Why Yak Tribe

Why Kayak Fishing? Why YakTribe?

2016. I can say it absolution that 2016 was the worst and best year of my life to date. To give a bit of background, I like to believe that I’ve been successful, and to that point in my life, how I measured success had been greatly skewed by two ideas. One, and most dominantly, was the amount of money I made. Two, which is most likely the most idiotic, was how people perceived me and my career/lifestyle/etc. In 2016, my viewpoint was dramatically altered, both by force and by choice.

I had been, by my own standards, highly successful in my career to that point. I was performing at a high rate, and the department that I managed was surpassing previous years metrics. I felt untouchable. I had always labored under the belief that hard work equated success and success equated to security. The problem was that my career became a focal point, and I found myself willingly working hours that took me away from my family and my friends. I found myself working so much that I lost passion for mostly everything I had previously enjoyed. I was goal oriented, obsessed with maintaining a level of success, and lifestyle, that I felt was necessary. I deluded myself into believing that sacrificing my time with my family and friends would be returned in the idea that “I will be able provide a better life for them through my hard work.” There is one inalienable fact that I failed to see, or even acknowledge its existence. There are times, no matter how hard you work or how successful you are, that you are expendable. Whether that be because of personality, difference in opinions, “Going a different direction,” or just straight up hate/envy/jealousy, it doesn’t matter. 2016. The year that I lost a job that I was successful in my performance, well liked by my staff, and completely dedicated to “the team.” The year that I realized that my sacrifices, my hard work, and my “I’ll find time for it later” didn’t matter.

Failure. Pathetic. Bad Father. Bad Husband. Scared. Stressed. Worried. If you can think it, I felt it, and I felt completely unable to justify any of the sacrifices I had made over the previous two years. As you can imagine, ego shattered, self image ruined, I “fell down the rabbit hole.” 2016. When a simple choice made all the difference in the world.

In February of 2016, I bought a kayak from Dick’s Sporting Goods. A Field and Stream, Eagle Talon 12 was my first kayak purchase. I knew no one that kayak fished. I didn’t actually know anyone who even owned a kayak. I HAD NEVER BEEN ON A KAYAK BEFORE, but I bought a kayak. I didn’t really have time to fish if I bought a boat, as I worked most weekends during prime fishing season, so I figured that a kayak would provide me the opportunity to fish when my time allowed. The kayak sat unused for months as I toiled away at my job. I’d fiddle with it and add a few things onto it, I even created an Instagram page for it! But as I sacrificed time away from home, it became more and more apparent that I wouldn’t have time to use it. Then boom… I was forcibly given all the time I needed. The problem was that I had zero desire to do anything, much less fish. After a few gentle suggestions from Kate, I finally put the kayak in the water near my house and paddled around for a bit. A few days later, I went a bit further and brought some gear. Desperate to get out of the rut of self-loathing, I went through the motions, hoping that something would eventually “snap me out of it.”

I don’t really know when it happened, or how, but suddenly, I was a kayak fisherman (although not a very good one). I found myself excited about the opportunity to go out on the kayak. I found myself searching Instagram and Youtube for fishing techniques and ways to improve my kayak. I found myself feeling happy and feeling fulfilled in a way that I had not felt before. I found myself being optimistic about my hunt for a new job.

I found a new job, with a boss who understood work is only worth it if you have balance. I found a new passion, and with a new passion, I found a community that builds up its family. Yaktribe was easy. It was free to join, easy to follow, and gave me a goal. I wanted to be like all the people I saw on Yaktribe. To do that, I knew I had to get out of my shell and meet people who I could ask advice and talk to about technique and locations. To all of those who I fished with who I probably annoyed a ton, your patience and willing to help a newcomer out is a debt that I will never be able to repay. Every person was a member of Yaktribe. I believe/support/promote Yaktribe because the people brought me out of a dark place. Being a part of Yaktribe has given me a sense of community that I hadn’t felt in years. I had a network of people who reached out to me to go fishing, or a brother who consoled me when I experienced pain I had never experienced. Yaktribe provided me the opportunity to work with amazing organizations.

Yaktribe and the people in it and around it helped change my view on my personal life, family life, and professional life. It saved my life. 2016. The year that a kayak fishing community gave me hope.

Article written by: David Warner. </.P