Biography

My first recollection of fishing was on some small farm ponds not far from Kentucky Lake when I was 5 or 6 years old. I soon graduated to the right front seat of my dad’s 78 model Savage boat. From the first day I sat there side by side with my dad spider rigging for crappie, I knew I was hooked. For several years I shared the front of that boat with my dad and never once was I moved to the back to make room for someone else. That seat was mine and if someone else went then they sat in the back. Till this day when I spider rig for crappie I still sit on the right side of the boat.

Dad never had the patience for bass fishing, so when we fished it was for crappie. I remember being out there crappie fishing and watching the fancy boats with big motors and guys casting every direction and knew someday I was going to do that too. My first boat wasn’t hardly the overpowered metal flake beauty I imagined but it was mine and I could bass fish out of it. At barely over 14 feet and with a mere 7.5 Honda I might not have looked like a bass angler, but I was. It was the only 14 foot V-bottom boat on the lake with a front deck, bicycle seat and foot controlled trolling motor.

For several years bass fishing was all I thought about. I joined bass clubs, read every magazine I could get, and fished tournaments on weekends. I thought bass were the only fish in the lake. I abandoned that right side front seat of that old Savage boat for many different boats and partners. I now realize those days spent fishing with my dad have helped me with my guide business more than I could have ever imagined.

I started my business in 1992 and soon saw that to make a living guiding on Kentucky Lake, you better like to crappie fish. I never really knew what we had right here in our backyard until I saw how many people come here every year to get just a small taste of what I feel is the very best crappie fishing anywhere. Although I still tournament fish for bass, I can’t keep my mind off those big slab crappies in the spring and winter months. I consider myself a multi-species angler because I’ve never seen a fish I didn’t want to catch. I believe that a good day on the water can be a 30 pound sack of bass for a tournament or a bucket full of bluegill for having a fish fry. Bottom line is if I’m catching something then that always beats nothing, no matter what the species.

I’ve been married to my wife Julie since 1991. We have two children, our son Kaleb was born in November 1997 and our daughter Kelsey was born in September 2006. We live on a small farm and have a dog and a small herd of cattle. Julie likes to fish but doesn’t have a lot of free time. Kaleb likes to go when the weather is nice. Kelsey is a little young yet but she will have every opportunity to enjoy fishing if she chooses. If you have read all of this you have probably figured out that I love to fish and I love my job. Every day is a new adventure and when my last day comes I hope I’m fishing.
 

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