As YakOff II competitors Paul Glass and Romel Labrador face off in week four of the YakOffs to determine who has the most creative kayak fishing rig, we caught up with these competitors to chat about their kayak fishing gear picks, most memorable catch and unpopular kayak fishing opinions.
Q: Where do you call your home waters, and what do you find special about them?
Labrador: My home waters would definitely be the California Delta. I think the diversity of the delta is what I love the most. The puzzle is never solved; it continues to challenge you every time you go out.
Glass: Southern Michigan is where we do most of our fishing. We’ve got a ton of clear and cold lakes, rivers and creeks with a huge variety of species. The smallmouth fishing in places like Grand Traverse Bay, Lake St. Clair and the Huron River system can be crazy good. It doesn’t hurt to have the biggest freshwater lakes in the world surrounding you on three sides either.
Q: Do you have a most memorable catch?
Labrador: My first 20+ inch kayak fish on a frog on the delta was my most memorable catch. I was fishing in between two bass boats that had rolled up on my spot at a dead end slough. I held my ground in front of this cheese mat listening to them talk about how tough the fishing was. Meanwhile I had this stud come up and absolutely destroy my frog. Landed it and had them take a picture for me.
Glass: The first time I caught a smallmouth over 5lbs my son was sitting in the kayak with me. We did it together on an ultralight and we were so surprised neither of us knew what to do when we hauled it in!
Q: Is there one piece of gear you think is make or break?
Labrador: PFD for sure, not fishing without it.
Glass: A simple first aid/tool kit. Getting stranded without basic first aid or without tools to fix basic problems will ruin a day faster than anything else.
Q: What piece of gear do you think is overrated?
Labrador: YakAttack Track Pack. Itโs a good product, itโs just people get crazy with the amount of them they put on their kayak.
Glass: Nothing. If it actually helps you fish then it comes with you.
Q: Whatโs your unpopular kayak fishing opinion?
Labrador: Less is more.
Glass: Bigger is not always better. Everyone always wants more and more stuff on board, more baits, tech, gear etc. It often leads to worrying more about your stuff than focusing on fishing and fun.
