PADDLING PIONEERS CONVERSATIONS WITH KAYAK FISHING’S MOST INFLUENTIAL INNOVATORS
KA: What part did you play in the development of kayak fishing?
DS: I read an article on float tubes in Pacific Fisherman, so I decided to write an article about fishing out of a kayak. The article came out in 1995 during the Fred Hall sportfishing show in Long Beach. At the show, everyone was
talking to me about the kayak fishing article. Peo- ple were drawn to kayak fishing like it was peanut butter and chocolate. I saw the opportunity and interest and I wrote more articles.
KA: How did you decide to devote your life to an emerging sport?
DS: I was single and had nothing to lose so I de- cided to become a kayak fishing guide. I guided clients all over southern California. We took the first trips to the Sierra Mountains and Baja. In 1997, one
of my clients asked me, “If you had a website, what would it be called?” That’s when
Kayakfishing.com was born. My client, Chuck Marlet, still runs the site.
Like anything, when you are the first, people think you are making mil- lions of dollars. Truth is, I was constantly on the brink of living out of my car for the first 10 years. I brought so many people into the sport, and then they turned on me because I was competition. We helped so many regional sites get started, then we got kicked out once they got up and running. The first 10 years were hard. Luckily, the second decade has been easier.
TDENNIS SPIKE RE N DSE T T E R
Dennis Spike is credited with many firsts in the kayak fishing business, but his greatest accolade is as the first ambassador of the sport.
Kayak Angler: Where does the story start?
Dennis Spike: I fished and surfed all my life. I had just started a career as an acupuncturist in 1995 when I began fishing out of a kayak. We would paddle our surfboards out and fish the kelp. I had used float tubes in rivers, but I knew they wouldn’t work in the surf. I was looking for something to get me past the breakers.
KA: How did you come to kayak fishing?
DS: My cousin Howard Rose and I bought two plastic kayaks and pad- dled off the beach in Malibu. The first day we caught eight calico bass and I landed a huge halibut. We knew we were on to something. From then on, we kayak fished everywhere, every chance we got. I went on over 100 fishing trips that first year with my kayak.
52 …KAYAK ANGLER SUMMER/FALL 2013
“People were drawn to kayak fishing like it was peanut butter and chocolate.” —Dennis Spike
KA: How have you contributed to the growth of the sport?
DS: Since that first article, people have been asking me for information on kayak fishing. I started writing for regional and national publications, doing radio shows and giving seminars.
Kayakfishing.com got a two year jump on everyone. Then we produced The Kayak Fishing Video, which has sold over 10,000 copies. We were the second kayak fish- ing tournament out there, and only because bad weather caused us to cancel the first year.
KA: What are you up to now?
DS: I’m still guiding regularly and I’m repping RTM kayaks. Kayakfishing. com is still the number one return when someone types kayak fishing into a web browser. Since the site brings in so many new anglers, we continue to emphasize education and information, instead of trying to sell people stuff from our sponsors. After 16 years, we’re redesigning the site to have a more modern look and better features so we’ll be able to help even more anglers become kayak anglers.
PHOTO: COURTESY DENNIS SPIKE
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