Fun, Friends, and Faith in Gear: Austin Collins Smacks the Sailfish Smackdown.
Death, taxes, and confidence overloads at the Captain’s Meeting. Chins up, chests out, and game faces on. It’s the text between the lines in the tournament angler’s manifesto.
While Vegas probably would have had him favored if you asked anyone in the South Florida offshore kayak fishing scene, an overload of outward confidence wasn’t the case for twenty-three-year-old Austin Collins heading into the single circle hook, fluorocarbon leader only, Extreme Kayak Fishing Sailfish Smackdown Tournament in Pompano Beach, Florida.
Austin is different; he likes his tournament days full of jokes, his hooks on wire leader, and his stream of pre-tournament whiskey drinks strong and served with a pickle juice chaser.