Clark Fork grad Wyatt Kayser eyes future as pro fisherman

SANDPOINT — Ever since Wyatt Kayser was a toddler, his father, Jon, has joked with friends and family that his son is going to become a professional fisherman.

But it isn’t that much of a joke anymore for the 2021 Clark Fork High graduate.

“It’s not quite as funny anymore, but it’s a good story,” Jon laughed.

That’s because Wyatt earned a spot on the Montana Bass Federation state team this past weekend. The qualifier was held Saturday and Sunday on Lake Pend Oreille and Wyatt, who turns 18 today, finished second on day one of the tournament and first on the final day as a co-angler.

It was the first step in Wyatt’s dream of becoming a professional fisherman.

“I would like to try and make a living out of [fishing],” he said. “That’d be a pretty hard goal, but I’m trying.”

Wyatt recalls learning how to fish when he was about 5 years old, and taking his first fishing trip with his dad when he was 8.

Jon passed on his passion for the craft to Wyatt, but he said his son has developed an even deeper affection for it. The pair goes fishing together all the time, but if dad doesn’t show up to the lake on time, Wyatt isn’t afraid to leave him behind.

“If I’m late, he just goes by himself,” Jon laughed.

It isn’t hard to find Wyatt. Nearly every day he is on Lake Pend Oreille or some body of water fishing. It is, after all, his second home.

“All my friends are like, ‘Hey you want to hang out?’ and I’m like, ‘Well, I’m already at the lake,’” he said.

Wyatt clearly loves fishing, however, he didn’t get into competing in tournaments until last year. Last summer, Jon bought a boat which led to Wyatt getting more gear and spending a lot more time fishing.

He was reeling in one bass after another, so he figured why not compete. In his first MBF tournament, Wyatt caught the biggest fish and thought to himself — ‘Boy, this must be easy.’

In the following events, he quickly learned that wasn’t the case, but he’s enjoyed every minute of it.

“All the people are really cool,” he said.

And Wyatt isn’t competing in a certain age group, he’s angling against guys that have been perfecting the craft for years. Wyatt said he’s one of the younger MBF members, so he embraces every opportunity he gets to learn a few things from the veterans.

Some of the anglers Wyatt sees at these tourneys have made it to the pro or semi-pro circuit, Jon said, so it’s really cool to watch his son pick up a few pointers from them.

“Some of these guys, if there’s a drop of water left on Earth, they’ll catch a fish in it,” he said.

Wyatt also watches fishing videos to learn new techniques and understand how to use different baits. He said he’s definitely seen himself get better since getting involved with the tournaments.

So far this year, Wyatt has competed in three tournaments. He admitted that he skipped class a couple of times to get to some of the events a day earlier, but he made sure to send one of his teachers, KC MacDonald, pictures of the bass he caught.

Recently, Wyatt has reeled in some monsters. At a tourney at Echo Lake in Montana in late April, he caught a 27-pound, 4-ounce pike on a bass rod. In May, he snatched a 6.5-pound smallmouth bass in Hope.

Jon has also competed in a few tournaments off and on over the past year, and he’s even teamed up with Wyatt a handful of times. Jon said he’s always thought about getting into them, but once Wyatt showed interest in it he knew he had to join him.

Jon said fishing is a great way for him to spend time with Wyatt and watching him qualify for the state team this weekend was quite the thrill.

“I was pretty proud of him,” he said. “He did real good.”

Next up for Wyatt is a tournament at the end of July at the Noxon Rapids Reservoir. He said he’s been there quite a few times and he plans on heading over to the lake before the event to get his favorite spots dialed in.

Jon said it would be amazing to watch his son become a pro fisherman, but he just wants Wyatt to have fun because that’s what it’s all about.

“I think that would be an awesome life, but I can see it takes a lot of hard work and I don’t think it happens overnight,” he said. “But boy, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend your time than fishing.”

Even if the professional fishing career doesn’t pan out, Wyatt still plans on being involved with angling, whether that’s starting his own business or doing charters.

“It’s my most favorite thing to do,” he said about fishing. “Just casting out and knowing you can catch a big ol’ fish is great.”