Kayak Pros
Tournaments Bayside Sponsors
Michigan Kayak Trail
Gull Lake Marine Bayside is Sponsoring this tournament for the 2023 season with most of our pros. Come check them out at any of their tourneys.
Russell Wilson
I started out fishing at a young age and I keep doing it as I got older. I entered my first bass tournament in my early 20s in a bass boat and that got me into kayak fishing. I have been fishing out a Hobie since 2015 and have won lots of tournaments, even being the first-ever Michigan Kayak Trail Angler Of The Year in 2016 and runner-up in 2017. I continue to help grow the sport of kayak fishing by fishing the Top Water Series and helping kids when I see them at a boat ramp or at fishing shows.Check out my IG @r.e.w_outdoors and follow my YouTube channel @ r.e.woutdoors9321
Eric Wands
I grew up just outside metro Detroit where we are truly spoiled to be able to fish the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie and catch perch and walleye year round. As a kid there was one fish that always showed up and fought double the amount than the other two I was chasing: Smallmouth. As I got older, the excitement of perch and walleye wore off and I found myself in pursuit of smallies and soon after largemouth. My first kayak was a 10ft sit-in that was extremely hard to fish from but It was a way for me to get out on my local lakes and rivers. Being a competitive person, when I found out there were kayak specific tournaments my hobby turned into a whole different passion. I’ve been through several kayak platforms since then and these days I fish out of a 2021 Hobie Pro Angler 14. By far my biggest accomplishment in kayak fishing was this past spring at a local fishing derby where I placed 1st in a division of kayaks and 2nd overall in a field of 36 two-man teams on bass boats. I spent that day sitting over top pre-spawn smallmouth and picking off the biggest ones on a finesse set up. Without my Hobie from Gull Lake Marine, that day would’ve never happened. You don’t have to have the fanciest of bass boats to be able to get out on a pile of giants, all you gotta have is the ability to get where they are. There is nothing more stealthy or maneuverable to get over a pile of bedding bass than a Hobie, and there isn’t anything I’ve found more peaceful than being surrounded by the beauty of Michigan and the Great Lakes in a kayak.Follow me through my travels on IG: @WandsyOnTheWater
Mike Kaczkowski
“Katch” as his friends call him, started off fishing when he was young. The passion has grown since then and become more of an addiction. You can catch him in his Hobie PA 360 fishing in tournaments in Michigan, or just fishing for fun and trying to spread the passion of the sport onto others. Mike started off his kayak fishing days in 2015, since then he started fishing in kayak bass fishing tournaments and really just likes the competition. Coming from fishing salmon and walleye out of a boat it was a big change of pace, but the serenity and adventure has been far greater fishing in a kayak than out of a boat. In 2020 he was a Co-founder of the Michigan Big Bass Kayak league and also took on a role as director for the Michigan Kayak Trail. He competes in both leagues and really likes to get people started into the sport.
Matt Rademacher
I am a fan of everything outdoors! From backpacking the Sierras, to setting tree stands, and of course…skinny water kayak fishing, I’m always seeking and planning opportunities to ‘get way out.’ There’s great fishing all over the planet, but I am quite partial to our Great Lakes and its watersheds. There’s no better way to experience all of this than in a Jackson Kayak as I have for the past 8 years out of my Coosa. The fish are certainly a draw, but the places that kayak fishing has taken me is the grand prize. I enjoy doing long float trips, catching dinner, and camping on the river’s edge. Rivers like the Manistee, Pine, Flat, Kalamazoo, and the Grand are some of my most frequented waters. There are infinite remote places that a kayak can take you that most watercrafts can’t. I plan on seeing as many of those places as I can, for as long as I can. Most recently though, the opportunities of tournament fishing have become most intriguing. Yet another example of the versatility of this growing sport of kayak fishing. As a former college athlete, I am familiar with the intersection of where passion and competition meet and look forward to participating in KBF, MKT in the near future. I am so thankful and blessed that I have a wife and three young children that avidly share (understand) in this passion (obsession) with me. I will continue to look for opportunities to get others involved in this righteous sport and continue to be a steward of our wild places. 
Perris Perry
I am currently based in Merrillville, Indiana. I have been fishing since I was able to hold a pole. I grew up fishing on the industrial side of the big lake in East Chicago, Indiana and loved every minute. I got into kayak fishing about 3 years after years of interest from seeing my first Hobie on the waters of Lake Michigan. With the help of the great people at Gull Lake Marine, I acquired my first Hobie and fell in love with kayak fishing and fine tuning my yak ever since. While I fish for all species from my yak, my passion is chasing salmon and trout in the great lakes. I travel up and down the coasts of Michigan and Wisconsin chasing all species of salmonids. From summer steelhead to fall salmon to winter lake trout, you'll find me peddling the big lake any time of year. I am a prominent member of the Lake Michigan Kayak Fishing club and the Lake Michigan Angler Club. I have fished numerous salmon fishing tournaments in my kayak including the Great Lakes Kayak Fishing Series based in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and the Salmon A Rama based in Racine, Wisconsin. Thanks to the people at Gull Lake Marine and the countless individuals of the kayak fishing community, I have learned to safely and effectively become a successful kayak angler.
You can find me on Instagram @filscardinaloutside.
Brian Burkhardt
My connection to fishing formed early in life on the shorelines, rivers, inland lakes and Great Lakes in my home state of Michigan. The peace I find on water coupled with the challenge of hooking my next catch is a centering exhilaration I’ve chased near and far around the globe for nearly 40 years. I’ve been blessed to fish the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Montana, California, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and of course, all over my great state of Michigan. Internationally I’ve competed in tournaments and fished the big waters of Costa Rica (countless Pelagic Triple Crown tournaments), the Baja Peninsula in Mexico (Pelagic tournaments), Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia (bluefin), Northern Ontario, and the Grand Caymans (bonefish~barracuda). With these experiences, I’ve learned to fish via many vessels. Of all, I strongly feel most versatile in fishing kayaks. Over the years I’ve grown from modifying basic kayaks and settled into my chosen best, the Jackson Fishing Kayak. Currently I rotate between the Coosa HD, Coosa FD, and Knarr FD, depending on my fishing medium. I feel like there is no body of water I can’t conquer while in my Jacksons. They are stable yet adaptable, and very well designed for the most challenging fishing experiences. I’m proud and grateful to be part of the Jackson team and look forward to competing among my fishing peers out on the waters.