Many of you who know me know that one of my favorite things about kayak fishing is all the great people I get to meet.  Many I only know from the Internet but eventually I get to meet them in person and wet a line.  Mark contacted us about how much he enjoyed KFM and gave us an open invitation anytime we happened to get to Maui.  We hope to take him up on it.  Here's some questions I asked of Mark and he included an article and cover shot from Hawaii Fishing News in which he was featured.

1) How did you first learn about kayak fishing? In the year 2002 a friend of mine rigged up a kayak with a battery and a tro

lling motor. That was my first experience kayak fishing.

2) When did you start and how? Since the year 2002 I would fool around with the sport in a very hap hazard intermittent manner. It was not until April of 2009 that I started kayak fishing in a more serious fashion. I’m now totally obsessed with the sport and learn something new every day. Thanks to Kayak Fishing Magazine (KFM) I’m a bit more educated about the sport and clearly more successful in my efforts to land fish on my kayak.

3) Where do you do most of your kayak fishing? Off of the shoreline of the Island of Maui located in the Hawaiian Island chain.

4) What's your favorite way to kayak fish? Trolling on my Hobie Mirage ProAngler, because the Hobie ProAngler is leg powered so your hands are free.  I enjoy trolling because you also get a good work out along the way.

5) What species do you like to fish for the most? Any and all species found in the open sea “Pelagics” For example Mahi Mahi (Dorado), Ahi (Tuna), Ono (Wahoo), Ulua (Giant Trevally), Omilo (Bluefin Trevally), Uku (shallow water usually 80-300’ deep Snapper) Marlin, Sail fish etc…etc..

6) What's your most memorable kayak fishing experience(s)? That’s a hard question. Every kayak fishing adventure is a blast but if I must pick one it would be when I was in a pod of whales and I got a Mahi Mahi double hook up. For many reasons it was an epic day for me that will be hard to beat!

7) What was your first fishing kayak? When I decided to get serious about kayak fishing in the open ocean I purchased the Hobie Mirage Drive (Leg Powered) Outback Kayak.

8) What are you presently using (kayak) and why? The Hobie Mirage ProAngler. I fish the open ocean in the middle of the pacific and the wind as well as the waves can pick up without warning. Your legs are much more powerful than your arms and therefore I can get out of a serious scenario much easier by utilizing the Hobie Mirage leg powered drive system. The Hobie Mirage ProAngler is 13’8” and 38” wide so it is very sea worthy. I have also enhanced my ride with many features that help me in my effort to catch fish and survive the open ocean. I have installed a Depth/Fish Finder, GPS, Radio, Live Bait Well, Anchor Trolley, Drift Chute, Custom Fish Bag, many additional Rod Holders etc…etc…The only thing left to add is a Tuna Tower (Just Kidding).