/aaron.miller.1840070

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Aaron Miller

Growing up in North Carolina, all Aaron really wanted to do as a kid was fish.  With four ponds close to his house, his mother always knew where to find him at dinner time.  She would always tell him "The worse thing your dad ever done was put a fishing pole in your hand."  As he got older Aaron started traveling with his dad, fishing the SKA (Southern King Fish Association) during the summer months up and down the eastern seaboard.  You could say his feet have been salty from a young age.  

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As a young adult, Aaron chartered a bass boat, but when the time came to settle down with his wife and two kids he traded it in for a Kayak and Paddleboard shop.  Here he was introduced to kayak fishing.  "I noticed quickly that fishing from a kayak was a lot different due to you were not able to run from spot to spot but to pick areas and fish them slow. This I feel has made me a better fisherman and I can tell you that I have consistently caught better quality fish out of a kayak then the five boats I have owned."

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Aaron now fishes the kayak circuit in fresh and saltwater as well as owning his own bait shop, Aaron's Baits.  His sponsors include Boonedox, Hobie Kayaks, Rock Outdoors, American Bait Works, Net Bait, Power Pole,  Ardent Reels, Halo Rods, and Savage Coffee.

Some of his top fishing accomplishments include: 2020 IFA Georgetown Top Ten, 2019 Redfish Top Ten, 2018KBF Nationals 46th of 754 (highest payout in kayak history), Three-time National Qualifier, 22 Top Ten Finishes in KBF events.

         /andrew.imes

             @oakanchoroutdoors

Andrew Imes

Andrew fell in love with the sport of kayak fishing to get off the beaten path and to get back to places his center console boat just couldn’t get.  Since then he has been fully engulfed in the sport and there is no place he would rather be than sitting in a marsh in his little plastic boat.  Andrew primarily fishes out of a Hobie Pro Angler 14 and fish inshore/offshore saltwater, but always gets several freshwater trips every year too. He is an avid tournament angler competing mostly in saltwater series up and down the east coast.  He loves tournament angling because "it’s a way to test my knowledge and abilities not just to win but to prove to myself that when it counts I can hold my own."  He was also lucky enough to be a 2-time winner of the North Carolina Kayak Fishing Association’s Angler of the Year title.  In 2016 he began guiding kayak fishing trips to meet new people and share his obsession with the sport.  Guiding has been a new challenging road and has sharpened his skills on the water.  He has come to realize that coaching someone into catching a fish of a lifetime, passing on a skill, or sharing some great conversation is just as rewarding as being the one hooked up.

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Andrew Mixon

Captain Drew Mixon is a USCG Master Captain with qualifications to operate vessels from inshore sized boats, to ocean-going commercial craft.  Not only an angler, Drew is a true outdoorsman and steward of our beautiful central Florida environment.  Drew has attained the level of master birder and his knowledge of facts and trivia concerning Florida's wildlife will entertain you with interesting things you didn't know before you climbed aboard.  Drew's fished Florida waters for over 40 years and developed techniques to put great fish in the boat.  He’s always been a family man and introduced his boys to fishing and the great outdoors at an early age. 

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Drew has captained teams at the professional level on the redfish tours, pro kingfish tour, countless offshore tournaments and 2 different professional bass tours.  With 7 IGFA records and trophy catch citations in 4 states to his credit, Drew uses the techniques he developed in his tournament angling to help anglers be more efficient on the water. 

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Drew is known far and wide as not taking himself, or things too seriously.  If you enjoy a laugh and don’t want to be overly intense while putting giant fish in the boat, Drew will definitely make your day.

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Ben Meredith

Ben currently resides in Middle Tennessee which is arguably the most competitive kayak scene in the country.  Tennessee has over 12 kayak clubs and several of the country's big bass lakes within a two-hour drive.  During 2018 Ben made it a point to branch out and try some new water.  In doing so he fished with 6 different clubs and landed his personal best largemouth during a tournament with the Tennessee Valley Kayak Anglers of Chattanooga on Lake Guntersville.

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Ben has been fishing out of a kayak since late 2015.  A self-proclaimed "weekend warrior", he splits his time on the water between fishing and introducing newcomers to the sport.  Last year Ben was offered a Regional Fishing Team Member spot with Hobie, a synergistic role that combines both kayak fishing and his enjoyment of helping others get on the water.  Ben also served as a volunteer with the Heroes on the Water - Music City Chapter for two years until it dissolved in 2018.

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During the colder months, you can find Ben around dams chasing walleye, striper, and hybrid.  For the 2019 season he is looking to focus on fishing with one club in hopes of making the Tennessee State Championship, find a couple long weekends to chase redfish and reinvigorate his jig brand Dinkhunters.

         /bbarton13

         @emerald_coast_kayak_fishing

          Emerald Coast Kayak Fishing

Brandon Barton

Brandon Barton is a seasoned kayak angler, kayak guide, and tournament angler from Pensacola, Florida. Brandon grew up fishing bass ponds in North Carolina but moved to Florida in 2006 and quickly got addicted to saltwater kayak fishing. Brandon now targets redfish, cobia, tarpon, Mahi, and sailfish along the gulf coast of Florida.

Inshore, offshore, and even bass fishing - Brandon does it all. He also is a big tournament angler and has many top ten and top-three finishes. He also owns Emerald Waters Kayak Charters where he enjoys putting his clients on a fish of a lifetime. Brandon has a huge passion for photography and videography. He loves to capture his kayak fishing adventures and to share his passion.

         /brian.klamer.3

Brian Klamer

Brian grew up in a small town in Western Pennsylvania.  He fished throughout his childhood for largemouth bass, trout, ad walleye every chance he got.  He often rode his bicycle several miles just for the chance to fish.  Brian enlisted in the army before he graduated from high school and served on active duty for twenty-one years.  He retired to Fayetteville, NC where he continues to work supporting the military.  

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A few years after retiring, he purchased his first kayak and started fishing inshore.  Kayak fishing rekindled his passion for fishing and he began pursuing any and every species he could find in his kayak.  Within the year he was introduced to the North Carolina Kayak Fishing Association (NCKFA).  NCKFA opened his eyes to other opportunities - primarily offshore fishing.  He learned new techniques, about the equipment, and quickly became one of the front runners in NCKFA's Oak Island Classic's Ocean Division.

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Brian's most memorable offshore catch was a huge sailfish off of Pompano Beach, Florida.  It was caught while competing in the Extreme Kayak Fishing Tournament's Sailfish Smackdown.  "I can still remember every single detail of the fight, from the hookup to getting my hands on his bill an hour and three miles later.  I'll never forget it!"

         /christopher.calouri.5

Christopher Calouri

Raised on the shores of Long Island, New York, Christopher has been fishing since he was a little kid, but it wasn’t until his time in the United States Marine Corps that he began to take fishing seriously.

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A fly angler for many years, an accident at work left him unable to walk correctly anymore. He thought his time fishing was over until he was introduced to Noah Heck and the Kayak-Anglers community. It was love at first cast. For the past 4 years, he has been competing in the Kayak-Anglers Western PA chapter tournaments, learning to hone his craft. He has now traveled across the country to fish in various tournaments at the National level. From the Toledo Bend Reservoir, Kentucky Lake for the KBF National Championship to Northwest Pennsylvania for the Northeast regional open on Lake Erie hosted by none other than FISHingONline. Despite his travels, his passion will always in Pennsylvania either on "the big lakes like Erie or the flowing creeks like the Kiski and famed Susquehanna River.  There is no shortage of great water here." While he loves competing in tournaments his greatest times on the water are the ones he spends with his fiance Tonya fishing for fun. She is an accomplished angler in her own right, but just seeing her enjoyment makes puts a smile on Christopher's face after a long week at work. As they say, there’s no such thing as a bad day on the water.

         /donny.bennett.39

Donny Bennett

Donny was raised on a cattle farm in the southern middle part of Tennessee.  He started fishing at the age of 5 and spent all of his free time on the Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake.  The Tennessee river chain as some of the best fishing waters in Tennessee, so he was spoiled from the start.

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In 2013 he bought his first kayak and fell in love with kayak fishing.  In 2015 Donny started fishing kayak tournaments.  His first tournament was a KBFTN event on Percy Priest Lake.  He now religiously fishes tournaments and qualified for the KBF National Championship his first year in the KBF.  Some of Donnie's accomplishments in the KBF series include a 1st place finish, a 2nd place finish, two 3rd place finishes and twenty top ten finishes.

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Over the years, Donny has felt very fortunate that fishing these events have enabled him to meet great people and get involved with many great companies.  He hopes one day to be able to fish for a living.

         /Jacob.miles.31

        @jacobmilesfishing

Jacob Miles

Born and raised in Burlington, NC, Jacob learned to fish out of the back of his dad's bass boat on Lake Cammack. He started kayak fishing in 2014 and tournament fishing with Carolina Kayak Anglers in 2015. 

In 2018 he married his best friend and biggest supporter, Hannah. They have a German shepherd, Sam, and a black lab mix, Kota (yes like Minn Kota). Both his wife and the dogs love the water and fishing as much as he does, although his wife prefers the saltwater fishing. 

Jacob is currently a member of the Nucanoe Fishing Team and Denali Rods ProStaff.  He has fished in 40+ kayak tournaments with 20+ top ten finishes including a 1st place finish in the Bass division of the BooneDOX Yadkin Slam in 2018.  He has qualified for the KBF National Championship in both 2018 & 2019.

         /JamieDenisonfishing

        @justfishingJMD

Jamiedenison.com

Jamie Denison

Jamie Denison is from Winston Salem NC.  He started fishing as a young boy with his father in both fresh and salt-water.  Over the years he has fished from a multitude of different types of boats.  In 2013 he switched from tournament fishing out of a bass boat to tournament fishing from a kayak.  Jamie is well rounded in the type of fish he targets but his favorite has always been bass fishing.

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Since switching to that kayak tournament scene he quickly found his love for the sport competing on the local, regional and national stage.  It didn't take long before his love for Bass fishing, and now kayak Bass fishing turned into a much larger passion to become the best Kayak bass fisherman that he could be, even birthing the slogan "just fishing."

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It didn't take long before he got his first KBF win, and that made him hungry for more.  His tournament highlights include 2017 KBF Angler of the Year, 2018 KBF "The Ten" Champion, 2018 KBF Trail Series Champion, 2018 KBF Challenge Series Champion, 2019 USA Kayak Team (US Bass).

         /joe.komyati.5

        @knotyouraverageangler

Joe Komyati

Joe Komyati lives in Raleigh, NC, and has been fishing from a very young age. He started off fly fishing with his father in the rivers of northern New Jersey for freshwater trout. Joe took up kayak fishing just 9 years ago along Florida's beautiful west coast where he targeted redfish, trout, and snook. Now Joe is a seasoned kayak tournament angler who competes in the Inshore Fishing Association (IFA), KBF Series, Hobie Bass Open Series, and is a member of the Hobie Fishing Team. Joe attended the Hobie Fishing Worlds #6 in Leeville, LA, and also qualified for the Hobie Fishing Worlds #8 in Queensland, Australia.  

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When not on the water you can find Joe in his shop building his custom fishing rods or working on new Bass Jig designs!  His current sponsors include Hobie, Stryker Jigs, Dyeing2Fish, Boonedox, Great Outdoor Provisions, Powerpole, Dyesafe, and Hobie Polarized.

         /jonathan.grady.10

        @yakn_off

Jonathan Grady

Johnathan Grady is a fisherman born and raised.  At the age of 30, he purchased his first kayak and joined one of the fastest-growing outdoor sports movements - kayak fishing.

From ocean to backwater farm ponds he has vast experience and knowledge fishing our great state of North Carolina.  Member of both the Hobie and Great Outdoor Provision Company Fishing Teams and two-time winner of the NCKFA Oak Island Classic Ocean Division, Jon has established a solid reputation in the East Coast kayak fishing community and has a passion for spreading awareness and teaching other the ins and outs of the kayak fishing world.

         /josh.counce.5

        @jw_counts

Josh Counce

Originally from Mt. Juliet, TN, Josh has been fishing his entire life. In high school, some of his close friends introduced him to bass tournament fishing and he spent the next 25 years competing. In 2015 he moved to Florida with his family and on a whim he bought a kayak. Since then he has become engrossed in kayak fishing. "I absolutely love it!" He exclaims.   

Josh mainly fishes freshwater and competes in Kayak Bass Fishing tournaments, but he also enjoys chasing redfish inshore whenever he gets a chance. When not fishing competitively he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children fishing, hunting, camping, gardening, going to the beach, and just spending time together.  He makes his living as a bridge construction inspector during the week.

         @3kingskayak

Mark Patterson

Mark Patterson has been involved in kayak fishing for over 25 years, so he has seen a lot of changes in the sport.  Eleven years ago he founded the NCKFA (North Carolina Kayak Fishing Association) to promote kayak fishing both by having "meet & greets" as well as on the water events.  The Oak Island Classic is the largest of these events with over 175 anglers coming to the coastal town of Oak Island NC to fish in both the Ocean and Inshore Divisions. 

As much as Mark enjoys educating kayak anglers on the ins and outs of the sport through seminars, he still loves to compete when he can.  Mark believes kayak fishing is the best and most challenging way to pursue his passion, whether it is a small lake, a mountain river, or the ocean.   He does all he can to stay in shape so he can continue doing what he loves.

         /marvin.goda.9

         @mobbinoutdoors

         /MOBBINOutdoors

Marvin Goda

Based out of Northern California, Marvin currently fishes for Headwaters Fishing Team. He is chasing two kayak bass tournament trails for 2019: the KBF West and the YAK-A-BASS Trails. His current fishing vessel is a custom 2019 Native Titan 12. He vlogs the NorCal kayaking lifestyle on his youtube channel: MOBBIN outdoors

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"Moving around such a heavy load from my truck to the launch would not be possible without the BooneDOX Landing gear. You cannot live without one if you are moving your highly modified rig around in the tourney scene. BooneDOX made a simple design that has been imitated, but the quality is never duplicated!" 

         /matthew.vann.5

         @sails_and_Tails_

             Kayak_charters

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Matthew Vann

Matthew Vann is a native Floridian, husband, and father of five sons.  Born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, he grew up fishing with his dad for bass, bluegill, and catfish in the rivers and swamps of North West Florida. Currently, he fishes the waters from Navarre Beach to Perdido Key and is the owner and operator of Sails and Tails Kayak Charters. He enjoys the adventure, challenge, and simplicity of kayak fishing.

Matthew is a seasoned tournament angler. Matthew attended the Hobie Worlds 6 in Louisiana where he placed 3rd. He then received a second invitation to compete in the Hobie Worlds 8 in Queensland, Australia along the World Famous Gold Coast. Matthew's trip to the Hobie Worlds 8 will be the first time he travels outside of the United States. 

“I love the sport and take great pleasure in sharing my passion and knowledge with other kayak anglers. I enjoy tournament fishing and landing trophy fish but would have to say my greatest accomplishments are consistently helping others catch the fish of their dreams. There really is nothing like the feeling of someone telling you “this is the best day ever!” To receive the call for the invite to the Hobie Worlds 8 was one of Matthew's best days ever!

         /mel.ashe.5

         @mel_ashe72

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Mel Ashe

Mel Russell Ashe grew up in the Carolinas fishing farm ponds with his Dad, Melvin, and his grandfather, Russell. After working many years around the US he landed in Kansas City, Missouri. Missouri has so many wonderful ponds and lakes, and Mel has been on many with his friend Matt Clark and his canoe. Matt is the one that said ” You gotta see this guy fish out of a kayak” on “Knot Right Fishing”. That was 2012.  In 2013 he was in a kayak fishing on Santee Cooper in the KBF Open. He was hooked - line & sinker. Mel travels all over the Midwest, South & East (still haven’t gone West, maybe in 2020) fishing KBF events and Midwest Kayak Bass Fishing Series events as well as his local club NEKKA.

When not on the water, he loves spending time with his wife, Toni, and his three amazing rescue pit bulls-Remington, Dixie, and Zima. Saturdays during football season, if he isn’t fishing, you will definitely find him on the couch watching his beloved Clemson Tigers.

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Nathan Naturile

Nathan lives in Thomasville, North Carolina with his wife of 27 years, has two children and three grandsons.  Nathan started tournament fishing when he was around 16 years old in his dad's boat, mainly fishing local tournaments such as the Redman, Fishers of Men, and other small tournaments.  Now he mainly fishes out of a kayak and is an avid tournament angler who fishes in the CKA (Carolina Kayak Angers) and KBF events. 

While fishing the KBF National Championship on Kentucky Lake he finished in the top 50's out of 400 anglers.  Nathan doesn't limit his fishing to only bass, he also loves to fish for other species in freshwater and saltwater.

        /rYAN.dills.37

        @ryandills71

Ryan Dills

Ryan has been kayak fishing for 5 years in the Carolinas and has fished several tournaments in both freshwater and saltwater.  He started fishing with CKA (Carolina Kayak Anglers) and NCKFA (North Carolina Kayak Fishing Association) and then started fishing with QCKBF (Queen City Kayak Bass Fishing). Every group has great people in it and he enjoys the friendly atmosphere of each. 

Ryan has logged a couple of top-five finishes in the CKA events and has won the SLAM division at the BooneDOX Yadkin Slam 2 years in a row. While he likes the tournament scent he really enjoys fishing charity tournaments more than anything. Ryan is also on the PinkFishing Team which is a big part of why he fishes tournaments, as it enables him to help spread the word about Breast Cancer awareness. He recently has relocated to the gulf coast of Florida in the Clearwater area.

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        /ron.champion.16

        @ronchampionfishing

        /ronchampion

Ron Champion

Ron Champion is a seasoned tournament angler who grew up fishing creeks, ponds, and reservoirs in middle Tennessee but now he and his family live in the Coastal Waters of Southeast Georgia. He started fishing when he was about 5 years old with his dad. Coming over from the Bass Boat side of fishing it didn't take long for Ron to make an impact in the Kayak world. Although Bass fishing is his passion, his most memorable trips are catching Crappie, Bluegill & Catfish with his kids. Ron is a family man and has a 12-year-old son Branton and an 8-year-old daughter Makayla. He has been with his wife Chrissy since 2005. Both kids love to fish and he takes them every chance he gets.

With over 200 Kayak Tournaments to his name and over half those being Top 10 finishes you can guarantee that when Ron shows up to an event he is there for one thing and that is to WIN!  Ron is a proud Christian and not afraid to share his faith. If you get a chance to meet him, don't be afraid to say "Hello".

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Stacey Marin

Stacey Marin lives in L.A. (lower Alabama) near Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.  He is proficient at both freshwater and inshore saltwater fishing.  Stacey finds himself fishing from both powerboats and kayaks throughout the year, fishing as many as 31 tournaments in a year.  While he does use powerboats occasionally, his love and passion are for kayak fishing.  His fishing brings him through almost every state in the southeast in a yearly.  

Asking him what his favorite method or what his favorite to fish for is akin to asking a parent who their favorite child is.  Stacey has a very broad tackle box and adapts to change happily with his toolbox full of tricks.

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Stacey also does a lot of presentations at boat shows, fishing clubs, and local school groups.  When he isn't fishing you can find him in the woods hunting, going to the shooting range with his wife, or reloading ammo for his next trip to the range. He has a true love for the great outdoors - which you'll know as soon as you meet him.

        @steve_owens_0207

Steve Owens

Steve is a lifelong fisherman who started kayak fishing 5 years ago. Steve calls Tennessee home and enjoys crappie fishing as well as tournament bass fishing. Steve is a member of the Native Watercraft, Picasso Lures, HOOK1 Outfitters, Denali Rods, Line Out Custom Tackle, and PowerTeam Lures teams.  He is a director of the Tennessee Valley Kayak Anglers of Chattanooga (TVKA) and hosts Kayak Bass Fishing Trail events as well. He has qualified for the Tennessee State Kayak and KBF National Championship 3 times. In 2018 Steve placed 5th in the Tennessee State Championship and won the 10th Annual YakAttack Tournament. He was the 1st angler to win both the Big Bass Prize as well as the overall Bass Division. This season he will be fishing the Hobie Bass Open Series, KBF Southeast Trail, and for a spot in the Tennessee State Kayak Championship.

        /ty.decorte

        @fishinhawaiianstyle

Ty Decorte

Ty was raised in Makaha, Hawaii, a small rural beach community, and has been an avid life-long waterman.  He grew up with great respect for the sea and was taught to fish, surf, and free dive from an early age. 

For most of Ty's life, surfing was his foremost passion, but in 2010 Ty moved to the eastern side of the big island of Hawaii (where surfing conditions are not ideal) and he gradually started to learn more about shore fishing.  His love for fishing was awakened, so in 2015 when Ty moved back to Oahu, he naturally wanted to continue fishing.  Ty wanted to take on a new adventure sport so he tried ocean kayak fishing and was hooked!  His many years of ocean sports helped him to quickly progress and start to excel.  His new goal is to help grow the sport of kayak fishing in Hawaii. He loves to get to know and help new people who are interested in the sport.  He currently resides in Mililani, Oahu with his daughter and son.

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tyler cole

Tyler is 40 years old and father to two amazing girls.  Tyler fishes and is the tournament director for the Iowa Kayak Anglers and also competes in the KBF series.  Growing up running the banks of his local river, Tyler has a life long passion for fishing and has honed his skills to be a competitive kayak angler.