Hobie Fishing Team – Ambassador
Angler:
Rob Paxervanous
Home Water(s):
Australia – coastal and inland waters.
Experience:
Rob Paxevanos is a fishing journalist, photographer and the host of Fishing Australia; AUSTRALIAS most popular television angling series aimed at promoting sustainable fishing.
He’s been fishing around the country extensively for over 30 years.
Rob’s first memory of fishing is catching English Perch with his late grandad when he was just 3 years old, and he fondly remembers his delight in dropping down a handline and somehow magically pulling aboard a live flapping fish.
Many enjoyable childhood fishing experiences followed thanks to his fishing mad family. It’s these memorable moments that have nurtured Robs passion in promoting fishing as something every child should have the pleasure of experiencing.
These days Rob is considered one of the countries greatest all round anglers having caught species like a 1,200 pound black marlin (and an XL cash prize that followed), a 50 pound plus murray cod on fly and one of the worlds biggest bonefish (89 cm) on fly just to name a few.
He also has a variety of competition in his resume including captaining the ACT fly fishing team to a gold medal during the National Titles in the Snowy Mountains.
Despite having access to any type of boat he chooses, Kayaks remain his favourite craft and he uses his Hobies extensively in fresh and salt water in every Australian State and Territory including the Torres Strait Islands. He sometimes even drifts into international waters when the currents swing that way!
Rob loves the adventure and thrill of catching new species from his Hobie and amongst his kayaking credentials he was the first person in the world to tag a marlin from a kayak. Despite having numerous other kayaking ‘firsts’ to his name he remains equally as happy kayaking for a flathead or a trout with his young family or friends.
For Rob, perhaps the greatest benefit of the Hobie is that it can take him to remote and unvisited locations where bigger boats can't go. The Hobie can find serenity or adventure depending on his mood … on some occasions it provides both.
Rob often says that it is without doubt the hands free Hobie Mirage Drive that has made Kayaking so special to him, and the quietness, exercise and eco friendliness of kayaking are also high on his list of why he uses his Hobie so often.
Photography is another of his passions, and he’s won various awards including a sequence where a giant murray cod, Australia’s largest freshwater fish attempts to eat a 3 kilogram golden perch just meters from the camera; one of the best known scenes in Australian Fishing Circles.
He also loves promoting Australia, and Fishing Australia recently secured coverage aboard Qantas International flights. He also rates fishing with USA Hobie Ambassadors Den Farrier and Mike Allen on the “Hobie Fish the World-DVD” as one of the best projects he has worked on in this field.
Unaffected by the fame of being a household name Rob often needs to be dragged away from passers by when they strike up a conversation with him on fishing.
Perhaps a quote by Rob sums it up best: “Kayak Fishing time is quality time, and there’s just so many new places to fish, so many new fish to catch and techniques to catch them, and so many great anglers to meet along the way. From a young age I realized that kayak fishing is a sport that I can do until I’m old and grey so that’s exactly what I plan to do, sharing the experience with my friends and loved ones when ever possible: See you on the water.”
Hobie Fishing Team – Ambassador
Angler:
Hank Parker
Home Water(s):
North Carolina
Experience:
The CBS Morning Show best described Hank Parker when introducing him as "the rod-n-reel answer to Michael Jordan, in popularity and talent!" Hank has enjoyed a storied professional bass fishing and outdoor television host career that continues to grow each season! His accomplishments on the professional bass fishing tournament trail support the fact he is one of America's greatest bass fishermen to ever compete.
Hank Parker's Outdoor Magazine, is among the most popular on television today and continues to entertain and educate viewers of all ages and skill levels. Hank's professional fishing career began in 1976 when he began fishing the National Bass Association Tournament Circuit, winning their national championship in his first season. The following two years he fished both the National Bass Association and American Bass Association. With this success and help from newly acquired sponsors, Hank began fishing the Bass Anglers' Sportsmen's Society (B.A.S.S.) Tournament Trail-winning the BassMaster's Classic in both 1979 and 1989. He also was the first angler to win the Grand Slam of Bass Fishing, which included the Classic, B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year, and the B.A.S.S. SuperBass Tournament. Amazingly, Hank finished "in the money" in 76% of all the tournaments he fished during his B.A.S.S. career.
Hobie Fishing Team – Ambassador
Angler:
Jackie Smith
Experience:
Growing up in Southern Louisiana, Jackie Smith acquired the "fishing sickness" at a young age. Whether he was floating down the Tangipahoa River with friends for Redeye bass, or navigating through the bayous in a "bateau" scouting for redfish, fishing played a leading role in Jackie's youth. After high school, he was offered an athletic scholarship to Northwestern Louisiana, where he played football and ran track. In his spare time, he took advantage of the productive fishing waters in and around Natchitoches, Louisiana.
Upon graduating from college, Jackie was drafted by the St Louis Football Cardinals in 1962 and spent the next fifteen seasons playing tight end for the Cardinals, before finishing his career with the Dallas Cowboys in 1978. In 1994 he was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
For the past decade, Jackie has been an integral part of Hobie Fishing. In fact, he was one of the initial pioneers to ever try fishing from a Hobie MirageDrive kayak. Thanks to his passion and drive to grow the sport of kayak fishing, Hobie now has an entire team dedicated to making the best fishing kayaks on the market. You'll find Jackie travelling around the USA representing Hobie at writer's conferences, tradeshows, and many other events.
