Kayak fishing has been the fastest-growing segment of paddlesports for years, and today there are somewhere between five and 15 million kayak anglers in the United States. By some estimates, that’s more than sea kayaking, whitewater kayaking and canoeing combined. Kayak anglers are everywhere these days, and they also show up disproportionately in the U.S. Coast Guard’s annual boating accident and fatality reports.
Kayak anglers go out year-round, in all conditions, with limited training and information about paddling. They often fish alone and at night, and they paddle straight to the hazards, because that’s where the fish are. Furthermore, everything an angler does, from casting to changing tackle to netting a fish, has the potential to put someone off-balance in a paddlecraft.
Simply put, the odds are stacked against them, yet until the American Canoe Association (ACA) worked with leaders in the kayak fishing community to create a new fishing curriculum, there was no nationwide safety training program tailored to kayak anglers and the unique risks they face. The ACA launched the fishing curriculum in 2022, including a credential that any ACA instructor certified to teach kayak or standup paddleboard can earn to teach courses specifically designed for paddlesports anglers.
Kayak fishing instruction takes off
While the ACA brings more than a century of paddlesports training to the table, the ACA Southeastern regional leaders who spearheaded the new program say it was only possible thanks to expert and enthusiastic input from the kayak fishing community—in short, anglers looking out for other anglers.
“This partnership between ACA and the kayak fishing community to address safety and training is the perfect marriage,” says Tennessee Kayak Anglers founder Geoff Luckett, an ACA river kayaking instructor and coauthor of the new Paddlesports Angler Instructor Endorsement criteria and curriculum. “It brings credibility to the program.”
In August 2023, the program passed a big milestone, certifying leading kayak anglers as ACA kayaking and kayak fishing instructors. Across three instructor classes offered by ACA Tennessee and Georgia River Network, 29 candidates received various ACA instructor credentials, with 11 of those also earning the fishing endorsement.
Mixed in with grassroots instructor candidates, these classes also drew some of the biggest names in kayak fishing. Jameson Redding, host of the popular Road Trip Angler television show, earned his ACA river kayaking instructor certification after more than 13 years in the kayak fishing game. “I got into kayak fishing for the fishing part of it, not necessarily for the kayak part of it,” Redding says. “That meant I had a big learning curve to learn to be a better kayaker so I could be a more successful angler.”
“Everything an angler does, from casting to changing tackle to netting a fish, has the potential to put someone off-balance in a paddlecraft.”
Redding adds, “When I found out about the ACA’s new kayak fishing curriculum it was really important to me to get certified as an ACA kayak fishing instructor. By learning the tried-and-true instructional techniques I will be able to teach other anglers so they can skip a lot of the trials and tribulations I went through.”
Fletch Griffin, owner of Atlanta-based Westbrook Supply Co., says the class wasn’t just an opportunity to brush up his own skills. He also learned how to teach those skills to people coming into the sport. “When you have been doing something for so long it is easy to forget to explain why something is a best practice,” says Griffin, who earned his ACA kayak instructor certification and the fishing endorsement.
“There really is nothing like this curriculum and this instructor training out there for kayak anglers,” Griffin adds. “It’s important to bring together the basic skills and safety techniques that are unique for kayak fishing so we can effectively share them with new kayak anglers.”
Chuck Earls of Lake Erie Kayak Fishing in Ohio came all the way to Georgia to earn his certifications. “Since I am the safety expert in my area, I thought it was very important to get certified as an ACA kayak fishing instructor so I can help out,” he says.
The involvement of influential kayak anglers in the design of the curriculum and now as certified instructors will be the key to its enduring success. After all, says Redding, paddlesports leaders have more in common than folks may initially realize. “Kayak is in the name—we are kayak anglers. And I wanted to learn how to teach people properly so they can have a better, safer experience on the water.”
And that’s something worth working on together.
Andrea White is a member of the ACA board of directors, serves as ACA Southeastern regional chair and as secretary for the ACA Fishing Advisory Board, and works full-time at the Georgia River Network.
Jeff Little was the first kayak fishing guide to earn ACA instructor certification back in 2001. He currently serves on the ACA Fishing Advisory Board and works as sales manager at Torqeedo. He is also the founder of The Little Stuff kayak fishing channel on YouTube.
This article was first published in the 2024 issue of Paddling Business. Inside you’ll find the year’s hottest gear for canoeing, kayaking, whitewater and paddleboarding. Plus: how to beat the big box, robotic kayak rentals, building the Paddlesports Trade Coalition and more. READ IT NOW »
The gang’s all here: Chuck Earls of Lake Erie Kayak Fishing with Geoff Luckett, Fletch Griffin, Jake Vitak and Tony Narcisse. | Feature photo: Chuck Earls
