Kayak angler Jay Wallen, photo courtesy of Julie Ofner
At first glance, you might take Morgan Promnitz for a beach bum. Blondish, slightly floppy hair. Shorts. T-shirt. Sandals. All coupled with a ready smile, boatload of boyish charm and sunny I’ll-take-what-comes demeanor.
It’s an image Promnitz would probably embrace. And he often does look the part. But he’s an executive in disguise and was all business during a visit to Kentucky earlier this summer while preparing for the Hobie Bass Open kayak fishing tournament.
It was the fourth consecutive year that the California-based Hobie Company had brought one of its kayak CPR (catch-photo-release) tournaments to Kentucky Lake.
Hobie plans to return if the welcome mat is out.
The events have been headquartered at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park, which the Californians have found to their liking. It helps that tournament competitors can fish in Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, two of the best largemouth bass producers in the country.
“We love coming here,” said Promnitz, fishing product manager for Hobie. The company’s product line began in 1950 with a few handcrafted surfboards but has been expanded to include paddleboards, pedal boards, catamarans, sailboats and kayaks, including 16 models designed specifically for fishing, most of which feature the company’s innovative MirageDrive pedal system. Hobie also makes, markets and sells piles of related gear.
“Kentucky Lake is just a huge body of water and offers so many different aspects and ways to fish it,” Promnitz said. “And everyone has been extremely helpful and accommodating. We’d love to come back here for as long as we can.”
The company held its first Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley Hobie Bass Open in 2014. It was lightly attended. About 25 fishermen showed up with an array of paddle and pedal-powered boats. Having a Hobie brand kayak is not required to compete, but rules restrict anglers to a one-person, paddle or pedal-powered rig.
Compared to pro-level bass tournaments, there is not much financial incentive for kayak tournament anglers (Lexington fisherman Jay Wallen pocketed $4,000 for winning the 2017 event). The real prize comes later. An open winner is awarded an expenses-paid trip to the Hobie Fishing Worlds championship. Destinations have ranged from Louisiana to China.
For the first couple years of the Kentucky Lake event, the fishing almost seemed to take a back seat to the product demonstrations hosted by area distributors.
This year’s Kentucky Hobie Open, which was held June 10-11, attracted a field of 115 anglers.
Tournament organizers and officials were delighted.
“It just keeps growing by leaps and bounds,” said Promnitz. “The number of participants has grown by about 25 or 30 each year.”
The interest in kayak fishing in general also is growing. Most kayak manufacturers—Hobie, Old Town, Jackson Kayak, Wilderness Systems and others—offer boats specifically designed for the fisherman.
According to the American Sportfishing Association, there are an estimated 60 million recreational sport fishermen in the United States. Kentucky, according to data compiled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is home to about 554,000 anglers. How many use kayaks for fishing is unknown. But one thing Promnitz is sure of is that the number is growing.
“I think kayak fishing in general, across the industry, has been on a steady growth pattern for the last five to 10 years,” he said. “And it has really spiked, exponentially, in the last three years.”
Reasons vary. Products have improved as kayak designers and manufacturers have strived to give anglers what they want and need: stability, comfort, rod and gear storage, and accessibility to electronics and other angling accessories. Promnitz pointed to Hobie as an early leader and innovator in this area. Twenty years ago, the company unveiled its MirageDrive, a pedal system that made boats much more fishing friendly. Today, most kayak manufacturers offer a boat with some type of hands-free, pedal-drive propulsion system, but few can rival the chain-driven, flipper-style Hobie system.
“[The MirageDrive] was, in my opinion, the game changer,” added Promnitz, who already was a dedicated kayak angler when he joined the Hobie Cat Company in 2009. “Because it elevated kayak fishing and made it even better.”
Price is another factor. Although the higher-end, foot-propulsion kayaks carry price tags in the $2,500 to $5,000 range, a basic, no-frills boat can be had for less than $1,000. Also, there are plenty of used boats on the market, giving the budget-minded buyer expanded options.
And there’s the fun factor.
“Obviously, there are some big advantages to have a [boat] with a big motor,” Promnitz said. “But [kayak fishing] is affordable. You can get to a lot of places bigger boats can’t go. It’s good exercise. And it’s fun. It’s just fun. We want you out there, having fun, catching some fish and getting some exercise, too.”
Readers may contact Gary Garth at outdoors@kentuckymonthly.com