Kayak Fishing: Get Started to Go Pro
7-minute read
Is your dream to make a living (or part-time living) kayak fishing? A few of our ProStaff anglers have done just that, and want to share some advice with you.
(Photo courtesy of Cameron Smith)
There are several different avenues for earning income through kayak fishing. Here, a few on our National ProStaff team share the basics of how to get started in an area of their expertise.
You’ll learn how to:
- Start a kayak fishing guide service
- Begin a kayak fishing blog/social media platform
- Land sponsorships and pro team memberships
- Become a sought-after workshop/seminar speaker
Each of the anglers below has been an important part of our Bending Branches team for many years. We know you’ll appreciate their experience and wisdom:
Dee Kaminski: Start a Kayak Fishing Guide Service
If you want to start a kayak fishing guide service, I think the three biggest things are knowing your water, taking care of the business side, and making sure your clients have a great experience.
Spend as much time as you can fishing the area where you want to guide. Learn where the fish are, what they like, how weather and seasons affect them, and most importantly, know the safest places to take your clients.
You also need to make sure you have the proper licenses, insurance, reliable fishing gear, and safety equipment before putting someone in a kayak and heading out on the open water.
Certifications are also important, such as CPR + First Aid, and Kayak Safety and Rescue from the American Canoe Association (ACA).
The other big part is making the trip enjoyable, even when the fish aren't cooperating. Not every day is going to be a great fishing day, but your clients should still leave feeling like they had a fun day on the water and learned something along the way. Take pictures, share your trips on social media, and ask happy customers to leave reviews. Word of mouth can go a long way.
Being a good guide isn't just about catching fish. It’s about knowing your water, being prepared, keeping people safe, and giving them an experience that will make them want to go out with you again.
Follow Dee at ReelKayakFishing on Instagram and Facebook.
Jason Kincy: Begin a Kayak Fishing Blog/Social Media Platform
When you first jump into blogging and social media, it's tempting to try and be everything to everyone and expect quick results. It's unlikely you'll find lightning in a bottle immediately.
The best approach is to find a specific niche you actually care about and can write about consistently without burning out. For me, that means recapping local competitive kayak tournaments, reviewing gear, and providing deep-dive fishing strategy breakdowns.
You need to find a content lane where your actual on-the-water and kayak community experience does the talking, so writing about it doesn't feel like a chore.
Once you get a consistent rhythm, your readers know exactly what to expect. Watch your metrics to see what people are actually clicking on. When you combine fishing various subjects with a reliable schedule, sponsor mentions can happen naturally and as a part of the story.
Whether I'm breaking down how to catch spotted bass on Table Rock or picking apart a leaderboard from a Beaver Lake Tournament, explaining how a specific piece of gear solved a problem or caught the fish feels authentic. It comes across as a solid tip and real life at the launch ramp, not a forced commercial.
The bottom line: Find your lane and watch the numbers.
Follow Jason at Kayak Fishing Focus on his website, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Jennifer and Jason Schall: Land Sponsorships/ProTeam Memberships
Passion First, Sponsorship Second
Our biggest piece of advice is not to start fishing with the goal of becoming a "pro" or getting sponsored. Pursue the sport because you genuinely love it. For us, the passion came first: we fish, introduce others to the sport, chase new species, pursue world records, and set personal goals because we enjoy the challenge.
Over time, that passion and energy were recognized, and partnerships naturally developed from it. Companies can tell the difference between someone who genuinely loves the sport and someone who is simply looking for a sponsor.
Find What Makes You Stand Out
Once you've established that passion, find your niche and build your reputation around it. What do you do particularly well? Is there a technique you've mastered, a type of fishing you specialize in, or a goal you're pursuing that sets you apart?
Maybe it's catching a new species in every state, pursuing world records, setting a personal species or numbers record, or simply becoming exceptionally good at a particular style of fishing.
Whatever your goals are, chase them, and document the journey. Pursuing meaningful goals builds your skills, credibility, and story, while giving companies a genuine reason to want to partner with you.
Earn the Partnership
Finally, remember that sponsorship is a partnership, not a handout. You need to be willing to put in the work and demonstrate the value you bring to the companies that support you.
Represent their products honestly, honor your commitments, communicate professionally, and look for ways to help your sponsors succeed.
The best pro-staff relationships are mutually beneficial: the company gets an authentic ambassador who can connect with other anglers, and the angler gets the opportunity to build relationships with brands they genuinely believe in.
Follow Jason & Jennifer at On the Water with the Schalls on their website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok.
Bill Schultz: Become a Sought-After Workshop Speaker and Writer
Long before I became so active with quite a few companies in the fishing and outdoor I was at the top Pro Staff levels with two top racquetball companies from 1977 through today. So, I already had a good idea of the importance of what “I” could do for the company and what the company could do for “me”.
My first fishing-related Pro Staff was with St. Croix Rod in 1998. I had gotten to know a key staff member in their engineering department, which probably led to the invitation. I was using St. Croix rods, loved them, but I really needed to figure out what more I could do for them to justify me being on their Pro Staff, now 29 years later.
This was my question with that first Pro Staff. Having a background with some writing and speaking in front of groups for my various university alumni jobs, those two things felt right. It was 1999 that I had my first smallmouth bass article published in a popular regional fishing magazine, and the next year I did my first fishing talk at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Show.
Little did I know that these two things would lead to over 125 talks to about 10,000 people and writing dozens of articles.
If you are new to this and would like to share your expertise by giving talks, a great way to start is with local fishing clubs. If you are getting positive feedback, reach out to sports shows in your area.
It can be the same with sharing your knowledge through articles. A great place to start is internet sites, and if the feedback is positive, reach out to regional magazines and outdoor tabloid publications.
Good luck and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!
Follow Bill on Facebook.
Thanks to each for their photos.
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us at 715-755-3405 or bbinfo@bendingbranches.com, or choose our online chat option.
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