We’re excited to introduce Quentin and Stefan Turko. These two brothers from the Outer Banks do it all - Surf, Fish, Dive, - and they do it well.
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They recently won the SPECKtacular trout shoutout (for the second year in a row). The week before we filmed them catching 50” cobia on their kayaks. No matter the weather, they’re out there, riding big waves or throwing big baits.
Meet Quentin
Quentin is a professional surfer and legit freediver. He recently shot a yellowfin close to 200 pounds off the west coast of Mexico in between major swells. He’s our go-to guy in the outer banks and will tell you himself - Stefan is the wild one.
Meet Stefan
Stefan is one of those guys that gets bit. When everyone else is throwing cast after cast Stefan’s on his own, bowed up on something big. He’d never caught a redfish on fly, after 5 minutes on the water that was no longer applicable. As we all threw baits at schools of giant cobia off of Kitty Hawk it was no surprise Stefan hooked up first - Every. Single. Time.
These brothers are true bajio ambassadors, guys you don't want to fish against but you’d kill to fish with.
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Kayla Lockhart, a pint-sized, feather-flicking lady that you can hear from a mile away on any body of water she is fishing. If she hooks up you’ll hear it; if she pulls a hook or loses one at the boat you’re in for a laugh and some enthusiastic language. Her Bajío is yelling, laughing, casting, and crushing on rivers, lakes, and oceans around the world.
Where they fish -
Kayla can be caught swinging for steelhead out in the pacific northwest, chasing down DIY ditch carp in Arizona, and everywhere in between. She’s been with us to Mexico and fished all around Florida with the Bajio crew, her most notable catch a 150lb Holbox tarpon - one in which she fainted while fighting. It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog, and Kayla is a DOG!
What they wear (sunglasses) -
Kayla’s big personality makes up for her smaller face, so her go-to frame is the Parasio in amber tort with a green mirror poly lens. Kayla also relies on our proprietary progressive prescription to spot fish, tie knots, and find her independent 4-legged companion Juniper often causing chaos on the banks of your local waterway.
Why she’s on team Bajio-
Kayla exists to get you fishing. She travels the country, speaking, teaching, and leading groups of all kinds force feeding fishing as your parents forced you vegetables. No excuse can get you out of a day on the water with Kayla and she dedicates her time to volunteer with organizations like the Mayfly Project and All Kids Fish when she’s not roping saltwater species with us.
Check out Kayla’s page @kayla__lockhart and shop some of her favorites below.
]]>Born in Colorado Jesse left his trout obsession behind at a young age, going rogue on a long-shot Mexican venture. Jesse bought a small bnb in southern Mexico called Tierra Maya. He converted it into a full-scale fishing lodge, built an incredible team of caretakers, guides, and clients, and is now building a family of his own with a little one on the way. The Xflats is a dream destination, not only is the fishing spectacular but the allure around the lodge itself and everyone that works is hard to put down on paper. The X is an anglers paradise and the place you dream of one-day fishing. We were lucky enough to visit the Xflats in an effort to refine our brand, our product, and our mindset - it was a success.
Where they fish -
Jesse is a flats predator, and feared in his new hometown of Xcalak by both bonefish and their fork-tailed companions. The flats of southern Mexico are unique in that you can target everything, everywhere. Permit and triggerfish cruise the reef, bonefish pick through the shore, tarpon cruise the edges, and rogue snook lay waiting under the dense overgrowth. In this zone you’ve got to be prepared - 12 and 16-pound tippet for bonefish and permit with a backup broomstick fixed with 40 or 60 awaiting a bruiser snook or tarpon. Jesse even managed a shallow water cobia a few years back just behind the lodge. He fishes a dream zone, and he fishes it well.
What they wear -
Jesse knows one pair can’t do it all. For intense situations and 1 shot permit opportunities he sports the Vega, one of our fishiest frames named after a Mexican legend. However, when he’s winding down and watching the sunset or rounding up the lodge pups with a cocktail in hand he’s almost always wearing our Calda in brown tortoise. It's important to note, through all this one thing, stays the same “Rose mirror for the W” - JC.
Why he’s on team Bajío
Jesse brings the passion we all have for the sport, but he wears it on his sleeve. He’s fun to fish with, dialed in on the flats, but can still get it hot in the palapa after a long day on the water. If Bajío were a person we imagine they’d be something like Jesse, living off the grid, chasing fish, and enjoying the small things in life like a well-tied rag head or a warm summer sunset. He shares our vision and is lucky enough to live it.