Kayakers--BE ON ALERT

[driftwood]

AKA "The Mad Skiff Guy". If you haven't met Greg you don't fish much. He hates kayakers and calls us the "ENEMY". He especially HATES kayak fishing guides!!! He loves to do a very close kayak fly-by at full speed on his boat.

The dude is Psycho! too bad... he has mad fishing skills.

[momo fish]

He hates kayak fishing guides but isn't he also a guide or does charters on his boat ???

[maquinapescado]

Originally Posted by ful-rac

Jim just identified this guy as Greg Trompas...take a look, for those of you that have seen him...is that the guy?

Yes that is him. I wasn't going to drop any names but the cat was close enough to out of the bag. You might recognize him from several videos I have posted, "Squid Nest Fishing."

Hard worker, yes, contributor to fishing, yes, arrogant and a bit of an ass, yes. Trust me though, I'm not saying that I am not a little of the last two. Lord knows I am neither of the first two...........

People want to yell and bitch it is all good, but I hope nothing crosses the line.

[Tandem Assassin]

Originally Posted by momo fish

He hates kayak fishing guides but isn't he also a guide or does charters on his boat ???

He is in his own little click of friends (code group) and thinks he is the shit. I see he was featured on Michael Fowlkes Inside Sportfishing a few times so his head is swollen.

Suffers from small dick syndrome...

[monstahfish]

Sounds to me like this guy needs a talking to regardless of the timing. I would report it now. Maybe the coasties or police can set him right before he hurts someone. Also taking video of him will probably stop him dead in his tracks if he's smart enough to realise how easily he could end up on the news as the goon of la jolla. I think he may have thrown a wake or two my way before but not dangerously close. He's definitely on my radar now and I will be on the lookout.

[lbsurf2ca]

What type of jig was he throwing...color size etc.

I have definatley come across him...hey at least if he's around you know your in the right spot.

[Sdspeed]

Originally Posted by maquinapescado

Yes that is him. I wasn't going to drop any names but the cat was close enough to out of the bag. You might recognize him from several videos I have posted, "Squid Nest Fishing."

Hard worker, yes, contributor to fishing, yes, arrogant and a bit of an ass, yes. Trust me though, I'm not saying that I am not a little of the last two. Lord knows I am neither of the first two...........

People want to yell and bitch it is all good, but I hope nothing crosses the line.

How is this guy a "contributor to fishing" ??????

[maquinapescado]

Originally Posted by Sdspeed

How is this guy a "contributor to fishing" ??????

You don't know who his dad is or him obviously (not trying to be condescending).

He has been on Inside-Sportfishing numerous times, headlined WOW many times, magazines and all kinds of SoCal stuff. He has been more than forthcoming with "how to" fish education......more so than many that I can think of.

[momo fish]

Like others have said.. Just be careful, this is his livelihood and guys can act certain ways under stress and do dumb things.. Not condoning it but also will not tolerate it either if it was me... Legacy and past achievements means nothing if your harassing anyone on the water..

Since his name has been mentioned already, here is a picture of him with one of my favorite deck mate and now captain.. He is on the far right.

[DanaPT]

He sounds like a dick. Livelihood or not. Life's too short to be a dick.

[sdcoastie]

On one of the SD fishing facebook pages it sounds like shots may have been fired in the direction of a kayaker this morning. Keep your head on a swivel.

[619-SWIM-DOG]

Well no one owns the ocean or should be threatening people. I under stand giving vessels space and I'm sure he has seen his fishing grounds shrink as time has passed since he is a local. This guy sounds like he has it out for kayaks. I'll see what I can do when I go back to work(USCG) on Tuesday. I'll be out in LJ on Monday morning so let's hope I don't cross paths with him.

[momo fish]

The FUK!! Hope no one was hurt.. And surly coast guard and sherif needs to get involved..

What's wrong with people?? Starting to sound like the Malibu guys may have moved south.. 😂

Originally Posted by sdcoastie

On one of the SD fishing facebook pages it sounds like shots may have been fired in the direction of a kayaker this morning. Keep your head on a swivel.

[Harry Hill]

If shots weren't fired yet they will be soon if this guy keeps up his antics. I know that I won't let someone swamp me just because they are a local, or for any other reason. Especially since San Bernardino a lot more people are carrying concealed.

[surfisher]

Originally Posted by sdcoastie

On one of the SD fishing facebook pages it sounds like shots may have been fired in the direction of a kayaker this morning. Keep your head on a swivel.

Do you have a link? Couldn't find it!

As far as Trompas being an ass, he's no different than all the other boaters out there. Although he was a lot noisier than everyone else, I'd have to agree with maquinapescado. I don't see very many other commercial guys giving out so many tips and information on the local bight. Here's a pretty rad episode with some useful information from both Trompas and Duane.

[skrilla]

Don't worry, Hobie has us covered and for only 499.95 ( shotgun not included ).

[Matt]

As a former Malibu Kayak pro staffer, a former OEX pro staffer and a friend of both Mr. Trompas and Mr. Pruitt and a friend to many a kayaker and currently a PB'er all I can say is this, Greg was always extrememly helpful to me while kayaking and always extremely helpful with tips etc... i actually never had a negative incident with the guy. I gave him his space as I knew he was a commercial fisherman and he had always worked his ass off.

I as well as many of you have had pretty negative moments on the water before after spending many a night catching or fishing for wsb and yt, I was not always nice but a lot of the time if I was being a dick it was due to not only poor choices on my part but also sometimes instigated by someone else's poor decisions as well.

I am not condoning anyone's behaviour all I am saying is this, please be considerate of one another out there...if ya give Greg or any other commercial fisherman their space you will often be welcomed or given bait or tips from them. I have had a few moments of just flat out stupidity out there in the 15+ years of fishing both on a kayak and a panga and now on a cc and if it was ever directed at you I sincerely apologize. But let's all admit we are human and make mistakes, remember being nice doesnt hurt anyone not does saying you are sorry if you screwed up. Greg is a friend as is Josh (Josh was even at my wedding) they both are great guys if you get a chance to meet them. Josh hleped me refime my skillset on the yak and Greg helped me a great deal when I bought a boat.

I am sorry some of ya have had negative interactions but show some respect to the commercial guys (there are a lot more than just Greg) and I gurantee it will benefit you. Show respect to get respect. If ya see me out there and are ever in trouble or need any assistance please feel free to hit me up on ch. 68 on the vhf even if its just for a cold beer and a hello!

Take care and tight lines to all and like Owl Chapman once said "guve a wave ya never know who has a cute sister!" And if ya know who's sister I married ya know what I am saying (Tylerdurden of BWE's sister to be exact)

As for the big wsb that Dave caught, I have a few pics of him with big fosh from my kayal days I believe.

I am very happy to call many kayak fisherman friends...guys like taggermile, cj siebler, Andy Iceman, Greg Andrew, Josh Pruitt, Jasmin, dorado50 , Billy V and many more! I hope i get to meet some more of ya and say hello as well!

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Someone who knows him should link him to this thread.

If he's not always so determined to be an asshole, maybe he will apologize and behave with a little more civility in the future. Maybe he can try to redeem his reputation amongst fishermen.

Maybe he thinks his belligerent and condescending attitude is cool. Maybe he's just not thinking.

Commercial or not, that's no excuse to be rude. For his charter business and FB fishing page it would behoove him to build his reputation rather than destroy it.

[taggermike]

Well said Matt. Being a dick, screaming threats, close fast drive bys, or throwing irons at any one is always wrong and I would never condone it. No one has any more right to the ocean or the fish than any body else. Period! You don't need to run from or avoid guys like Trompus.

But do your part. Try not to be a problem in a crowd. Be mindful of your actions and location. Some yakkers, and boaters, are inexperienced and have no knowledge of etiquate. Screaming at them doesn't help. Maybe it would be good idea to post some of the unspoken rules.

It's a simple thing but i always try to treat every one, yak, skiff, yacht, and sport boat the way I'd like to be treated. So far this seams to have worked cause after 16 years kayak fishing I've had exactly 1 yelling match. Which was odd cause I didn't even have a line in the water. And if Some times this respect isnt shown to me by others it doesn't bug me much.

Get a bit of experience n confidence in your self. You don't need to get in to the crowd. Chances are you know more than at least 1/2 those guys any way. You don't need to be in the chumm line of a sports boat. Let them pull all the sea lions in and go your own way. Trompus is a very knowledgeable and skilled angler. He's gonna be on a good spot, but not the only spot. Give him the room you'd want or give a wave n keep on going.

Greg Trompus gets way out of line, no doubt about it. But that's not the only side of him. Over the years I've had 1 interaction with him. It was during a marginally crowded bite on the squid bed strait off the shore. Being on a drifting kayak among many anchored boats you can quickly drift in to places you shouldn't be. I was paddling and staying in a space equadistant from several boats. I hooked a big yt that ran strait towards the kelp line. Right under Greg's boat and around his anchor. We worked together handing the rod back and forth around his anchor rope. I went around his bow, he handed me my rod back, and I landed a 35 lb yt a few minutes later. He yelled a "right on" n I went back and sincerely thanked him. Mike

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by taggermike

throwing irons at anyone is always wrong

Shield Wall