Hey gang. Its been a while since ive been on here or any type of social media. I have become very frustrated at most of the yotube crowd. I have noticed a ton of people who feel like after 2 or 3 trips out in a kayak they have the knowledge, skill and experiance to inform others "how to". As good as it is that people want to share info, it really hurts the community as a whole. Giving the wrong info is worse than giving no info. Imo it puts peoples lives at risk because they think they know. This kayak fishing thing is an art and should be respected. Its pretty simple really, if you dont know, its ok, dont try to give info, let those who know give the correct info. Dont fish one summer and think you need an informational yotube channel. I think the growth of the sport plays a big part in the problem. The brands are taking anyone who wants to rep for them just to get their product out there. I hope this will change very soon. I hope the brands will be a bit more selective when choosing reps and pro staff. Texas has one of the largest...if not THE largest kayak market and yet i see so few who paddle correctly, wear pfd's, understand wind and water etc. If i can be blunt, if 10 mph wind is too much, if choppy water is too much, if paddling distances over a few miles is too much your simply not qualified to give advise. This is the time when being humble is best and seek out info. Im not saying take advise from me, i do lots of things wrong, first and formost looking at weather. I have been caught out in more life threatening situations than i care to admit. If i owned a store or i was a brand, i would offer deals like "buy a kayak and get 3 free paddle lessons" that helps the sport grow saftley. We are not all looking to be "extreme kayak fishermen" and i understand that but a solid skill base will still be helpfull. I am not the best fisherman, i have caught some nice fish but the paddle is what got me to them.

It is a lot of the millennials or Gen Y that are looking to get their name and brand out there. Youtube is the easy/sexy and quick fix. If Youtube, Snapchat, Etc. cost every time you made a post, then you would never see them. I hear ya loud and clear. I can't stand watching some of the vids that shows some 20 something kid fishing and standing in his yak in the middle of a lake without a PDF. The 40+ year old in me thinks, if he fell and hit his head on the side of his yak, would the cameraman get their in time to get his body out of the water before it sunk? Everything is just too easy now.

Hey stranger! I was a little worried about not hearing from you in a while.

I thought all these experts moved into our state with experience since I never heard of them before. I'm sad to say there is a lot of truth in what you say. I've personally gotten people into kayak fishing and just a couple months later they are repping for a major manufacture. That totally blew my mind at the time. I've also seen good knowledgeable paddlers with years experience get passed up on a rep position for somebody with little to no experience. All that matters is they are seen on social media and that they move product. Social media has lots of experts

This is so crazy Christian. I was just thinking I haven�t seen or heard from you in a long time. Let�s go fishing sometime soon!

Shaun, heck yes. We moved to pilot point now. Only a couple mimes from jordan park. I completley quit facebook also.

Problem is not so much what they know about kayaks, it's if they possess practical common sense or not.
Some people have it, but a lot of people don't, so it's not particular to anyone type of craft or vehicle.
Plenty of GoPro cowboys out there and more to follow.
I'm one of the original members when this forum started and I've seen more "EXPERTS" come and go than I can remember, so I get where you are coming from.

CM, glad you�re back and ok, hope you hang around. You have some very good points and it�s not just our sport I see this almost everywhere I look.

I much prefer to see a few photos and read a short or medium length report over a 5-20 minute video. I try to watch fishing videos ever now and then, but almost always lose interest in the first few moments. I guess I don�t understand the fascination many people seem to have with making, editing and watching fishing videos. I was given a go pro, but haven�t used it in a long time. I do like some of the drone footage and if a video has mostly that flying over an area or fish I�m interested in, I�ll hang in and watch it a bit longer. Even then, I�m going to lose interest before too long.

I like fishing a lot, but the idea of having a relationship with a manufacturer or distributor sounds bad to me. Then there are, have to be, expectations, obligations to be met and some sort of commitment to be upheld. One of the great things about fishing is the freedom it gives you. Have a deal with with someone to market their stuff seems to put chains on that freedom.

I have plenty of obligations to family and other business arrangements, but I�m not obligated to anyone when I fish and I like it that way.

Nicely said.

I too haven't been very involved in the kayak community for some time. Partly from me moving quite often, partly from just not fishing as much (especially after Harvey), but mostly because I just don't fit in tho the current kayak community. Quite often I'll click on a link to a topic only for me to have to click a link to their youtube channel or blog. It is what it is with the constant marketing and figuring out how to get as many electronics on a kayak as possible.

The sport has lost its way. It makes me cherish the friendships I made years ago.

Oh, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and share.

I completely agree Christian. Welcome back dude!!! Between guys just getting kayaks wanting to tell everyone how it is to the same guys wanting to run tourneys.... I'm like dude, you just asked to buy a hawg trough for $40 last week and this week you are running a tournament??? SMH.

Neumie, its a shame a guy with your knowledge and skill has stepped back from the game. It seems its just how its going. There has always been posers,,,people make themselves look good with editing,,,and there will always be, i just wish people were a little more honest about their skill level and knowledge. In a way i wish paddle craft fishing would take a step back to the 80's before there was even such a thing. When i started it was much simpler. We paddled trips well over 100 miles, this meant to save weight in food we brought fishing gear to supplement what food we did bring. Im not saying dont fish im saying your paddle/peadles and your kayak should be focus #1. Being able to control your boat in any situation is critical. I see guys giving instruction to people and they themselves have never even done something as simple as a deep water reentry. Its sad...

My goal here is not to [censored] a bunch of people off,,,i know it will. Its to try and educate the newcomers and help them realise not all info is good info.

Christian glad to know y�all are around. Let�s fish soon. For those that don�t know Christian (aka catfish Jesus) he is one of most helpful fishermen around. Sure miss catfish camp.

Welcome back Christian.
Pilot Point huh? I'm due south of you on 377 in Cross Roads now... Give me a holler and we'll get out and fish...

Same here guys, seems like the products are being upgraded before they hit the shelf and it is hard to keep up with them. Gone are the days of an iconic kayak in are the days of a platform kayak that is designed for rigging not DIYing.