Johnston got his first taste of kayak fishing about 10 years ago while on vacation and thought about how to rig one to tangle with catfish on Fort Loudon and Watts Bar impoundments of the Tennessee River. For Johnston, there's no better rush than hooking into a monster fish in a kayak. "When a big catfish slams your bait, you feel it throughout the whole kayak," he says. "As your rod doubles over, it starts to take the side of the kayak with it. That uneasy feeling you get until the secondary stability of your kayak kicks in is excitement like no other. Then you're fighting the fish while it's pulling you and the kayak wherever it wants to go. Kayak fishermen call it a sleigh ride, and it's better than any amusement park ride out there."