Fish Georgia Rivers stands on the shoulders, the vision and the efforts of the community of anglers and educators who came before us

In 2025, Georgia Rivers launched the new Fish Georgia Rivers program to include anglers (especially kayak anglers) in the advocacy and outreach of Georgia Rivers as a whole. But this program has been years in the making, beginning with classes that speak to anglers specifically with skills and safety training, and growing to include opportunities and resources for anglers that also serve the greater river recreation community.

Fish Georgia Rivers program did not emerge from a vacuum – it was built with love on the contributions of anglers and educators that led the way for this effort. Read on to learn how the Fish Georgia Rivers program evolved from the kayak angling community. 

2021/2022 – ACA Leaders join forces with Kayak Anglers to develop a New ACA Kayak Fishing Curriculum and Instructor Credential

In the wake of the pandemic, Paddling Magazine published an interview with American Whitewater Safety Editor Charlie Walbridge that highlighted a new trajectory for risk in paddlesports. For the first time, researchers saw that the paddlers who are statistically most at risk were those who paddle in “easy water” rather than the people who are paddling waterways we inherently understand as being dangerous. This article also showed Tennessee was, at that time, tied for first in the nation for river-related paddling fatalities. 

Then-ACA Tennessee State Director Andrea White followed the news articles about the paddling fatalities and noticed that kayak anglers were showing up disproportionately in the fatalities data. In retrospect, we understand why that happens.

Kayak anglers:

• Fish year-round, often in adverse conditions.
• Paddle alone and at night.
• Head directly toward hazards (for example, seeking fish congregating under logs)
• Continuously shift balance while casting, changing tackle, or netting fish — all actions that add to instability and likelihood to capsize

Andrea joined forces with Geoff Luckett, the founder of Tennessee Kayak Anglers, to build a team of anglers to develop a proposal for an ACA Kayak Fishing program. This group led the way for ACA’s new Paddlesports Angler instructor credential and skills curriculum and established the first national Paddlesports Angler instructor credential, which was approved by the ACA Safety Education and Instruction Council in March, 2022.

In May 2022, Andrea, Geoff and the team held their first ACA Kayak Fishing skills class in partnership with Tennessee State Parks and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency under the mentorship of the ACA President of the Board of Directors, Robin Pope. The two day “Hooked on Safety” workshop certified the first 4 ACA Kayak Fishing instructors.

In recognition of their efforts, the entire ACA Paddlesports Angler Workgroup and Fishing Advisory Board was collectively awarded ACA’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2022. By this time, Andrea had moved to Atlanta and joined the staff of Georgia Rivers.

December, 2022  – Kayak Fishing Leaders Assemble to Demonstrate a Vision for Kayak Angler Fellowship and Education

In December 2022, Westbrook Supply Co. in Atlanta hosted an exceptional seminar on river kayak fishing. For those who love rivers and fishing from a kayak, it was a can’t-miss event. The lineup was impressive: Jeff Little representing the Mid-Atlantic region; Dr. Steve Sammons, Auburn University biologist and arguably the world’s foremost expert on Shoal Bass; and Georgia native Drew Gregory, the consummate spokesperson for river fishing from a kayak.

Big names were in the room — legends like Chad Hoover and Gene Jensen, Westbrook Supply Co.’s own Mike Manivanh, guide and angler Craig Dye, lure maker Reese Melven, and Crescent Kayak leader Scott Beutjer. But more than a star-studded roster, the event simultaneously marked the culmination of a vision from some of Georgia’s preeminent kayak anglers and signaled the beginning of a more widespread movement among kayak anglers across the region.

In the words of Tony Narcisse, “We are broadening our understanding of kayak fishing in rivers, but we’re also moving toward a better understanding of our role as ambassadors for the respectful use of our rivers. This is the emerging ethos of kayak anglers overall. These anglers assembled, not in competition as you might ordinarily find such a group, but in fellowship. They came together as ambassadors for the sport of kayak fishing.”

Everyone left that gathering with a certainty that with champions of conservation, regional expertise, and an emphasis on fellowship leading the way, kayak fishing from rivers would move toward a future that’s knowledgeable, collaborative, and sustainable. And from today’s vantage point, we know that with that trajectory, the river community — and the rivers themselves — will be better for it.

Top anglers at the Westbrook Supply Co seminar on river kayak fishing. 

2023- Georgia Rivers Begins Certifying ACA Kayak Fishing Instructors and Building National Momentum for Kayak Fishing Skills and Safety Education

In 2023 Georgia Rivers generated significant momentum toward launching Kayak Fishing safety and skills training by working with regional instructor candidates through the Georgia Rivers Beaver Crew program and ACA leaders in Tennessee. These initiatives also caught the attention of Paddling Business Magazine and Kayak Angler Magazine as the industry saw the potential for regional and national impact. 

Read more: Georgia Leaders Taking a Leadership Role in Bringing Safety and Skills Training to Kayak Anglers Everywhere

All told, in 2023 Georgia Rivers fostered efforts which allowed 16 Anglers to achieve certification as ACA Kayak and Kayak Fishing Instructors including industry leaders like Wade Clements of Yakattack, Jameson Redding of the Roadtrip Angler, Kevin Hawkins of Kaku Kayak; competition heavyweights like Georgia native Drew Gregory and Tennessee’s own Rus Snyders; regional leaders like Fletch Griffin from Westbrook Supply Co., Dustin Hoy from Racoon Creek Outfitters, and Chuck Earls from Lake Erie Kayak Fishing; and folks with a passion for paddlesports and fishing education like ACA leaders Tom Burroughs and ANDe Demetriou, Jeff Little from The Little Stuff, a group of paddlesports officers from Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and club leaders in Tennessee and Georgia.

16 Anglers achieved certification as ACA Kayak and Kayak Fishing Instructors in 2023.

Watch Jeff Little with “The Little Stuff” participate in an American Canoe Association Instructor Certification Course with the Kayak Fishing Endorsement:

2024/2025- Georgia Rivers starts teaching Kayak Fishing classes to the public

In the summer of 2024, ACA Kayak and Kayak Fishing instructor Ahmad Williams taught Georgia’s first ACA Kayak Fishing class to the public. He was supported by fellow instructors Fletch Griffin and Camryn Collins in a class offered in partnership with Forsyth County Parks and Rec on Lake Lanier.

Simultaneously, the Georgia Rivers advocacy team found paddlers and anglers shared a significant overlap and common advocacy goal to keep Georgia’s rivers and streams open for public passage. Jeff Little and his well known “The Little Stuff” YouTube channel helped Georgia Rivers develop a series of Freedom to Float advocacy videos that spanned the concerns of paddlers and kayak anglers alike.

Instructors Ahmad Williams and Fletch Griffin (Westbrook Supply Co.), supported by instructor Camryn Collins, taught our very first Intro to Kayak Fishing class.

In Spring 2025, Georgia Rivers hired competition angler Kendon Townsel as Fish Georgia Rivers Program Coordinator to teach Kayak Fishing classes, guide fishing on paddle trips, and reach the wider public through fishing initiatives. Kendon put in the time on the water and earned an ACA Level 2 River Kayaking and Kayak Fishing instructor certification in June, which equipped the Fish Georgia Rivers program with tools to successfully guide the development of Fish Georgia Rivers programming for skills and safety training, advocacy, and stewardship of our water trails.

That summer another group of Beaver Crew instructors also earned the ACA Kayak Fishing endorsement to help teach Kayak Fishing classes. In August and September, supported by fellow Kayak and Kayak Fishing instructors Latrel Gaither, Eric Goodson and Jackson Gibbs, Georgia Rivers offered more Intro to Kayak Fishing classes to the public in partnership with Forsyth County Parks and Rec. The feedback from these classes has been tremendous and has set the stage for Fish Georgia Rivers to make some serious waves as we teach folks across Georgia ways to safely enjoy and steward our rivers and waterways…not to mention simply having a good time, continuing to build our community, and advocating for the rivers we love.

Fish Georgia Rivers Program Coordinator Kendon Townsel is a competition angler and ACA Level 2 River Kayaking and Kayak Fishing Instructor.

Fish Georgia Rivers Sets the Hook for a Good Year in 2026

Fish Georgia Rivers will strive to be a voice for safety and access to Georgia’s waterways. We plan to host classes, fishing trips and perhaps even some kayak fishing competition events in addition to partnering with Joe Cook to facilitate a little fishing on some of the Georgia Rivers paddle trips in 2026. Fish Georgia Rivers will also continue to serve the public in fun new ways centered around education about native fish species. 

Additionally, Georgia Rivers is proud to be the “cause behind the craft” for the new Crescent Kayak Smallie a versatile throw-n-go kayak ready for a variety of river kayak fishing. Proceeds from the sales of the Smallie support our work to educate the kayak fishing community! 

The Fish Georgia Rivers program is excited to now serve Georgia and we look forward to meeting you on the water very soon!

2025 Intro to Kayak Fishing classes for the public reached anglers from across the state.