My name is Mike Zilkowsky and I am an addict.

A fishing addict.

For as long as I can remember I have been fishing for the sheer pleasure of the sport. I can vividly remember getting my first fly rod and having my dad teach me to cast in the field of my elementary school. My entire childhood was built around the outdoors. And fishing was a big part of that. Whether it was trout fishing with my brother and dad in the interior lakes of British Columbia or fishing the chuck with my brother and mom, most of my childhood memories involve fishing.

I can remember being a small boy and fly fishing in a canoe with my father in the moonlight because there was an amazing sedge hatch going on. I can remember being very short on patience for salmon fishing and wishing the fish would just bite. I can even remember catching crab with a treble hook baited with bullhead and having the little sucker clamp its claws down on hand (which my brother was more than happy to rip off).

I found myself at Costco one day and there was a Pelican 10 ft. sit in kayak there on sale. Well let me tell you a 10ft. kayak does not fit into one of those oversized Costco shopping carts very well. Regardless I took it home and instantly realized it needed some fishing rod holders. A quick trip to Canadian Tire netted me a Berkley swivel rod holder and an anchor. I joined the Canadian Kayak Anglers Forum on the net and started to talk to others and see more of this growing sport.

From the first trip I made in it I knew I was hooked. I bought a couple flush mount rod holders off eBay and installed them. I spent the year travelling Alberta for work with that kayak in the back of my work truck. I managed to get out a few lakes and got into some great fishing. But I soon realized that I wanted a bigger and better kayak.

See you at the launch.

Mike