Justin Floyd and Matt Charette face off to compete to be crowned the YakOff Champion and receive the legendary YakOff belt, winning not only fame and fortune (a belt and cash prize) but also undying knowledge that they are the mind behind the best, most innovative kayak fishing rig – at least according to the votes.
We caught up with this week’s competitors to get the inside scoop on their most memorable catch, the kayak fishing opinion that would get them cancelled and more.
Q: Where do you call your home waters, and what do you find special about them?
Charette: Northern Maine will forever be home despite the fact that I live in GA now, crystal clear mountain lakes and ponds, and rocky shorelines, it’s hard to beat.
Floyd: Honestly, I don’t really have a true “home water,” which feels strange to say. I’ve never focused on just one species or body of water. I grew up chasing trout, stripers, and redfish, all of which live in completely different environments across the Southeast. These days, I bounce between Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and South Carolina. I guess what’s special about that is the variety. Every trip feels a little different, and I’ve learned to adapt.
Q: Do you have a most memorable catch?
Charette: When I was seven or eight I caught an 18″ rainbow trout on a dry fly. After talking smack with my grandfather all fall, the literal next day he caught a 19″ and re-took his bragging rights, that was probably the series of events that hooked me the most on fishing.
Floyd: My most memorable catch was in Panama, at the base of a 100-foot cliff where deep blue waves were crashing below. I’d been camping for a week at the edge of the Darién Jungle, one of the most remote and dangerous jungles in the world. After throwing topwater probably a thousand times, I finally got crushed on the last day. It was a Bluefin Trevally, glowing electric blue as I brought it to the surface. After all the travel, time, and effort, it felt like everything had finally come together.
Q: Is there one piece of gear you think is make or break?
Charette: For bass tournies? I have been known to live or die by the jerkbait, when it’s on it will cash you a check when nothing else is working, when it’s off, it’s ice cold.
Floyd: My Garmin inReach Mini. It’s not exactly a kayak accessory, but it’s something I never leave behind. If something ever goes wrong, especially when I’m off-grid, that’s my lifeline. There have been plenty of times I’ve had no cell service and it was the only way to communicate. I’ve built out tons of kayaks with different setups and tech, but that little device is the one piece of gear that always comes with me.
Q: What piece of gear do you think is overrated?
Charette: Whopper Ploppers, gimme a buzzbait any day.
Floyd: I think the YakAttack BlackPak is one of the most overrated pieces of gear, especially with how much built-in storage newer kayaks already have. The amount of space and organization on new kayaks is wild. If you’re fishing with sixteen Plano boxes stuffed in a crate, I’ve got to ask… what are you really doing out there?
Q: What’s your unpopular kayak fishing opinion?
Charette: Y’all are trying to get me canceled?! Kayaks are more fun than bass boats… That’s all I’ve got.
Floyd: It’s not strictly kayak-specific, but from my own experience. I think LiveScope makes fishing more fun. I travel a lot and fish new waters all the time, and it’s completely changed how I approach those days. Even when the bite is tough, it keeps me engaged because I know I can at least find fish instead of just aimlessly motoring around. It’s added a new level of excitement for me.
