What got you into Kayak Fishing?

Great thread D!

I grew up on the Delta, riding bikes as kids on the levees with either our
fishing poles or BB guns(later shotguns )

Never was a hard-core fisherman, but loved to be doing it.

Every now and then we got to use our neighbors canoe, great fun back in the 60's.
Forward to 1993 and I bought a Wildy Manteo sit in boat and only used it but a few times before work and school took over.

A few years later I was at the Cow Palace Sportsman's Expo and saw a booth which I believe was NCKA - they were using sit on tops - great idea! Got a OK Scrambler - stumbled onto NCKA online, started lurking for like 2 years then signed up, then didn't post for like a year  then decided it was time to start meeting the personalities i had admired via web.

I was so impressed with Mooch and all the OG's online teachings and tips. I remembered the day I saw Naoaki and Ash, and a bunch of other prolific posters OTW, and thinking "man, this is so cool I'm right in the middle of this kayakfishing thing"

Still loving it - hoping to get OTW soon

I have been a river rat since I was small and fishing from a canoe in Missouri.  Once in CA (Fresno) I realized that the high sides of my canoe were troublesome when the wind blows (all the time) so I traded it for a Pungo in 2005.  I fished with Yakhopper for a few years and after a couple too many salty swims I got my Ride135 in 2007.  Three things in life are certain, My kid is AWESOME, taxes suck and kayak fishing is awesome!  even more so since I have my NCKA Family.

I've always been a fisherman and tried all different types of platforms to fish off. But in 2004 when Joel, My good friends and coworker (aka) Mooch. God bless his sole! Invited me to fish in the Kayak Connection Derby out of Santa Cruz and Brian G let me borrow his Cobra fish and dive Kayak... Well that was the start of my call sign "Alien" I ended up catching the wining fish for the OK Prowler 15 . 1st prize that i still sport till this day! Thanks to All the OG's ,You know who you are for all the fun pleasures of being a kayak Fisherman

I worked in Hawaii for 90 days, watched a TV show about kayak fishing while there, as soon as I got back to Maryland rented a sit-in Old Town for a day to fish the Chesapeake, caught a two stripers first time out and was hooked.

If you have time to sleep, you have time to fish.

I used to have a highly customized 23' aluminum fishing boat outfitted with lots of fishing gear.  I loved to fish from that thing and even camp on it for several days at a time when on trips.  We lost it in a house fire along with everything else.  After getting back on our feet, I was watching a fishing show one Sunday morning and saw a guy catch a Black Marlin from a kayak.  I thought that was amazing and how I would like to do that some day.  I got on line and found this site and read up on kayaks in general.  After deciding to get a Hobie due to rotator cuff injuries in both shoulders, I went to the folks at California Canoe and Kayak.  They asked me what I was interested in doing with a kayak and I said fish.  Discovering a kayak called the 'Pro Angler', I figured that would fit the bill.  The kayak was to fill the gap until I could afford and have time for a 'real' fishing boat again.  But since I got the kayak, I haven't missed the boat enough t rationalize replacing it.   

I started out as an Abalone diver in the early '70's with the old blue and yellow inflatable surf mats and then the red and white ones.I saw guys with "Royaks" at Salt Point that could get out farther and faster and said to myself,after i'm done diving i can fish off that thing and soon found a couple "Mallotte's" that would let me fish and dive,what a concept! Still have it but it is retired in Baja.I can't count the number of fish and abs that were caught off that thing but it has to be in the thousands! My Brother and I were the only ones fishing off kayaks in the Monterey Bay area back then.WOW! Things have changed! Just a tip....

My first kayak fishing was as a 12 year old in the early '60's on Eagle Lake.  I used my uncle's kayak to fish for tui chub.  This was way before the trout restoration in Eagle Lake.  The chub got up to a foot+ in length.  Lots of bones but with enough catch, plenty of filets for dinner.  Half a century later, with no kayak fishing in between, I was re-introduced to kayak fishing on a Hobie Outback on a fishing trip down along the Sea of Cortez.  I was hooked!!!  Purchase a Hobie Sport, then an Outback, and now use a Adventure Island on salt and the Outback or Sport on fresh.