I am Matt Cunningham and I have been creek, river, pond and lake fishing since I was a kid. I still remember waiting for my Dad to get off of work so we could go out on his bass boat to the Barren Fork River in the evening, then on the weekends we would venture off into different rivers and lakes in Middle Tennessee. I was also lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks every summer fishing on Lake Erie in the Lawrence Park area when I would go visit my Grandparents. I have never stopped fishing entirely; just at certain points in my life I have had the opportunity to fish a lot more than in others. I have worked for Jackson Kayak since January 2011, just around when Drew Gregory’s Coosa came about. I started working in assembly, moved up to Whitewater Lead, and now I am working in Customer Service. It was great to work in assembly before starting in Customer Service; this allowed me to grasp an understanding of how kayaks are put together. I found out that working in a kayak factory leads to paddling them, and what a pleasure it is to use the products that you make for a living. Jackson Kayak is also a great place to work, they really believe in growing their own employees. Since I have been working at Jackson Kayak I just couldn’t help not to get into paddling and of course fishing while paddling, it just made too much sense. My favorite fish to catch has got to be Smallmouth Bass. I am fortunate enough to be around a lot of great bass fishing here in Middle Tennessee, as well as several other species. Every time I get off the water I am already usually planning my next fishing trip, I am committed to kayak fishing and getting people around me into the sport that are wanting to give it a try.
