Kristopher Morales is one of kayak fishing's "New Breed."  Practically raised in kayak fishing, he's also embraced free diving and is a dedicated kayak spearo. When he finally gets old enough to drive, we will be hearing a lot more from this talented young man. 

I grew up fishing with my dad, ever since I’ve been able to hold a pole in my hand. He got me into a kayak at the age of about eight. That’s when all the magic started to happen. I finally purchased my own kayak at the age 15. Then about two months later what do you know, I was picked to join the Santa Cruz Kayaks Pro Staff team. The Raptor is one of the most amazing kayaks I've ever been on. Super stable. You could play baseball on it if you wanted to, and not have to worry about falling off. I’ve gone through some pretty crazy conditions from running over the competition (my dad) in my kayak, to fighting some nasty swells and not worrying about a thing.

Fishing for lingcod is one heck of an experience especially when you hook into your first one. Man can I tell you this fish right here is one of my favorite fish to hunt for. They can be some gnarly looking fish when they come up with another fish in their mouth. But don't get me wrong they can also be very beautiful when you are lucky enough to catch one of the bright blue lings. From the moment you hook one, you can tell right away this fish is going to be one heck of a ride . The pure power and aggression they have is just amazing.

One of my most memorable experiences catching a ling was in Half Moon Bay with Daniel Shim. After a long paddle and catching nothing but small croakers, my rod bent completely over and the ling started to peel line. My heart started to race and I had to remember remain calm and let him tire himself out . A couple minutes later he was worn out and I started to see color of the feisty ling.

I brought out my gaff and hooked him perfectly right under his jaw. Then he went into “playing dead.” He sure had me fooled. I went to reach for my game clip and sure enough he goes buck wild on me, Slime is flying everywhere and BAM he goes for the water. My gaff comes out of his mouth and he runs, My line wraps around my pole and pop, he’s gone. Heart break city. Not the biggest ling, but it was my personal best . Lots of things learned that day, mostly “never trust a calm ling.”