Meet the East Coast Kayak Team Members 2006 - 2008

Cory "Ruthless" Routh

About Ruthless

Cory "Ruthless" Routh is a kayak fishing guide from Virginia Beach, Virginia. His marine biology background and knowledge of Virginia's marine fisheries, makes him one of the premier kayak fishing guides on the lower Chesapeake Bay. Ruthless specializes in Light Tackle and Flyfishing. "Ruthless" is sponsored by Legacy Watersports, and currently paddles the Redfish 14 by Heritage Kayaks and the Ultimate by Native Watercraft. He is the founder of the Tidewater Kayak Anglers Association. Cory is also a pro staffer for St. Croix Rod Company . He currently writes a monthly kayak fishing column for the Chesapeake-Angler Magazine.

Chad Hoover AKA “Knot Right”

Chad is a member of the Wilderness Systems Kayak Fishing Pro Staff and primarily fishes from his Tarpon 140 and 160i. As a founding member and current President of the Tidewater Kayak Angler's Association he can contacted through their website forums at www.tkaa.org where he is known as “Knot Right”.

Chad Hoover is an avid kayak angler specializing in light tackle artificial and fly fishing. He grew up hunting and fishing for crappie, bass and catfish in rural Louisiana and Georgia . Chad is currently on active duty as a Naval Officer stationed in Norfolk , VA. He developed a passion for saltwater flats from a kayak while assigned to a Search and Rescue Unit at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, TX. Since then, he has pursued nearly every species available in most Gulf Coast states and nearly all East Coast States.

Chad began tournament fishing as a way to interact with other kayak anglers and improve his angling skills. Chad 's love of competition and fishing were a natural match. He has become an accomplished tournament angler and consistently places in numerous tournaments around the country including winning the 2nd Annual Jamaica Bay Kayak Fishing Stuff tournament and the Slam Division of the 2006 Tidewater Kayak Angler's Association Charity tournament. Chad competed in all of the 2006 East Coast Kayak Championship tournaments and was named East Coast Kayak Angler of the Year for that tournament series which included stops in Jamaica Bay , New York , Jacksonville , Florida and Virginia Beach , Virginia .

Michael Mendez AKA "Fishing ATW" - "Fishing Anywhere There's Water"

Fishing out of Staten Island and New Jersey areas. Look for his posts in the New York / New Jersey section of the www.kayakfishingforum.com website. Mike has been fishing New York and Staten Island since he was 3. He is extremely knowledgeable about the area he fishes and can be seen chasing fish with either a flyrod or spinning rod at hand. Mike is an avid flytyer also. Look for Mike at the Kayak Fishing Tournaments in the North East. A true fisherman at heart.

Mike fishes out of a fully rigged X-Factor.

Al Stillman AKA - "yakman"

Al fishes Long Island, New York, New Jersey, Martha's Vineyard, Coast of Maine and North Carolina. Al is seasoned sea kayaker, with professional training, with several long range kayak expeditions through out Northern Maine and the Outer Banks to his accomplishments. Al has only been fishing for the last 5 years and is very serious when it comes to learning about fishing. Al helped start fish tagging programs in his area to help manage the fisheries he fishes in. Which includes writing articles about fishing and helping to assess fish populations in his area. These experience makes him a impressive competitior, angler and a very sought after capable guide.

Mothership Trip off New Jersey May 2007

Alan Stillman is a passionate sea kayaker and obsessive kayak angler specializing in light tackle, small craft, inshore and offshore fishing. Al grew up on the New Jersey shore surf fishing as a child and party boat fishing with his father. Alan Stillman started East Coast Kayak Fishing in 2005 as a means to meet other kayak fisherman and to put all the information he found researching areas to paddle and fish for other kayakers to find easily. Alan is professionally trained and has spent over 15 years kayaking on the East Coast, from Northern Maine (MITA Trail) to Florida and Key West. Alan has spent many weeks on long range SOLO kayak trips in the Outer Banks NC and has spent many weeks in Maine on the Maine Island Trail. Al also frequents Long Island and Montauk Point with yearly scheduled trips. The ECKF Team also fishes the Martha Vineyards largest striper tournament in June every year. Al has helped start fish tagging programs in his area to help manage the fisheries he fishes in. This includes writing articles about fishing and helping to assess fish populations in his area. These experience makes him an exciting competitor, angler and a very sought after skilled guide. Some of Alan’s immediate goals are to figure out how to make kayak fishing his day job and not his any available minute job. Al is known on most kayak fishing boards as YAKMAN! You can contact Alan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Michael Stillman - AKA – "flyfishfan"

Mike has been fishing the North East part of the country for the last decade or so. Fishing primarily for Stripers & Bluefish. I have been a kayak fisherman for the last 2 years. I now live in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I love the fishing diversity; from inshore and offshore to flats and backcountry. I fish out of a customized Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160i. I fish most of the time with live bait. Look for my posts, pictures and videos taken with the Sea-Life DC-500 camera.

My name is Carl. AKA CARL4x4

I'm 37 years old and have a lovely wife, two amazing young children, and a deep love for fishing that began in early childhood. Growing up I started fishing off my father's boat. When I was able to cast I started surfcasting. Growing up I spent most weekends cruising the beaches of Montauk with my dad, and uncle Johnny. A few years back while surfcasting I noticed some kayakfishermen out passed the breakers. They where nailing fish just out of reach of everyones' casts. At that point I decided that I was getting a kayak. From that cold day in Febuary when I got my first fish on the kayak, I'v been hooked ever since. There is no better way to get out there to fish.
I am very proud to be one of the founding members of

KFA-NY, and an ECKF team member.

John "Toast" Oast

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 and Media Relations with the Richmond City Sheriff's Office in Virginia. He is a certified American Red Cross and Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services instructor, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Criminal Justice.

Oast, a member of the Johnson Outdoors and Ocean Kayak Pro Staff, 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 on the Kayak Fishing Machine podcast with Alex Hill and Dean "Slowride" Thomas. 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.

Ben Homola & Ben Stewart

Ben Homola: Ben has been fishing from a kayak for almost three years, primarily in the Southwest Florida area. He fishes from a Heritage Redfish 14, mostly in the flats, targeting snook and redfish. Ben has fished in numerous tournaments over the past two years, including the Boy Scout Kayak Fishing Classic(2006 and 2007), the Osprey Bay No Motor Tournament(2007), The Calusa Blueway Festival Tournament(2006 and 2007) and the Caloosa Tournament Series Caloosa Catch and Release and the Summer Slam, both in 2007.

Bill Stewart was born and grew up on the east coast of Florida, but has been living and fishing in the Fort Myers area for the past 33 years. He fishes out of a Heritage Marquesa 14, and has been kayak fishing for the past three years. Most of this has been inshore flats fishing, targeting primarily snook and redfish. Over the past three years he has fished the Boy Scout Kayak Fishing Classic in 2006 and 2007, the Calusa Blueway Tournament in 2006 and 2007, the Caloosa Catch and Release, and the Summer Slam in 2007.

Gio Serrano:

Growing up in Puerto Rico, fishing was only normal aside of other water sports like body boarding, body surfing, snorkeling, wake boarding, and knee boarding. Moved to Florida at 18, and never looked back. Been ocean kayaking for over 7 years now, and mixing it with fishing was only natural. When not working, volunteering or teaching, he can be found fishing off of local piers in Broward county or his kayak off of Ft. Lauderdale beach.

My name is Ken Bergmann AKA “Nikonjedi”

I am a Navy brat who joined the Air Force and have been serving for 20 years now. I am an Aerial Combat Photographer and also sit as the squadron tactical rifle and pistol instructor. I have been trying to work Kayaking into the unit as a “survival” skill but have encountered stiff resistance. I am getting ready to retire and hopefully put more time into my new love, Kayak fishing. I began fishing when I was about 2 with my Dad and have had a passion for chasing fin ever since. Being in the Air Force I have fished around the world but still love my home waters near Charleston South Carolina. I currently fish a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160, the old one, and love being on the water and chasing the redfish and trout in the low country with my spinning gear and my fly rod. I have been fly fishing for about 6 years now and tying my own flies as well. I am constantly on the search for new kayak fishing buddies and I am VERY proud to be a member of East Coast Kayak Team

My name is Kevin - "Lefty"

I caught the fishing bug as an adult -- I figured, "a lot of guys enjoy fishing, what's wrong with me?" I discovered a few fishing sites, then a few kayak fishing sites, and joined the ranks in April of 2006 when I bought one of the first Liquid Logic Manta Rays to make it to my local dealer. I most frequently fish the lakes and rivers near my home in the Triangle area of central NC, but enjoy day trips to the coast when my schedule allows. I've been an occasional participant in Cape Fear Kayaks' tournament series, and tied for first-place honors in the September 2006 event. (The screen name comes from the fact that I'm left-handed -- I'd never heard of the famous fly-fisherman until too late...) When I'm not fishing, I'm tending to the affairs of my family, working with the children's programs at my Church, and working as a software engineer.

Kevin

Tauras Vebeliunas - AKA "FeedingFrenzy"

Tauras Vebeliunas – aka “feedingfrenzy”


Born and raised on Long Island, N.Y. , Tauras has fished the Northeast waters, both salt and sweet, for over 25 years. A die-hard angler who fishes year-round, he started kayak-fishing just before the sport started being recognized in the angling community. While Tauras still fishes the surf, offshore, and inshore by boat, charters, and more - kayakfishing has become his main passion on the angling front.

Tauras has also organized a local outdoor club of friends over the past 10 years – The Hook n’ Bullet Club. Yearly, he coordinates hunting and fishing trips, various competitions, an annual Wild Game feast, along with a website for the club.

--2007 – 1st place in species – Great South Bay kayakfishing tournament.

--2006 – 1st place in species – T.K.A.A. kayakfishing tournament.

--2006 – 2nd place in species – Great South Bay kayakfishing tournament.

Specializing in saltwater inshore species on both shores of Long Island and surrounding waters, Tauras has been featured on the cover the Long Island Fisherman magazine, Chesapeake Angler magazine, is a current KayakFish record holder per kayakfishingrecords.com, and continues to be a familiar face on the kayakfishing tournament circuit.

My name is Ashley Williams - AKA Druminator on all the boards.

I've been kayak fishing for 5 years now and am the first professionally recongized one in North Carolina. It's been a fun ride and I want to keep it that way. I enjoy fishing with new people and all my buddies. I run a Yahoo Group called KFNC which has 150+ members on it. We try to get together and organize fishing trips through there. I participate in the Cape Fear Kayaks tournament by fishing and helping find sponsors. I won last years overall event and am looking to catch back up with Philip in points next month. I won the slam division last year at the TKAA Virginia Beach event which was my first big win ever. I enjoy the competitions and how friendly they are. Hopefully they will stay that way.

I fish out of a Manta Ray 14 for Team Liquidlogic. This is a new kayak to the market and I think it will be a huge hit.

I work at Great Outdoor Provision Company in North Carolina where I manage our kayaks. I also outfit fishing and touring kayaks with gear. I have experience working fishing demos and will be doing another later this year. I'm still in college but will be graduating this fall with my bachelors in Social Work. Next year I return for my masters. Hopefully though the outdoor industry will be good to me in the long run and I can continue this. Either that or incorporate the outdoors into my major somehow.

Jerry Burdine Bio for the ECKF Team

My name is Ken Bergmann AKA “Nikonjedi”

I am a Navy brat who joined the Air Force and have been serving for 20 years now. I am an Aerial Combat Photographer and also sit as the squadron tactical rifle and pistol instructor. I have been trying to work Kayaking into the unit as a “survival” skill but have encountered stiff resistance. I am getting ready to retire and hopefully put more time into my new love, Kayak fishing. I began fishing when I was about 2 with my Dad and have had a passion for chasing fin ever since. Being in the Air Force I have fished around the world but still love my home waters near Charleston South Carolina. I currently fish a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160, the old one, and love being on the water and chasing the redfish and trout in the low country with my spinning gear and my fly rod. I have been fly fishing for about 6 years now and tying my own flies as well. I am constantly on the search for new kayak fishing buddies and I am VERY proud to be a member of East Coast Kayak Team

Paul Rudolph My screen name is "Rudy"

Hi, this is “Rudy” and I have been fishing with a kayak since 1998. My first kayak was a wilderness systems “Alto” sit in kayak. I now have a Tarpon 160 kayak I fish Jamaica Bay, Western Long Island Sound and Great South Bay. I have made trips to Montauk and the North Fork of Long Island. I have been fishing for many years and I enjoy fly fishing and surf fishing. I have written articles about fishing with the fly rod for the Fisherman magazine and Noreast saltwater.

My tournament experience is fishing the first kayakfishingstuff.com tournament in 2004 and I won a Ocean Kayak Drifter. I also fished this tournament in 2006 and I caught Bluefish and Striped Bass but did not get the Weakfish for the Grand Slam. In the future I plan to fish more tournaments with my flyrod.

My name is Doug Zeeff.

I am 59 years old and aresident of Venice Florida. I have been kayak fishingfor almost 2 years. I do all kinds of fishing from panfish to tarpon. My favorite trips are to the rivers insouth Florida. I fish from Ocean Kayaks, Prowler13sand Prowler15s. I fish an average of once a week, buton good weeks it can be 3 or 4 times. I love to go outafter work.

My name is John Gray

I’m a native New Yorker, born and raised in Rockaway Beach, N.Y. Surf fishing for striped bas has been my life long endeavor. I “discovered “kayak fishing 10 years ago after a frustrating morning of watching pods of baitfish being slaughtered just beyond the cast of the most aggressive surf fisherman. I noticed young man, just down the beach, entering the surf in a sit on top kayak, just to catch some waves. I can do that! My first experience kayak fishing the surf zone was rewarded with a 40 lb bass on live bunker. I’m now a Hobie Outback “peddler”. I’ve attended all the Jamaica Bay tournaments, and I have fished Hampton Bays, Montauk and Cape Cod. At age 60, I’m still fishing hard and trying to top by personal best. I am proud to be a member of East Coast Kayak Team