My name is Adam Milstead, my nickname is “The Prototype”. At least that’s what everyone called me when I fought. I am a former light heavy weight and heavy weight fighter who competed in the UFC. That was a strange yet amazing experience for me and I won’t regret putting everything I had into it at that time. I’ve always wanted to be a professional athlete and after a failed attempt at football, I found my way into Mixed Martial Arts and went head first at making a name for myself. After about 8 or 9 years grinding on the local level of professional fighting, I got my call to the UFC and competed at the pinnacle of MMA for the next 3. I’ve fought in some of the most amazing arenas and was given many amazing opportunities while I was there. Working with companies and brands, training NFL players and high-end actors and even making my way into a few movies, working with some of the best in Hollywood. But in 2018, I decided to lay my gloves down in my last fight for the UFC and made the decision to pick up the ole fishing rod, which is where I truly began my competitive kayak fishing career.
I was born and raised on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay and found the love for kayak fishing at a very young age. A friend of my fathers, who had kayaks that he fished out of, would lend me a yak and paddle to go fish beyond the sandbars and crab pots during the summer. That’s where the stripers and seatrout liked to roam! Having nothing but a medium action spinning rod and jerk baits, I would troll around the 3-foot swells with the rod in my lap and a grin on my face. There was nothing like it!
Fast forward 10 years later, I’m on my way up to a small town near Pittsburgh PA. With my fathers unexpected passing, I was 19 years old and was looking for a fresh start. Of course, you heard the rest. While I was going after my dream fighting, I always found myself heading back to the creeks, rivers and lakes, fishing for whatever swam those waters. Mainly those beautiful bronze backs that PA is known for. Being so close to Lake Erie and the Susky, I was enjoying those times because it helped take away the stress I put my body through on a daily basis. In doing so, I found myself occasionally doing kayak bass tournaments and man, did I have a blast with that. After retiring from MMA, I explored my ability in competitive kayak fishing with true commitment and found early success. The last two years I was awarded AOY out of my local chapter and have since then, been competing on the national level for Hobie Bass Open, KBF and Bass Nation. My kayak of choice, the Jackson Big Rig HD FD for bigger open water and for those small rivers and creeks, the Coosa HD. I have no need to paddle any other kayak. Ever since I went head first into kayak fishing, I have paddled a Jackson and wont paddle anything else!
