Zach Adkins

My name is Zach Adkins and I'm from Cabins, WV. I am in the parks and recreation profession by day... all things fishing and boating by the rest of the time. Married to a wonderful woman and have one of the coolest kids for a son, both of whom like the outdoors as well. We are a fishy household whether it's in our kayaks, our whitewater raft, or our aluminum jet boat. I have been with Vibe since 2016, and have been fishing out of a kayak, in some capacity, since around 2001. Growing up literally on a river bank (we used to throw rocks from the backyard over the hill into the river below), I have been in and around various kinds of boats and water craft my entire life. 

On the fishing side of things, I have dabbled in just about everything. I am a huge multi-species/multi-gear fisherman (hence the "All Fish Angler" screen name) and ever since childhood have always enjoyed chasing all the different species that WV and the mid-atlantic region have to offer. Whether it's in our various boats, or with a spin rod, bait caster, fly rod, or an ice fishing tip up... there's so many different kinds of fish to fish for a person to get hung up on any one species. I've always felt that learning how to fish for all the different species with all the different gear and techniques also makes you more skilled in pursuing each individual  species themselves. With each new species you learn comes a whole new set of skills, tactics, gear, and techniques. By learning all of the different worlds, of all the of the different species, it's helped me grow tremendously as an angler over the years, cutting the learning curve even more in situations when I go after a brand new to me species or fish in a brand new area. 

Every couple of years I get the notion to fish tournaments but I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as a tournament fisherman. I have been successful in those I've participated in, mostly at the local and statewide level, winning 6 different tournaments and placing top 3 in 10 others, as well as winning the Angler of the Year in our statewide kayak bass club in 2020. The tournaments I've won or placed have spanned several different species, from panfish and bass, to a state-wide multi-species battle, and also a first place finish in a musky tournament with 185 different anglers.

Aside from tournaments, I've also collected a few recognitions from the state of WV DNR. In 2020 I caught the state record Grass Carp for WV. In 2024, the state record Redbreast Sunfish hit my net. Both fish were caught out of my Vibe Kayaks. Lastly, in 2022, I was the first person in the state of WV to complete the newly created Master Angler program, catching 22 species of fish over the benchmark minimum lengths set by the state. Catching the two state records and completing the Master Angler achievement were some of the coolest experiences I've ever had.  

Home Town: Cabins, WV