ABOUT YOUR GUIDE Who I Am

Due to the fact that I keep certified scales on the boat for weighing record-class fish, we'll do our best to return both record and non-record fish to the water unharmed. Consistent, intelligent fishing pressure will negatively impact the fisheries resources of our local water bodies if catch and release is not practiced. Since many clients are visitors to Salado or Ft. Hood (and therefore without the means to clean, prepare, store, or cook fish), this conservation-minded policy rarely raises an eyebrow. It's a win-win!

As a sonar instructor, I know with 100% certainty that a sonar-intensive approach is effective, efficient, and productive. To this end, I have 7 sonar units aboard my boat, including four state-of-the-art Garmin LiveScope displays. These are my eyes beneath the water helping me set aside unproductive water and fully capitalize on the fish we find.

I love to teach people how to fish and how to fish better. If you tell me what you'd like to learn during your time on the water, I will make a point of coaching you on that skill. Often requested topics include introductions to vertical jigging, marine electronics signal interpretation, downrigging, using various kinds of knots and rigging, and using various kinds of retrieves for locally effective artificial lures. For those just starting their fishing career, the fundamentals of casting, baiting hooks, and locating fish-holding bottom features and cover are also favorite topics. You should never consider yourself too inexperienced to choose me as your guide.

Very few guide boats in all of Texas are equipped with downriggers. This is because downriggers are very difficult to learn how to use well, and most people don't have the patience to get through the steep learning curve involved with them. Others hesitate to dedicate limited boat space to these devices. The use of downriggers accounts for quality fish, and lots of them, especially during slow times of the day and during the summer months when fish are predictably in 35-45+ feet of water.

Because neither guide nor customer appreciates fishing in a crowd or being followed from spot-to-spot by those unable to locate fish on their own, I take steps to proactively avoid this situation. In this way, I have been able to avoid a trailing entourage of boats that just "follow the guide boat". Our area lakes are relatively small lakes, and the fisheries resources must be treated with care. You'll notice I have no huge, eye-catching advertising logos on my boat for this reason. We've even been known to open the bail on hooked fish to avoid landing fish as curious boats come in for a look. I do not offer weekend or holiday fishing trips between Spring Break and Labor Day for all of these same reasons.

We never return to the dock early just because we've caught a limit of fish (remember, we're catching and releasing). We'll return to the dock at the time we've agreed upon and which you've paid for, unless you tell me you'd like to conclude the trip earlier. I'll never stop a trip "by the clock" if we're in the middle of a hot bite. We'll fish that bite until it slows down and just return a little late, if you're so willing. If you’ve been “burned” by a guide who ends your trip once a limit of fish is caught, you will find your experience with me of much higher ethical standards.

If you've got something out of the ordinary in mind ... like bowfishing for gar, jugfishing for catfish, or flycasting for carp or drum ... just let me know. I've probably done it and would be glad to introduce you to these pursuits. Sorry, no requests for ice fishing can be accommodated.

Following your trip, I'll edit and forward to you all of the photos we've taken of your catch as well as a link to my blog, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages, where I will have recounted our trip. This allows you to forward this information to friends and family quickly.

The Village of Salado is a unique little place just a stone's throw from the Stillhouse Hollow Lake Dam. Salado is comparable in its "feel" to the towns of Spring , Jefferson, Wimberley, and Gruene, TX. The pace of life in Salado is slow. There are many bed-and-breakfasts to choose from, antique dealers to drop in on, small boutiques with friendly merchants to visit with, and much, much more. Salado Creek runs through the center of town, where horse-drawn carriages are a common sight. Many spouses book a half-day morning trip with me while their better half takes a well-deserved morning to sleep in a little. Since I offer to pick my clients up at the doorstep, there's no need to worry about transportation to "the shopping grounds" for the spouse who desires to stay behind. Couples can rejoin, freshen up before lunch, and spend the rest of the day taking in all that is Salado. When you call to book your trip, I can provide you with sound recommendations on lodging in Salado so your visit will not be disappointing.