I’m always up for a challenge. Not to say that I wouldn’t like things to go smoothly and easily, but when it comes down to it, I try to rise to the occasion and take on the challenges that come my way head-on. As a busy fishing guide, there are plenty of challenges. Let’s be clear, though–we’re talking about challenges that are nothing when compared to some of the life’s challenges that many people face on a daily basis. My challenges are putting deserving customers on fish, dealing with wind, dealing with heavy seas at times, dealing with boat issues. Again, these are nothing when compared to the true challenges in life. Continue reading
Category Archives: Fishing Trips
Gallatin River Lodge
If you ever happen to find yourself in the Bozeman, Montana, area and in need of a place to stay, I would highly recommend the Gallatin River Lodge. A wonderful western-style lodge, the Gallatin River Lodge is everything I could ever want in a lodge or hotel. Nestled in the Gallatin Valley, snow-topped mountains cap stunning scenery surrounding this small lodge in Big Sky country. Continue reading
Trout fishing on the Madison
While out in Bozeman, Montana, for the Simms Ice Out Guide Event, I was lucky enough to get to fish on the upper Madison River just outside of Ennis, Montana. This is a river that I’ve never fished prior to this trip, but it’s one that I’ve read a lot about. It was a real treat to wet a fly line on this storied river. Continue reading
Wolfe Outfitters
I’m excited to announce the formal creation of Wolfe Outfitters. This will be the new guide service name for my new fly fishing outfitter based out of Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa. Continue reading
Dress for success
I had a customer a few years back that came up to fish with me during a real cold spell early in the smallmouth season. It was early May, and the water temps were perfect for big pre-spawn females. Sadly, a nasty cold front dropped in just prior to this particular customer’s visit. In early May, this isn’t uncommon, and I really tried to stress how important it was to dress in layers. “Bring some fleece to layer up with,” I kept repeating. Continue reading
Introducing My Friends Part 3: Captain Andy Odette
Captain Andy owns Intimidator Sportfishing Charters, and is a top charter captain out of the port of Frankfort, just south of Traverse City. Andy specializes in trolling Lake Michigan for huge limits of king salmon, lake trout, and steelhead. Big brown trout are also quite common early in the season. Continue reading
Introducing My Friends Part 2: Captain Kevin Long
I met Captain Kevin close to a decade ago, and we’ve been good friends ever since. It was with Kevin that I filmed our “Out of the Water and Into the Kitchen” television show pilot. While this was a show featuring walleye fishing on the Detroit River, it was actually on a bass boat while fishing the world famous Lake St. Clair for smallmouths where we felt most at home. Continue reading
Introducing My Friends Part 1: Captain Kyle Buck
Whether it’s vertical jigging for walleyes on the Detroit River or running a charter boat out of Muskegon, Captain Kyle does it well. He also fishes the Muskegon River and the White River for salmon and steelhead in the fall and early spring. Continue reading
Respected Colleagues and Good Friends
As a full-time fishing guide, I have been lucky enough to have fished with many other Captains and guides around the state of Michigan as well as the country. Over the years, I have built a great network of colleagues and fantastic friends in the industry, and I am happy to be able to share a few of the Michigan Captains with my guests to Sport Fish Michigan. Continue reading
Unseasonably warm
I love spring. I also love summer. If it’s nice and warm out, I’m a happy guy. Normally. I’m not exactly sure what all of the reasoning is—changing climate, rotating jet stream, freak weather—or some combination of everything, but what I do know is that we seem to have bypassed a normal spring here in northern Michigan, and gone right to summer. Mid 80’s weather and full sun in mid March? I would have said that would have been the case if we were down south, but not up here in the northern Lower Peninsula! Continue reading