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How many years have you been fishing?
20+
How many years have you been guiding?
4+
Who introduced you to fly fishing?
My Grandfather used to have me catch panfish on popping bugs with his 5 weight when I was 5 years old. He’d use the panfish to catch catfish and bass to take home for dinner.
Can you tell us a little about your home waters and the fish you pursue there?
I love to pursue Migratory Tarpon and Redfish from the waters of the Upper Tampa Bay to Chassahowitzka. I also spend time seasonally chasing Snook, Cobia, Jack Crevalle, and other gamefish that present opportunities throughout the fishery.
What's the height of the season for you? What time of year is your personal favorite?
May and June, when Tampa Bay’s Tarpon Migration is in full swing. When our Tarpon fishing is good, it is as good as anywhere in the world. I love seeing and studying how the migratory fish use different habitats in my home waters.
What are your favorite travel destinations? What's on the bucket list?
I love taking trips to camp in the Everglades and any trip that involves Tarpon from the Keys up the Gulf Coast of Florida. I try to take a few days every year to explore fisheries in the Florida Keys, the Everglades, Boca Grande, and Apalachicola. My bucket list trip is chasing Golden Dorado in a South American Stream.
What do you like most about Thomas and Thomas rods? Which rods do you fish?
The obvious quality of the rods and how they handle true grain weight lines well for soft presentations is very important in the technical fishing situations I find myself in on a day-to-day basis. My current go-to rods are an 8wt and 11wt Sextant.
What's your current go-to fly?
My favorite fly to throw is a home-tied deer hair slider variation with a rabbit zonker tail. I also love a bucktail slider variation with a little weight for Gulf Coast redfish.Other than fly tackle, what piece of gear do you find indispensable?
I love fishing a gold spoon on low visibility days in the fall and winter for redfish. It’s a great way to find fish who might later be well-targetable on a fly rod.
My favorite thing about guiding is:
I have awesome clientele who are diverse in their day-to-day jobs and activities. I love getting to share the beauty of the fisheries I explore and help them enjoy a day on the water. Sight fishing in world-class fisheries is a real gift, and I enjoy being the liaison for people who trust me to show it to them.
From the angler’s point of view, what do you see as the main value of going on a guided trip?
Anglers who want to become more skilled with a fly rod throughout our trip are my favorite people to fish with. From my best anglers to new clients who have never picked up a fly rod, I constantly strive to help them become better for the next fishing situation they find themselves in.
My favorite thing to teach a new client is...
I love teaching new anglers how to read the body language of the fish we are chasing. Getting them to understand and see the differences between fish that are stressed and fish that are happy and looking to feed can be monumental in their successes with catching.
What’s your ideal lunch when on the water? What do you actually pack?
I love a good serving of leftovers from a home-cooked meal. My favorite would have to be chicken and rice from the night before. I never leave home without granola bars, crackers, an apple and a banana, and ice water. I couldn’t survive without granola bars and peanut butter crackers.
What fly fishing blogs/magazines do you read regularly?
I enjoy reading books about the history of fisheries and specifically tarpon fishing. Some of my favorites include Trout Bum by Gierach and a Passion for Tarpon by Andy Mill. I really enjoy reading books from John Gierach, and other collections of essays and fiction from famous fly fishing novelists regarding fly fishing adventures.
When I'm not fishing you'll find me:
Spending time with my wife and 3-year-old son. I love everything about my family developing and growing. I also love to chase whitetail deer throughout the Midwest. I go for at least a week a year in November, and any other time I get the chance.
