A twist indeed; signs warning paddlers of
rapid tidal changes that can strand a paddler for four hours or more are common. Florida anglers are known to be competi-
NO SPIN REQUIRED TO WIN. Although the raffle’s chock-a-block with prizes, keeping JAX Classic main man Mike Kogan busy calling numbers for hours, the sport’s biggest party is its own reward.
tive, and sometimes guard their favorite fish- ing spots with the secrecy of a government three-letter agency. But there’s another, kind- er, gentler side to that coin that involves help- ing fellow anglers, and it’s on display front and center at the Classic despite the stakes. Jennifer Tomas singles out two of the lo-
cals, Jeff Suber and John “Chappy” Chapman. “It was nice when Suber and Chappy were really trying to explain what’s going on out there,” she gushes. Chapman is a 20-year U.S. Navy rescue
swimmer and Hobie pro staffer, while Suber, a Wilderness Systems pro staffer himself, runs a tournament south of Tallahassee via the For- gotten Coast Kayak Angler site that benefits the county’s Meals on Wheels program.
But what’s of great interest to the rest of kayak fishing nation is—why? Why is this particular tournament so popular?
Tournament day finds Suber on the water
with Cameron Barton, advising her on bait se- lection as the day wears on. Tey switch from topwater baits to paddletails when the early morning bite ends and start catching floun- der. Suber’s big fish, a 20-plus incher, throws the hook at the net, while Barton manages a small slam. Tey aren’t disappointed. Meanwhile, Chapman plays the fam-
if you go If You Go
You won’t go wrong if you choose Jacksonville as your kayak fishing destination. In addition to incredible paddling and fishing opportunities, you’ll find it an excellent locale for viewing wildlife from your boat.
Don’t forget to visit the Jax Kayak Fishing site and their forums for tips at:
www.JaxKayakFishing.com
The Jacksonville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau website has excellent information on other goings-on in the city:
www.VisitJacksonville.com
For any Jacksonville trip, but especially for close proximity to JAX tournament activities, consider the Radisson Hotel at Salisbury Road.
30 … KAYAK ANGLER FALL/WINTER 2010
ily man, sharing the tournament experience with his young son Dru and father John Sr. And while Chappy falls short of the podium, the other two Chapman generations hit it big. Chappy is ecstatic. “Putting both my son and my dad up on the stage the same weekend was better than any of the other hardware I have up on the wall,” Chapman says. Jacksonville natives Charles Ganoe and his
wife Melita and their son Daniel—the Drag- On Kayak Fishing Team—are another family enjoying the great outdoors together. Charles is tending to the antenna farm array of live- bait rods sprouting from his bow when he catches a good one. He finesses his camera, but can’t fit the entire fish into the viewfinder until he stands precariously in his kayak. As a result, he loses a good half inch of length. It isn’t important. Melita sums up the tour- nament’s family-friendly attitude. “We don’t measure our success by the length of our fish but by the memories we make,” she says. Tat spirit says everything the kayak na-
tion needs to know when they wonder why the Columbia Sportswear Jacksonville Kayak Fishing Classic is so enduringly popular.
KENDAL LARSON is a fisherman and professional photographer who feels most at home on the water. Find his work at
www.KendalLarsonPhotog-
raphy.com.
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