Michael Guyer

Michael “Glock Guy” Guyer

Virginia

Affiliations: YakAttack Prostaff, Secret Weapon Lures Prostaff, HOOK 1 Crew

Experience: Growing up, I learned how to fish freshwater. My Dad, from the time I was around 5, would take me to the Hudson River, or one of the many other streams and rivers in Upstate New York. His experience growing up was fishing the Long Island Sound, so he was a fan of big, heavy weights and snelled hooks with live bait. We used round bait casting reels on fiberglass rods, with heavy green braid. I soon discovered spinning gear, monofilament and artificial lures and would fish wherever my bicycle would take me, which at 13 or so meant about a 20 mile radius. To date, my personal best is an 8 lb. black bass that fell for a red/white Eppinger Dardevle weedless spoon out of the Esopus Creek when I was 15 or so. As much as I liked targeting bass, I could often be found on a summer night at a golf course pond fishing for bullhead catfish. I also targeted panfish and am still convinced that perch are some of the best eating I’ve ever had. Lake Oneida provided some of the best eating perch I’ve ever had.

As I got older, I continued to hone my skills, with an emphasis on using lighter tackle to pursue bigger fish. I started using low profile baitcasting gear to fish for bass and found unexpected gratification in landing huge carp with it. While not really considered a true gamefish in this country, Europeans have considered carp a worthwhile gamefish for decades. In any event, on any given fishing trip, you are now likely to find both baitcasting and spinning gear on my kayak.

With the exception of the occasional head boat off Virginia Beach or trip to Oregon Inlet in the Outer Banks of North Carolina to chase speckled trout, my saltwater education really began when I joined the Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association. My mistake, and it’s a common one, was thinking “I don’t really know anything about fishing saltwater.” What I learned was that if you know how to chase the freshwater bass species, then you know how to chase the inshore saltwater species. I am now addicted to chasing redfish, speckled trout, striper and flounder. The only difference, as far as I’m concerned, is that tide becomes a consideration. Redfish are the most active on a moving tide, in my experience. All the other factors, such as barometric pressure, moon phase, approaching weather fronts and the like, affect the freshwater and saltwater bite the same.

I’ve also learned that less is more. At first, I would load my kayak with enough tackle to stock the shelves at a Mom-n-Pop store. Now, I rig a few rods, decide which baits I’m going to use and only bring spares of those baits, possibly in different colors. Forcing yourself to fish just a few baits on a trip will make you better at using those baits and give you more confidence in your overall fishing prowess.