NEWS:
- IFA 2010 Kayak Fishing Tour Results
- Will Huffine featured in NC Sportsman
- Kayak Fishing Pro Staff Workshop held at Great Outdoor Provision Co.
- Will Huffine featured in a Fisherman’s Post Article with Hobie Kayaks.
- More Kayak Fishing articles on BLOG
Great Outdoor Provision Co is pleased to announce the launch of our Kayak Fishing Team!
The goal of the Team is to foster the development of the sport of Kayak Fishing and be a recognized regional team by successfully competing in kayak fishing tournaments in our area and reaching out to the kayak fishing community with special events. We will strive to represent GOPC, Kayak Fishing and our sponsors in a professional manner as we build relationships within the kayak fishing community. We are very grateful to Ocean Kayak for their invaluable support in helping to get our Kayak Fishing Team members outfitted with the best available equipment.
Team Member Profiles: (pictured left to right)
Ashley Williams – Team Captain: Currently living in Greenville, NC, Ashley “Druminator” Williams began kayak fishing in 2000 and has experience along the southeastern region of North Carolina. He can be found kayak fishing anywhere from the Inner Banks of the Pamlico River to the mouth of the Cape Fear River. He is happily married to his wife who also enjoys a good day out on the water. Sometimes he can be seen paddling with his 1st Mate dog, Milo, “The Terror of the Tar River”. Ashley has been working with Great Outdoor Provision Co. for 4 years in their Greenville location. Ashley has worked closely with several kayak companies and their kayak fishing ventures. Once a year he hosts an annual Meet and Greet event for kayak anglers in North Carolina. He is proud to be a part of the Great Outdoor Provision’s Kayak Fishing Team and to be associated with Ocean Kayak.
Sam Robertson – Kayak Angler: Hailing from Charlotte NC, Sam Robertson is a native North Carolinian and has been fishing for as long as he can remember. He has worked for the Great Outdoor Provision Co. in Charlotte going on ten years. His first fishing experience included a Zebco 202, an unlucky cricket and a very patient Great-Uncle. Sam’s father instilled a love of paddling in him at an early age, spending (it seemed) nearly every Sunday morning of 1979 in a red canoe on Lake Wylie. After purchasing his first kayak in 2000, it wasn’t long before he was using it to sneak up on unsuspecting fish whenever possible. Sam is married and has a two-year old daughter, who he can’t wait to get in a boat with her own Zebco 202. Sam’s motto: “Go fishing! It sure beats going crazy!”
Will Huffine – Kayak Angler: Born in Wilmington, NC, Will grew up around the water and as been fishing as long as he can remember. Although from the coast, he spent many of his younger years fly fishing for trout in the North Carolina mountains with his father. As the years went by he began to fish more and more in his saltwater surroundings at home. He became hopelessly hooked on saltwater fishing when he landed his first tarpon on spinning gear and hooked his first tarpon on fly in Florida in 2005. Will has worked for the Great Outdoor Provision Co. in Wilmington for 6 years and began kayak fishing 2 years ago. After owning several boats with outboard motors he found that the maintenance and cost associated with owning a power boat left him spending more time working on the boat than he spent fishing. It was at this point that he began kayak fishing and still enjoys the convenience and simplicity associated with owning a kayak to this day. When kayak fishing around home, Will enjoys targeting shallow water redfish using both fly and spinning tackle. In addition to fishing his home waters, he enjoys traveling to fish for different species and generally makes several trips out of the state each year.
Mike Callahan – Kayak Angler: Hailing from Greensboro, NC, Mike’s earliest fishing memory is with Grandad in West Palm Beach, Fla. His father in-law gave him his first flyrod a Browning Sila-Flex. He has been pretty much flyfishing exclusively for 25 yrs. Mike got his 1st kayak in ‘02 and 4 yrs later got a Sit-On-Top which greatly increased his options. From stripers & shad on the Roanoke to smallmouth on the New to redfish & specled trout on the coast, if Mike can get close, he can usually catch ‘em. New to the Tournament scene Mike hopes to become a worthy adversary, much like the fish we all pursue. Married w/2 teen girls (more interested in boys than fish) both girls love to paddle. Mike’s most recent favorite saying: “There’s no place like this place, anywhere near this place… so this must be the place”.
2009 Team Appearances:
Saturday, March 28 at Falls Lake Recreation Area, Beaver Dam facilty– Ashley Williams appeared as guest speaker at the NC Sea Grant’s Paddle Fishing Workshop.
Saturday, May 30 at Kure Beach – Ashley Williams to present at Kayak Fishing Workshop, 10 am
June 23-24 – Will Huffine to Kayak Fish with Editors of Fisherman’s Post
Great Outdoor Provision Co.’s Kayak Fishing Team member Will Huffine will be kayak fishing with the editors of Fisherman’s Post for upcoming article. Will is a Fly Fishing, Paddlesports and Kayak Fishing specialist at our Wilmington Shop and will also be joined by Michael Garet, a representative of Hobie Kayaks. The Fisherman’s Post is the definitive print resource for Saltwater Anglers in the Coastal NC area. We look forward to an entertaining trip report from this crew!
Saturday, June 27 at Fort Fisher – Kayak Fishing ‘Meet and Greet’ 8am-5pm
August 1 – 1st Annual Hook, Line, and Paddle TJM Celebrity Kayak Fishing Tournament – Fort Fisher
September 26 – TKAA Annual Tournament – Virginia Beach
Oct 3 – 1st Annual Hardcore Invitational Kayak Fishing Tournament – Lake Wylie
Kure Beach Kayak Fishing Clinics - Oct 10 & 24
