James Schlingmann was born and raised in Minnesota. He has been on the water since his first summer and fishing ever when he was about two years old. He grew up spending the summers at his family lake place in southern Minnesota, where he fished for Pike, Walleye and various Pan-fish. When winter came he could be found out on the ice, as soon as it was thick enough to support both him and a 5 gal bucket. After being in the service for a few years without a fishing outlet, James heard about kayak angling from a co-worker. Being in Hampton Roads, Virginia it was very easy for him to get into a kayak and start fishing the inlets and harbors. After spending a year in a small Sit-Inside boat he upgraded to his dream kayak, the Jackson Kraken. Having a significantly more capable craft allowed him to start chasing bigger fish out along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel complex, as well as Virginia's Eastern shore, allowing James to earn a Virginia Saltwater Citation Sheepshead at 10lbs 14oz. He also was very involved in the Tidewater chapter of Heros on the Water, as well as the local kayak fishing club. James spent the summer of 2017 in Gulfport, MS for military training, where he was heavily involved in the growth and development of that areas new kayak fishing club. While on the Gulf Coast he participated in many tournaments throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, the largest being Ride The Bull. Currently he resides in North Texas where he is getting back to his roots of freshwater fishing.
