When I say kayak fishing in the Olympics, do you say crazy? For a group of the sport’s most influential anglers, crazy is on its way to reality.
“This is not a pipe dream,” Tony Forte, president at USAngling says. “It’s a process and we are sitting at the gate.”
USAngling is the sole organization recognized by Confederation International de la Peche Sportive (CIPS), the world sportfishing governing body. Achieving CIPS’ blessing is the first step toward the Olympics.
Saltwater Kayak Fishing World Championship Makes Waves
The process to bring kayak fishing to the Olympics started in 2022 with USAngling, a nonprofit organization that promotes fishing for Olympic consideration, creating a freshwater kayak fishing team to compete against 25 national teams in the Pan American tournament in Mexico.
This year, the organization added a saltwater fishing team that will compete against anglers from around the world in the 2024 Kayak Saltwater Fishing Pan Am World Championship.
In September, USAngling’s saltwater team will join national teams from Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia and Venezuela to compete in Costa Rica for a first-ever world title. “The PanAm games are an important step toward demonstrating a worldwide interest in the sport,” Forte says.
Global interest at a competitive level is the key to landing in the Olympics. While kayak fishing is popular worldwide, there are places where the sport is still catching on. “We need to increase participation in Africa, the Americas and Asia,” Forte says. By adding saltwater fishing to the roster, USAngling opens the worldwide competitive field to more anglers.
A Team is Assembled
With only months until the Pan Am games, America’s saltwater team is handpicked from the who’s who of kayak fishing. Robert Field, Alan Sansano, Annie Nagel, Adam Fisk and eight other anglers are competing for the U.S. team.
Forte says, “We chose top-notch anglers who represent the diversity of the sport.” After the first year, USAngling will work with existing saltwater tournaments to qualify anglers for future U.S. teams.
David Elgas, better known as D-Boogie from the Pacific Warriors reality show, is one of the 2024 team members. “It’s a dream come true,” Elgas says.
In addition to appearing on the Discovery Channel, Elgas was a competitive saltwater tournament angler. Over the past decade, Elgas watched kayak bass fishing steal the limelight while saltwater tournaments fell off the radar. Elgas hopes the Olympic saltwater competition will inspire more anglers to explore the brine.
Elgas says saltwater kayak fishing is gaining momentum around the world. “Other countries are already organized for the saltwater Pan Am, we’re hustling to pull together a team,” he says.
The Future of Saltwater Competition
One of the challenges is developing the rules and format for the championship. Early feedback from CIPS indicates positive points for the physical part of kayak fishing. “We consider ourselves athletes,” Elgas explains, comparing kayak fishing to bicycling and other human-powered vehicles in the Olympics.
On the other hand, Elgas says, “The organizers don’t like the catch-and-kill element.” Currently, the Pan Am organizers are working on a catch-and-release format that will protect the fish and anglers. “We’re scoring based on points for each species and using video to record the catch,” he says. This allows the angler to record their catch without handling a powerful fish with sharp teeth.
If history is any indication, Elgas is confident kayak fishing will be in the Olympics. His grandfather was president of the Metropolitan Baseball League and helped popularize the sport. “I’ve seen it happen,” Elgas says.
USAngler president Forte is encouraged by his past experience fishing on the professional circuit in Europe. “Americans don’t think about international fishing competitions, but in other countries it’s common.” He recalls marching in the opening ceremony and soaking up the excitement of international fishing competition. “It still gives me chills.”
If believing is the key to achieving, Elgas, Forte and the rest of the saltwater fishing team are excited about the future. Forte says America is bidding to host the 2027 Pan Am tournament.
As for a timeline to the Olympics, Forte is hopeful international anglers will compete on the world’s biggest stage in a decade. “It’s not a leap to say kayak fishing is going to be in the Olympics,” he says.
A step closer to international kayak fishing competition. | Feature photo: Courtesy USAngling
