Every sport has a beginning. It then proceeds through a period of infancy which is followed by a measurable level of increased interest. During the period of heightened interest and popularity there is some form of culmination where the sport experiences its crowning moment or achievement. Peach baskets nailed to plywood eventually led to Michael Jordan. A rugby ball found its way to the US and is now responsible for hundreds of 20 year old kids with mansions and exotic cars, even if the rules have changed a little. A game once referred to as âtown ballâ is now our countryâs âofficialâ pastime. Even the casual hobby that coaxed Andy Griffith and Opie down to the fishing hole is now a nationally televised event that draws viewers and paychecks that number well into the millions. (And yes Iâm talking about KVD. If youâre not aware of those three letters and their meaning…Google it.)
Such is the timeline of kayak fishing. It began…actually thatâs a good question. Kayaks can be traced back about 4000 years. The early kayaks were used more for hunting than fishing. Arctic peoples tracked large animals from the kayak. Today we âhuntâ from them, just with rod and reel. Modern kayak fishing is hard to trace to a specific dot on the timeline. There have been pioneers and innovators along the way that are easier to identify.
In 1967, at age 13, Tim Nemier built his first kayak from a kit in Malibu, CA. Two years later he âcarvesâ the first sit on top kayak. Travel another year and a half ahead and Tim sells his first SOT. For the next several years he continued to improve his designs and methods. In 1988 he started the company known to the entire kayak community, Ocean Kayak. Nemierâs innovations gave those of us pursuing fish a new way to customize and fine tune our approach to this sport we so love. While there are now many other names in the game of kayak fishing, Ocean Kayak still remains a driving force in the industry.
Even more recently, there has been a bumper crop of dedicated, innovative, and determined minds that have propelled the kayak fishing industry forward at an amazing rate. Companies like Wilderness Systems, Jackson Kayak and Native Watercraft have upped the ante in recent years with the help of minds like Chad Hoover, Drew Gregory and Woody Callaway. These men have played integral parts in building fishing machines that serve as the benchmarks for kayak fishing enthusiasts. Kayaks have now evolved to using pedals as a means of propulsion. Hobie Alter, the founder of the Hobie brand, changed the very methodology of kayaking when his company released the Mirage Drive system. Along with the myriad of kayak manufactures there are many kayak fishing accessory companies to match. Whether the accoutrements are brand/model specific or simply purpose specific, there are tons of add-on and customization options for todayâs kayak angler. The greatest thing about kayak fishingâs current state is that itâs nowhere near done with its meteoric rise in popularity! With the ever increasing cost of fuel needed to power large outboard driven boats, and the populous of âgreenâ minded consumers on the rise, today there are more and more fisherman reaching for a paddle and enjoying the benefits of fishing from a kayak. Give it a try this spring and see what
youâve been missing.
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