We were in a hurry. I met “Kayak” Kevin Whitley after work to test two new kayaks, get photos, film video and catch some fish. The project had been delayed by two weeks of wet, windy weather. And the forecast called for more of the same. We had to make hay.
The cameras were set up for a video overview of the NuCanoe Pursuit. Just as Kevin hit record and barked, “Action,” a huge crow landed in the tree behind me and started to caw. No time to reshoot, I pushed through the distraction and broke into laughter as soon as Kevin said, “Cut!”
Then we loaded the Eddyline C-135 and prepared to film. “Rolling,” Kevin said and I started to walk through the boat’s features trying to remember length, width, capacity and the C-135’s long list of YakAttack accessories. Halfway through, I saw two dogs bounding across the parking lot. The owner noticed the cameras and scurried to gather his canines before they ran into the scene. Too late.
A crow is one thing, but a pair of dogs and a frantic stranger is too much. Kevin stopped filming and I took a minute to greet the friendly dogs and calm the apologetic owner. He introduced himself and asked who we were, what we were doing, what cameras we used, where he could find the video, and would his dogs be famous? Clouds rolled in and I felt a few spits of rain. We talked about local events, the weather, kayak fishing and more. My hurry-up schedule got derailed. But I didn’t care. This was the story.
Pulling together each issue of Kayak Angler is a story in itself. When you read the magazine, you see the columns and features. When I read Kayak Angler, I see the stories behind the stories. Hobie pro Morgan Promnitz caught a huge yellowtail to get photos for “Heavy Lifting” on page 58. We heard a lot of controversy behind Captain Ben Chancey’s Goliath grouper catch in “Beast Master” on page 18. I traveled vicariously to the 25 greatest kayak fishing destinations to build “Honey Holes”. And all the readers we meet for CPR and Reader Tale are excited when they catch a trophy fish, but they are blown away when they see their photos in Kayak Angler.
To me, this magazine is like an 76-page grip-and-grin photo of a happy angler and his catch. The picture may capture the fish and the smile and the scene, but it doesn’t do justice to the hours of preparation, trials and triumphs, blood, sweat and tears that went into landing the thing. Enjoy the stories in this issue of Kayak Angler. I enjoyed the stories behind the stories. —Ric Burnley
Quite on set! Kayak Angler editor Ric Burnley gets ready to shoot video for Kayak Angler’s Winter issue. | Photo: “Kayak” Kevin Whitley
