Written by: Matthew Seifert - 6/12/2026
Fishing was my passion. I was spending more time and money on fishing than anything I ever had in my life. From the bank, on my johnboat, or in my sit in Sun Dolphin Kayak, I just couldn’t get enough. Once I finally splurged on a real fishing kayak, an Old Town Sportsman 106 PDL, I thought I might as well try my hand at the competitive side.
I was unsure what to expect. I had heard horror stories of the boater side of tournament fishing. Guys fighting over spots, holding tight to secret techniques, and a general air of distrust amongst anglers. I loved to compete, but I also didn’t want to take the fun out of fishing.
When I signed up, the KALH tourney director at the time, Austin Knupp, invited me to a campfire at his house. A bunch of the guys were getting together for a meet and greet before the season started. I was pleasantly surprised to find out just how welcoming the community was. The guys were much closer to a group of friends going on a fishing trip together than a group of heated rivals. Everyone shared their pre-fishing success (or failure) stories, spots they’ve done well on in the past, and genuinely seemed to want everyone to have some success.
I finished in an unremarkable 17th place in that tourney but caught the bug hard. I could hardly sleep before my next tournament. I would go on to win 3 tournaments and place in the top 3 in many others over the course of the next 5 years and I can give a lot of that credit to the group of anglers in KALH. I have learned so much about the sport with he help of all my fellow competitors. Not just fishing related but also ways to rig my kayak to make my day on the water more enjoyable.
I have made so many good friends through this sport and especially through Kayak Anglers. Its such a reprieve to have people root for you instead of against you. Everyone competes hard as soon as its lines in but with that competitiveness also come camaraderie. Tournament kayak fishing has made me a better angler, both on and off the water.
