PADDLING PIONEERS CONVERSATIONS WITH KAYAK FISHING’S MOST INFLUENTIAL INNOVATORS
SJIM SAMMONS H O OTI N G ST A R
From his website, articles, seminars, movies and television show, Jim Sammons is one of the most recognizable figures in kayak fishing. Now, he’s reinventing himself, again.
Kayak Angler: What were you doing before kayak fishing?
Jim Sammons: When I first started kayak fishing I was driving a delivery truck. I always loved surfing. When the surf was flat, I would paddle out and fish from my surfboard. My father-in-law had a couple kayaks. It wasn’t long before I put the two together.
KA: What was your “aha” moment?
JS: Once I put kayaking and fishing together, I started looking for a kayak that I could fish out of. I got an Ocean Kayak Scupper and started fishing off La Jolla, California. Every time I returned to the beach with a stringer of fish, I’d spend an hour talking to people about fishing out of my kayak. One of my friends suggested I start guiding. At first I was guiding and working a day job. I even went back to school and got certi- fied in computer networking. I lasted one month working in an office. I told my wife I would spend one summer guiding and then get a real job that fall. That summer has lasted 13 years.
KA: What role did you play in the growth of kayak fishing?
JS: When I started guiding full time I also started promoting kayak fishing full time. I wrote articles, did seminars and worked sportfishing shows. Before I knew it I was running a website, online store and guiding kayak anglers.
Kayak4fish.com became the source for kayak fishing informa- tion across the country. I got lucky, too. Landing the first billfish off La Jolla—very few people do that. And I caught big sharks. The coverage in the press brought more attention to me and the sport. I started picking
50 …KAYAK ANGLER SUMMER/FALL 2013 up sponsors. I pitched
the TV show to everyone in the industry. They liked the idea, but wouldn’t support the show. Then Ken Whiting got wind of the idea and we made the film Game On. That became the television show. The reach of that show is unbelievable. It is so cool when a kid recognizes me from TV and he glows because he loves the show.
KA: How did you build a career in the sport?
JS: Being a professional kayak fisherman is a lot of work. I have so many things going on because I can’t survive on one revenue stream. From the beginning, I built long-term relationships with my sponsors. I was loyal to a fault—and some of the companies took advantage of that. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. I get to attend all of my kid’s games and travel all over the world meeting great people, but I couldn’t do it without the support of my wife. Thank God, she has a real job.
KA: What are you doing now?
JS: Switching my primary sponsor to Jackson Kayaks is a huge shift for me. We are working on a kayak design for the style of fishing I like to do. I see kayak fishing going offshore. People are attracted to the adrena- line rush of fishing the ocean and catching big fish. That’s what gets me in the kayak every day. I love being on the ocean and seeing things that I’ve never seen before. That never gets old.
“I love being on the ocean and seeing things I’ve never seen before, that’s what gets me in the kayak every day.” —Jim Sammons
PHOTO: WILL RICHARDSON
PHOTO: COURTESY JIM SAMMONS
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