BUZZBAIT [P R O-F I LE]
MR. LUCKY Y
Marty Mood is Hobie Kayak’s first pro, a kayak fishing world champion and a global ambassador of the sport. But he’s also a U.S. Navy pilot and father of three. How does he keep it together? It takes equal parts preparation and opportunity… and a little luck.
ou never know where you will end up in life. Growing up in the mountains of Pennsylvania, I never dreamed I would be a United States Navy pilot
and a sponsored kayak angler. After four years in the navy, I graduated from college with a degree in fisheries biology. I expected to work as a biologist but the navy offered to train me as a pilot. In 2003, while I was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas, I joined Team Oso,
a hardcore wade-fishing club, with Chad Hoover (Hook 1). Back then I fished with Dean Thomas (Wilderness Systems), Scott Null (Kayak Fishing: The Ul- timate Guide) and Tom Stubblefield (
TexasKayakFishermen.com)—who knew they would become some of the biggest names in kayak fishing? The first time I saw a kayak fisherman I was wading a flat and I could see
reds on the opposite side of an eight-foot-deep channel. Out of nowhere, this guy paddles up in a kayak and heads right for the fish. I knew then that I would be a kayak angler. A few days later, I saw Hank Parker’s Hobie Outback com- mercial on TV and I was sold. Boat anglers looked at me funny because I was fishing out of a kayak. Kayak anglers looked at me funny because I was fishing out of a Hobie. I didn’t care.
P R O FI LE | B O A T S | C ON S E R V A T I ON | G E A R | T A C K L E | CL O W N F IS H
MARTY MOOD ENJOYS THE LIMELIGHT AFTER WINNING THE HOBIE FISHING
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. PHOTO: JOSE CHAVEZ
KAYAK TOURNAMENT ANGLER MARTY MOOD MAKES WINNING LOOK EASY AS TOLD TO RIC BURNLEY
I liked being able to fish without having to paddle. In 2004, I moved to Jack- sonville, Florida. That summer, Rick Roberts started the Extreme Edge Kayak Fishing Tournament Series. The first tournament was in Punta Gorda, Florida. For kicks, I joined a team from Jacksonville. We got lucky and won the team division. Right before the next tournament, Tom Stubblefield asked me to fish with his Texas team. We did real well. After that, Hobie offered to pay my way for the next tournament and that’s how it all started. I didn’t expect to be a tournament angler, it just fell together. I love kayak fishing tournaments because the simple format and even play-
ing field gives anyone a chance to win. A regular guy can win a tournament and, the next thing you know, his name is all over Facebook and he’s getting sponsored and his life is changed. I like saying, “I knew that guy before he was famous.” I’ve met kayak anglers from all over the world. I try to learn some- thing new from each of them. I’ve been stationed in Florida, Texas, Maine and Virginia. Over the past 10
years, I’ve watched kayak fishing explode all over the country. It starts with a core group of eight or 10 guys and blows up into thousands of kayak anglers. Juggling kayak fishing, my commitment to the navy and my family can be a
challenge. My wife is tired of hearing me ask, “How’s the kayak fishing?” every time we get transferred or go on vacation. After the navy, I hope to make a liv- ing kayak fishing. It just takes being in the right place at the right time, know- ing the right people and a little luck.
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