I became aware of Roger Bump when I heard he won the JAX Tournament the past two years. This was someone I wanted to talk to. Roger, while not new to fishing, as most of us who got involved in kayak fishing, is fairly new to using a kayak. His friend, Rick Stinson, got him started. Rick is an outdoor gear rep and asked Roger to join him in a fishing tournament in 2004. Roger wasn’t too sure about fishing out of tippy little plastic boats but the Malibu X Factor, Rick lent him, changed his mind. It was a team competition and Roger didn’t get any fish of note but remembers catching a lot of fish. He was impressed with the stealth the kayak provided in stalking redfish and its advantages in this environment as a fishing tool.

Roger recognized the importance of hands free fishing so his first kayak was a Hobie Revolution. He liked the ability the kayak afforded him in fishing for trout as he found the bigger ones frequented positions up current of docks and making a proper presentation in a paddle kayak was difficult. He used the Revo for 3 years and did well. However in the shallow waters where many redfish roam he wanted a kayak he could stand in more easily.

“I am very happy with the Native kayak for lots of reasons and just the raw options it gives you. Standing in a kayak with ease and being able to pole or paddle while standing is huge. When I saw the video of Jimbo Meador standing in that Kayak and maneuvering that yak around I did not even take a second to figure out that was the yak that was going to make kayak fishing serious. The propel system which had reverse and the hull design which gives the yak tracking which is something that would blow over everyone's head till I got in the boat and started fishing and it was explained to me. I really liked the room and the comfort. I will just say this to keep it simple. Every advantage whether big or small in fishing can make the difference in catching. I just think overall the Native people really thought out their yak and made it very fishable.“

During our phone conversation he discussed how he uses reverse to do things he couldn’t do in his Revo and how easily he could stand and pole the kayak while stalking redfish in the shallows. He’s a huge fan of the kayak.

Besides being an excellent tournament fisherman Roger is a full time guide offering both kayak and boat fishing trips. His website is www.captainrogerbump.com He also does the weekly fishing forecast and reports for Northeast Florida in the Florida Sportsman web reports.

Working with Captain Mike’s Flats Candy Lures, he’s developed inline spinner bait that he uses. His favorite is to work top water but close second is a subsurface plug, like a Mirrolure, on a fiberglass rod.

Roger is an expert on catching big trout. However he’s gotten more recognition for his flounder catches via spinner baits.