About Me
I started fishing over 40 years ago! I am blessed with a family that loved the outdoors and consequently summer family vacations were always centered around fishing. My earliest memory of fishing is at Bennett Springs State Park. My brother and I were way too young to fish, but my dad gave us a fly rod to use and told us to go fishing. He didn't give us any flies to use because he thought we were too young to handle hooks, so I would tie small rocks to the end of the leader and would pretend to fish. In addition to clunking myself on the back of the head with the rock, I actually landed fish with my home-made and no-hook lure. I remember my grandfather saying "well, I suppose he can't hurt himself much worse with a hook than the rock he's using", so they let me and my brother start trout fishing.
In the early years the only fishing I did was with a fly rod. We fished several of the Missouri trout parks, local neighborhood lakes, and of course farm ponds. We caught tons of bluegill and bass those days, and had a ton of fun doing it. In the late 60's my dad bought a small 12' fishing boat from Sears, a fiberglass Gamefisher, so we started fishing larger lakes in our area. A few years later he purchased our first bass boat, a 1974 Rebel. It had a 65 HP outboard, trolling motor, console, pedestal seats, and now we thought we were "hot"! With the upgrade to the Rebel we started fishing Corps of Engineers lakes like Stockton, Pomme de Terre, and the Lake of the Ozarks. We also put away the fly rods and started fishing for black bass, crappie, and white bass.
Since those early years my love for fishing has continued to grow. For the past 20 years I have been an avid bass fisherman and fish from 10 to 15 tournaments annually. These tournaments take me all over the state, but I have the greatest success on Smithville, Truman, the Lake of the Ozarks, and Pomme de Terre. I love to compete, but I especially love to learn from other anglers. If I'm not bass fishing I'll usually be found chasing white bass or hybrids, crappie, or musky on one of the many Corps of Engineers empoundments in Missouri.
While I love to fish and spend time on the water, my passion is teaching people what I've learned and helping them to succeed! I have helped many family members and friends get into fishing, and I would like to help you as well. I am recently retired at the ripe old age of 47. I now have the time, and the financial freedom, to do what I love and follow my passion full time!
If I were you and I was reading this I'd be wondering "why should I pay THIS guy to take me fishing?" I've thought about this long and hard, and I think I have the answer....because I can teach you something. It's just that simple! If you're on the lake a couple times a week, or you fish tournaments regularly, then you probably don't need a guide. However, if you're just getting started or are new to these lakes, then why not shorten your learning curve? In the end a trip with me will actually save you time and money, and will make future fishing trips more productive and enjoyable.
Personal Best
Largest Black Bass - 9 pounds
Largest Smallmouth - 5 pounds
Black Bass Over 5 Pounds - 45+
Largest Musky - 48 inches
Largest Pike - 40 inches
Largest Rainbow Trout - 7 pounds
Largest Brown Trout - 6 pounds