New to the Forum

Microskiff community,

I'm glad to be here, and I'd like to introduce myself in my own way that's probably gonna come in more words than most...

I'm 27 years old, originally from Dallas, Texas. I've had a passion for being on the water since I was a kid: I started with bow fishing, then conventional bass fishing, and then fly fished for the first time in Colorado at age 15. You could say I started with the carnal form of fishing, and have gotten more refined (maybe snobby... but hopefully not) over the years. I found fly fishing while my parents were going through a divorce, the same year I began a relationship with Jesus (at first very reluctantly!) - My wavering faith in Christ and a love for fly fishing have proven to be great supports throughout all of life's challenges over the past 12 years.

I'm thankful for the gift of enjoying the outdoors as a professional fishing guide, and I'm extremely blessed to spend my days on rivers and increasingly more time on the flats. In 2016 I began guiding fly fishing trips in Colorado as a summer job while in school at UT Austin(Hook 'Em), and then moved onto guide in Bristol Bay, Alaska in 2019. I met my now fiancée there in 2020, at the lodge I worked for at the time. I'll be returning for my fifth Alaska summer after we get marred in mid-May, and it will be our second summer managing a 4-guest lodge called The Ridge. I was also guiding in Chilean Patagonia in the winters for a couple years, but I've recently retired from that in the interest of focusing on Alaska and redfish.

And now for a bit on my history with skiffs... since that's what this site is about. After my first season of guiding in Alaska, with the help of a couple small personal loans from friends, I got ahold of a Custom Gheenoe LT25. That boat got me on the flats at a fair entry level price, and was the perfect boat for starting my addiction to sight casting for redfish. The Gheenoe limited me to the shallow lagoons on the southern half of the Texas Coast, where I could consistently run in the calmer skinny water even in the worst conditions and in most any wind direction, with minimal bay crossings. The limitations of that boat ended up being a great benefit, as it forced me to explore some of the more remote, less-traveled waters of the state for the past 4 years. Though I've guided fly fishing for 8 years and in multiple hemispheres, I'm new to the game compared to most of the saltwater guides out there. I look forward to being a lifelong learner of skiffs, fly fishing, and redfish.

In 2022, after a few years of exploring under my belt, I started to have an interest in moving on from the Gheenoe to a more capable boat with capacity for guiding. While deciding to get a better boat, I've opted to not sell it though. My little brother is 14 and I want him to be able to call it his own in a couple years. It would have been a life-changing gift for me at that age, and I think it'll be good way for him to get away from his iPhone and Xbox...

I purchased a Pathfinder 17T last Spring, and I'm now looking to sell that so that I can finish my payments on a Biscayne 170 that I'll use for my guiding. I'm starting here with my first of 20 posts that are required for posting elsewhere on the site. I look forward to getting to know the community! Feel free to reach out.

Thanks,

John


Alaska

fiancee with a shallow water bull redfish, her second day of fly fishing in the salt!