Allen Bushnell

Home Town: I’ve lived in Santa Cruz on the beautiful Monterey Bay for nearly 30 years. We have everything here, giant redwood forests, world-class surfing, and excellent year-round ocean fishing. 

Favorite Ocean Kayak and why: I paddle the Ultra 4.7 now. I consider it the best in terms of deck layout, speed and stability. I especially like the transducer cutout on the 4.7 that enables my side-scan sonar. My favorite of all time, however, is the Prowler 13. I’ve caught my biggest and most exciting fish from the 13, both at home and on remote trips.

Other gear used: I’m partial to Penn or Newell reels and use mostly CalStar and LamiGlas rods. Submersible radios by Icom, and GPS/Fishfinders by Humminbird. My paddles are Carlisle and Lendall, pfd’s and paddling clothes from Kokatat.

About Allen: I’ve been surfing and fishing all my life, but did not “combine” the two in kayak fishing until 1998. By 2003, I had placed in and even won a few kayak-fishing derbies, and jumped at the chance to join the Ocean Kayak Pro Team. Soon after, I became bonded and licensed with the DFG as a fishing guide and started taking people on kayak fishing adventures. I have worked with hundreds of anglers in Northern California since then. I like big, grumpy fish, and especially the extreme closeness with nature we experience while kayak fishing. We are after all, only inches off the water.

Besides guiding year-round in California, summers in Alaska, and the yearly Sea of Cortez trips, I love to promote the sport of kayak fishing. I’m happy to give seminars and workshops at venues that range from our smaller local kayak shops, the larger Bay Area REI stores, and the giant Fred Hall and International Sportsman’s Expos. I’m totally stoked on kayak fishing and love to help newbies share the excitement and catch fish safely. I guess I am a fishing nut, because somehow I work a regular weekly newspaper fishing column into the mix as well as co-hosting a popular fishing radio show in Santa Cruz California.

So far, my biggest adventure would have to be the trip to Prince William Sound in the summer of 2007 with Allen Sansano, Howard McKim and Chris Mautino. We targeted salmon sharks from the kayak, and each landed fish in the 450-pound range. To date these are the largest recorded kayak catches. I have caught big tuna, Pacific halibut, and plenty of lings and rockfish on light gear, but that was the longest, hardest, and most satisfying fight of my fishing career.

Kayak fishing is always an adventure, whether in the wilds of Alaska or the crystal waters off Baja. My secret is I get almost as much a kick from paddling out locally, just to catch a dinner of rockfish or halibut for my family, friends, and neighbors.

Websites:
www.santacruzkayakfishing.com
www.theletsgofishinigradioshow.com