it to ferry baits away from the piers. Originally, the desire to acquire fresh skipjacks for bait started me chasing schools of the slender fish, after launching my boat from the beach.

Though the little vessel didn't have lots of room, it helped me get the job done on my in-the-moment hunts for fresh baits. The more times I rowed it through the breakers, the braver I became, eventually venturing out into larger surf to target my bait. Doing so tested my own physical limitations and those of my kayak.

One fateful day, while chasing skipjacks and bonito close to the beach, I hooked a strong fish. During the fight, my adversary made a fast run directly at me, winding up right under the kayak. Then I could see what had motivated its sizzling run; a mature blacktip weighing at least 100 pounds lunged at my catch, slamming into the kayak as it did. Right then and there, I changed my opinions about making future expeditions off the beachfront on a kayak.

Soon, I upgraded my collection with another model from the Ocean Kayak brand. This new boat, a Malibu 2XL, is still sold today and is still my kayak of choice for deploying shark baits. I've owned four of these large, robust vessels. Due to their design features, they're both stable and roomy, easy to customize with accessories.

Once I started running baits out on it, I realized it was perfect for fishing the waters beyond the breakers, so I rigged it up for those duties. For many years, the Malibu 2XL became my dedicated fish sled. I've used it in the bays, offshore and for gigging flounder. I even transported one to the floaters and caught the first yellowfin tuna ever landed from a kayak in Texas waters. But the exploits didn't end there.

I had a strong feeling about the potential for catching fish in nearshore waters, so I began exploring the area in earnest, rigging up a cheap Humminbird fish-finder to locate new spots. I began fishing the ones I found as well as some whose coordinates I acquired from others. While doing so, my adventures grew more dangerous than ever.

Rigged with a custom milk-crate rod holder and a storage system anchored with riveted eyelets, I discovered even more possibilities. I began catching aggressive sharks, bringing them alongside the plastic gunwale and cutting the leader. My first truly prized catch was a monster cobia.

While drifting ribbonfish for king mackerel with my brother about two miles offshore, I hooked up. After a moderately long, hard fight, I finally coaxed the fish right below the kayak, and we could see it was a giant ling. I forced it up to the surface and my brother gaffed it for me while sitting on the back of his inferior kayak; he was instantly pulled off the boat into the blue water by the powerful, writhing fish. While treading water, he handed me the gaff and climbed back on his yak. I subdued the ling, preserving a memory I cherish to this day.

About three years later another opportunity for upgrading my fleet presented itself. I had the great fortune to become the owner of a brand new, first-edition Hobie Pro Angler. My good friend Rick introduced me to this unique boat, built around a creative pedal-drive propulsion system. Even larger than the Malibu 2XL,the Pro Angler became the ultimate game-changer in the offshore kayak fishing world. Today, this kayak is favored by some of the best offshore kayak anglers in the world.

Its ability to troll effortlessly or hold a position in moderate winds and currents derives from its innovative pedal-drive system. This boat allows anglers to function in conditions which would render a paddle kayak basically worthless. I won multiple offshore tournaments aboard that Hobie. Despite the presence of some design flaws in the first edition, I ran it extremely hard, and it remained seaworthy for about a decade, a time-frame during which Hobie perfected the Pro Angler series. I believe these boats reign supreme as the ultimate tools for offshore big-game kayak fishing.

 After my Hobie self-destructed I focused again almost exclusively on my first true love—targeting sharks from the beach. But, when the right weather windows presented themselves, I would rig up my Malibu 2XL to haul red snappers off the nearshore structures. These habits changed last year, when I found another opportunity to upgrade my plastic fleet.

In 2023, Jenn Nolan invited me to experiment with Viking Kayaks. Their paddle-drive kayaks rank among the best boats ever designed. I tried my luck with the Profish Reload. For a paddle kayak, it's large and moderately solid and heavy, but it's fast for its size and provides a dazzling array of possibilities for those wanting to upgrade with accessories. It can accommodate most any gadget designed for use on a kayak. The chill pod provides the ideal place for keeping snapper and the central pod variations are great for integrated fish-finders and other key tools. These qualities make it the best paddle fishing kayak on the market.

This new Viking kayak does not disappoint. While I miss the novelty of the pedal-drive system that made the Hobie Pro Angler series so fun and easy to use, I believe the Profish Reload is a sleek, effective fishing machine. My good friends, kayaking icons Tod Johnson and Glenn Madden, both own and use one regularly.

A couple of gems have stood the test of time and some newer models have redefined the rules of the game. With kayak fishing gaining so much steam the past decade, newer, more advanced kayaks are sure to hit the market. As long as a crowd of adventure seekers pursue their passions offshore, new kayaks will emerge to cater to their needs, creating a bright future in this fascinating fishing realm.