1st meeting of the USA Kayak Fishing Saltwater Team down!  What an incredible lineup of world class saltwater kayak fishermen and fisherwomen from across the United States! 

1) Adam Fisk  - Coach Florida
2) Robert Field  - Captain Texas
3) David Elgas  - Hawaii
4) Allen Sansano  - Nor Cal
5) Annie Nagel  - Nor Cal
6) Dakota Dunmire  - New Jersey
7) Corey Apo  - Hawaii
Mark Veary  - Oregon
9) Chris Mautino  - So Cal
10) Elsa Flores  - So Cal
11) Guy Marsh  - Texas
12) Justin Ritchey  - Florida

This meeting was all about the logistics of pulling off participation in an international competition with under 3 months of planning.  Given the short time frame, we're too late for much sponsorship support so you'll likely see posts from me in the future asking for a couple of bucks to ensure we have all of the gear and transportation expenses covered.

That’s awesome!! 

2nd meeting down!  For having 12 people in the room, these virtual meetings cover a lot of ground and give everyone a chance to ask their questions and make suggestions.  If you've ever been in a large conference call, you know how difficult this is.  I'm hopefully that this level of cooperation and respect is going to be the differentiator in bringing Team USA the win.
Topics for this meeting were travel, accommodations, sponsorship (or the lack thereof) and FINALLY, FINALLY, what gear and techniques are going to best serve us.  Great discussions moderated by our team coach, Adam Fisk, team captain Robert Field and of course our own yak fishing God Father Allen Sansano.  Now comes the painful part: Booking Travel and Accommodations for pre-fishing and dropping a grand on tackle I don't normally have need for.

The post meeting task was for all team members: Make your pleas for crowd sourced sponsorship...

To that end:
I find myself here today asking my friends and family to support a project aimed at fielding the first US Angling Kayak Fishing Saltwater Team.  The broader project goal being to create the infrastructure required to host events and field future teams, chosen via qualifying events across the country, in future international saltwater kayak fishing competitions. 
This is where I’m supposed to tell you why I was selected as a team member but if you prefer, you can just skip to end and click the donation form link.

In 2006, having tired of fishing from a surfboard off the Oregon coast, I found a used Cobra Fish-n-Dive on Craigslist.  All I wanted was a means of fishing the offshore reefs and rockpiles without my legs dangling next to a stringer of bleeding fish. What I got was a lifechanging opportunity to discover and share a whole new aspect of fishing and ocean paddling.

Back then, there were no how-to's or well-trodden trails.  There was only a desire to catch big fish without the yoke of a powerboat. Out of necessity, I became a bit of a crash test dummy, who spent countless hours searching for the best access to Oregon's and Washington's world class fisheries.  Most trips garnered attention from curious power boaters and shore fishermen and as word spread, I found myself giving regular seminars and eventually writing a kayak fishing column for Northwest Sportsman Magazine.

As the popularity of self-propelled fishing craft grew, I found my way to the winner's circles in all of the fresh and saltwater tournaments, for species ranging from crappie to salmon and sturgeon to rockfish. When not competing, I was still chasing first water from a kayak.  This chase led to mothership trips for offshore albacore, DIY halibut trips to Alaska and nearshore salmon and halibut hunts at a multitude of previously untapped venues.
When industry attention shifted primarily to motors and bass however, I stepped away from my column to focus on the things that truly matter, like the friendships I’d made along the way and the simple joy of catching big fish under my own power.  I had no idea back then that someday, I’d be honored by being selected to represent the United States in an international kayak fishing competition.

In less than 3 months, the principles of this effort, Allen Sansano, David Elgas and Annie Nagel have put together a program and assembled an amazing team of the best saltwater kayak anglers in the country, ready to dominate at the Pan Am Championships in Costa Rica at the end of June.  If things go to plan, in October, we will compete in the World Saltwater Kayak Fishing Championships in Spain.  But, WE NEED YOUR HELP. Given the short development time and this being our freshman year in competition, we’ve yet to secure funding from any major sponsors. Sending 12 athletes to international competitions isn’t cheap so please consider supporting us.  Any size donation will help in the effort.

Our donation form can be found here: https://usangling.org/saltwater-kayak-fishing/
US Angling is a 501c3 non-profit organization so your donation may be tax deductible!

-Mark-