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The Kayak Fishing Industry at the 2023 MLF Redcrest Expo

The 2023 Redcrest Outdoor Exposition was organized by Major League Fishing, sponsored by Bass Pro Shops and hosted in Charlotte, N.C. on the weekend of March 10-12, 2023. Held in a multi-purpose convention center that offered three large halls for vendors to display their wares, the Expo catered primarily to anglers interested in finding deals, seeing new products firsthand and rubbing elbows with fishing pros at seminars and vendor booths.

The kayak fishing industry was represented by several brands at the exposition. Additionally, kayak anglers also worked with fishing brands at their booths, there were kayak fishing seminars, and more.

Manufacturers of fishing kayaks were represented by three major brands. Great Outdoor Provision Company is the largest high-end dealer of quality fishing kayaks in the Carolinas, and its booth showcased the new line of Jackson Fishing Kayaks, including the revamped Coosa X, the Knarr FD and the Take Two. Classic models like the Bite FD were also available, all of them including the completely overhauled Jackson Pedal Drive system, the Mark IV. Across the aisle, both Nu Canoe and Bonafide had booths staffed with pro team members who worked the crowds to showcase products, explain rigging and sell their boats.

One of the more popular items were kayak rigged with motors, which were present at all three manufacturer booths. Most were rigged with Torqeedo electric boat drives, and Torqeedo’s own Jeff Little was present, working through a steady flow of questions at the company booth, which was outfitted with his personally rigged kayak. Little also gave a number of well-attended kayak-fishing seminars at the show.

Additionally, companies that created kayak accessories were present with booths. First, the popular Kayak Kushion brand, based in Chattanooga, TN, showcased its product line of seats and clothing to kayakers and boaters alike. Nearby, the Tightline Anchor Co showcased its kayak products.

Kayak anglers from across the Mid-Atlantic were also present at various booths. Among them, John Ladd worked the Cashion Rods booth, while Casey Reed was there as well. Jameson Redding represented at the Jackson booth, while Stewart Venable worked for the NuCanoe team.

Finally, it should be noted that while overall, kayak fishing had a limited presence at the event, the response to it was strong, as even some of the professional boaters visited the booths and interacted with kayak brands and anglers. Another sign of the rising popularity of the sport was that Millennium Promotions, an outdoors media content producer which produced a wildly popular video of Jody Queen for Z-Man last year, featured a kayak angler on some of the promotional content at its booth.

In sum, the 2023 Redcrest Outdoors Exposition confirmed yet again that kayak fishing is no longer an emergent sector of the fishing industry but a consistent presence that continues to appeal to anglers and vendors across the fishing industry.

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Hank Veggian is a multi-species freshwater kayak angler. He is a member of the Jackson Kayak Fishing Team, Ketch Products Fishing Team and Get Outdoors Pedal and Paddle Pro Staff. His writings on fishing have been published in numerous magazines. He has written for the KBF and KAS websites, and is a former KFL angler.