Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Hector.
Joe, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Growing up in a fishing family in NJ I fished in many fishing tournaments and was around that scene all throughout my childhood. As I grew older I knew I wanted to start my own fishing-type event. The problem was that in NJ it’s very seasonal and I knew that if I ever wanted to make it in the fishing industry I would need to move to a place that had it all year around. I ended up moving to South FL in 2002 for college and never looked back. During the recession in 2007/08, I came up with an idea for anglers to go catch big fish offshore without paying for gas. Kayaks.
I and a buddy of mine started fishing offshore in our kayaks and catching the same type of fish the big boats were catching. As our following grew I came up with the name “Extreme Kayak Fishing Inc.” I used what I learned in college to help promote my business using social media and videos. I created my own website and magazine and eventually started our first event in 2010 called the “Summer Slam”. As the event got bigger we decided to add more tournaments and in 2014 we came out with the nation’s only kayak Billfish Tournament called the “Sailfish Smackdown” in Pompano Beach. That same year we signed a 3-year contract with the Bahamas Tourism Board and put on our very first international tournament called the “Battle in the Bahamas”.
We recently just added a new event in 2019 called the “Exotic Bass Roundup”, which is our first freshwater venture but with a twist, this event is for exotic fish only Peacock Bass and Clown Knifefish. People from around the country come for these events given most states have nothing like what we at EKFT offer. Today we are in our twelfth year and still going strong.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When starting something from nothing it’s usually anything but smooth.
When I first started EKFT I approached many of the local businesses about sponsorship and having them get involved, unfortunately, that first year many thought I was crazy saying, “Are you nuts? Having people go offshore on those little kayaks will get someone killed. You better have great insurance.”
Finally, after months of “no’s” I approached a business owner named Roger Moore. He owned a company called Nautical Ventures that specialized in selling kayaks. When I met him we had the same vision for what the industry would potentially look like in the next 5 years. He saw the drive in me to get this off the ground and he became our very first sponsor. To this day, over a decade later they are still one of our main sponsors.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Extreme Kayak Fishing Inc.?
Not only does EKFT run a magazine and put on events, but we now just started our first non for profit Kids’ fishing camp called “EK Youth Fishing Foundation”.
This kid’s fishing camp will take place at Quiet Waters Park in Deerfield Beach and will help in preserving the future of our industry by teaching kids from a young age about fishing safety, kayak fishing, and how to fish in general including how to use all the gear involved. Our first camp will be this year’s spring break March 20th – 23rd.
What matters most to you? Why?
Continuing to grow this wonderful sport and to keep creating new and improved events for every type of fisherman or fisherwoman.
Also helping our youth. These kids are the backbone of our industry and more needs to be done in providing more resources to help these kids learn every aspect of this sport. And in life in general.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.extremekayakfishingtournament.org/#/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/extremekayakfishing?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/100064603663407/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/joe-hector-a3850868
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/_ekft
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/user/raiderfrog1?feature=mhee
- Other: https://fishbrain.com/pages/scv2mQPc/extreme-kayak-fishing
