I've been fishing for about 20 years, but started out bank fishing, got my first kayak long ago.

Little paddle kayak, ten foot vapor.

It's just been fun.

Just in the kayak so you can get to places you can't get to in the boats.

So you can get little skinny waters that the fish aren't touched.

They're a little bit easier to catch, but you still have to know what they're going to be looking for.

On the days we're not kayak fishing or anything, we generally talk on online.

Call each other.

Talk about baits, do whatever.

So yeah, it's a great community to get into.

Some of the best friends I've met have been in this kayak angling tournaments.

If I can just catch one fish for driving that 8.5 hours, I'll be happy.

That's all.

I can catch one, then it's worth it.

I told my wife the same thing.

I'm always learning something new.

And with the guys here, it's the same thing.

I'm always learning something new.

And I take it in and I give it back.

You know?

It's like that's, that's just, It's a give and take.

And that's exactly what the New Mexico guys do.

You come here and it's more of a enjoyment.

You know, if you win, it's great.

But it's just everyone treats you right.

To me it's like that's how fishing should be.

It reminds me when I was younger.

I started Zia, 10th annual, and I had my little lifetime paddle kayak here at Elephant Butte, which I knew was a big mistake growing up on this lake.

But I still wanted to try.

So I got out there and I actually caught quite a few white bass.

And, you know, I was pretty proud of myself.

It was actually really big that there was over 100 anglers.

After that, I started getting more comfortable and then I joined Bass Nation.

So I've been with Bass Nation now for two years.

The guys, they are my family, they're my brothers, my brothers in angling.

We, we all get along.

Of course they come to my camp to eat.

I wouldn't trade this for the world.

It's, this is a family, kayak family.

We all look out for each other.

Everybody will give you the shirt off their back.

I love it.

Oh, well, I go fishing with my dad a lot.

We don't go, like, too much, but we go pretty often.

And he fishes it every year, and he asked me if I wanted to do it this year, and I said yes, so.

What do you hope for tomorrow?

A big bass, all the big fish.

I mean, I entered in the pot, so hopefully I catch like a huge catfish or something.

White bass.

Here we go.

Holy christ sake.

Yeah.

There we go.

There we go.

Top water.

14 and a quater guys.

Sweet.

All right, everybody.

Well, thank you all again for another great year.

For the 12th annual Zia Outfitters Tournament.

Stephen Seitzinger taking home $180.

There you go buddy.

Had a 19.25 and a 18.25 in their stringer.

Their top five came out to 81in today.

And their anglers taking home $610, and that is Sam Garcia.

Thank you, brother.

Well, it was a great day.

In the morning at least kind of got tough after, lunch.

Pretty windy out there.

Everybody was out there hashing it out.

I think everybody did really well.

I come here almost every weekend.

I'm hoping to make a retirement home here one day, but it's fantastic to be out there with nature, water, trees, wildlife and the camaraderie with, with the folks is amazing.

It's the best place in the world.

12th Annual Zia Kayak Outfitters event, it's, as always, a great event.

We kind of got a perfect day.

Windy a little bit in the afternoon, but, the group of anglers we have, that continuously show up for this event are incredible, incredible sponsors.

It was a great day.

had a big, big stringer take home first 84.5in taking home over $1,000.

So overall, great event.

Huge shout out to Russ and Edna from Zia Kayak Outfitters.

Couldn't do it without them.

They started this 12 years ago.

I've been very fortunate to be a part of their team.

Take it over the last 2 or 3 years, and I just love to see the sport continue to grow.

The youth of our sport still being very active and hopeful.

So I love the sport and enjoyed the 12th annual, It was a great event.

But for me, as I told th other guys, I said if I can just catch one fish for driving that 8.5 hours, I'll be happy.

that's all I said.

If I can catch one, it's worth it.

I told my wife the same thing.

I'm not even going to record that one.

There we go.

Up water Whopper.

Plop!

Yep.

There.

I am 14.25.

Guys.

Sweet.

I was today.

It was rough down south.

I was like, I didn't catch anything until, like, 1:00 in the afternoon when the wind picked up.

it was a beautiful morning.

Absolutely.

Just gorgeous.

But I just had the worst luck.

had better luck yesterday in practice, of course.

Yeah.

but today was was tough for me.

tomorrow.

Hoping for a better outcome.

Launching at a different spot.

staying up north more and looking for the big girls about the fun you have to do is have fun as well.

I did, until I wasn't catching fish, but, you know, it's always fun on the water.

I love being on the water, fishing.

and the guys that I run into and talk to all the time, they're they're great.

They you know, encouraged Anthony's logo, our motto, never give up.

And I did it until the wind got really bad.

And, and I was like, I need to get I need to get off the water.

So tomorrow the wind's going to get up bad, but, we're going to tough it out.

well, today, kind of had a little game plan going on, but not much.

is calm most of the day up until about 1:00.

And then it got really windy.

we started out, just going to Horse Island and, caught a bunc on, water floppers right away.

I didn't throw my I threw my snake a little bit, but didn't catch on anything.

So switch that water flopper and start catching it.

Caught my limit by about 8:00. so I ventured out other places.

I went all the way down south, almost almost to the dam, and came up north, almost to Kettle Top.

So traveled the entire lake, bike cut off for me about 9:00.

So it was good up until then, and then just dead within, about 1:00.

I switch that wiper flopper again just kind of just giving u and just wanted to mess around.

Went over this little, little island with a little saddle in between.

Just set that wiper popper right in between and had a 17 inch.

Just crushed that right away.

So that was a good end to the day.

But then that wind kicked up at 2:00 and it was nerve racking.

And I was kind of worried about some of the other kayakers.

I just, fish in the same cove with the and, trying to get across, but.

And it was it beat us up at the end, just felt wobbly.

It just I still hav that seasick that that wobbly.

Still going on?

Yeah.

Fun.

Oh, yeah.

It's always fun no matter if you catch or not.

so sometimes it can get, like, can't get down on yourself a little bit if you don't catch anything.

But it's still a day out on the waters better than any day at work.

So it's always fun.

Yeah, well, that's the only good.

Sailing and still.

Your name from, My name's Matt de Leon.

Marty de space.

Leon.

where are you from?

I'm from Las Cruces.

Talking about talking about being up.

I was today, today.

It was really nice, nice and calm in the morning and, pretty slow.

So just fish slow and caught one fish maybe every other hour.

And, yeah, it was a long day, but it was good.

It was fun.

Tell me about this community.

This kayak fishing community is, It's great.

It's growing a lot.

You know, I've been doing this for probably, like, 4 or 5 years now, and, you just see it grow, and it's really cool to see, yeah.

Just more people interested i fishing, getting outside today.

And what's the community like here?

Elephant Butte.

Hey, I mean, everyone's really friendly.

I actually I moved up here because, you know, we like the people, and, it's laid back and, the lakes beautiful.

Large mouth and two white bass a year.

You got to come back next time.

Yeah, I'm very ready.

Would you.

Would you look at that?

Oh, she's got to keep going.

I mean, the wind got bad but I was just kind of, like, up against the tires and then just randomly got some fish.

So.

Yeah.

Sweet.

Elephant Butte Lake is like a martini glass.

And when and when we think o that as being filled with water.

When the water gets low, it exposes more sand.

And there's more beach.

And the lake in the middle is still deep.

And if there isn' a good snowfall up in Colorado, we don't get the runoff to refill our lake.

Our lake is going to be low this year.

Very low.

People love kayak fishing.

You catch more fish from a kayak than you do a powerboat.

And what?

That's all about is the stealth ness of going into a cove.

But these people make it phenomenal.

And we wouldn't want to do i without these.

These fine folks.

And that's for any of our trails across the state.

you know, the Derby series here in New Mexico, bass nation or the, we really have a great community