John "Toast" Oast, a native of Portsmouth, Virginia, is a life-long outdoor enthusiast and fisherman.  After having competed professionally in both skateboarding and tennis, Oast returned to his childhood pastime of fishing, when he began kayaking and canoeing in 2000.  Occupationally, he is assigned to Community Relations with the Richmond City Sheriff's Office in Virginia.  He is a certified American Red Cross instructor, a Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services instructor, and is pursuing a Masters degree in Criminal Justice.

     Oast co-founded the Williamsburg Kayak Fishing Association in 2005, and is the webmaster for

Fishyaker.com.  His kayak fishing do-it-yourself videos are one of the most popular kayak fishing series on Youtube, and his kayak fishing exploits have been featured in various publications and websites.  He has also been a guest on multiple episodes of the Kayak Fishing Machine podcast.  Oast is proficient with both fly and conventional tackle, and can often be found fishing for any of the Chesapeake Bay's abundant species of fish, or floating Virginia's rivers and lakes for bass and crappie.  He is currently a pro staffer for Johnson Outdoors, representing Ocean Kayak, Necky, Old Town, Lendal, Carlisle, Humminbird, and Extrasport.  He is also a member of the East Coast Kayak Fishing Team and the Fishyaker.com tournament team.