Growing up in Grand Haven, Michigan, I was fortunate to have a father who not only had a great deal of love and respect for nature, but actually took the time to instill this passion he had for the out-of-doors in me. We spent many weeks and weekends, over the course of my childhood, camping, fishing and artifact hunting along the shores of some of the most beautiful lake and river systems in Michigan, Colorado and Canada. It was in these places that the seeds of my lifelong passion for fishing were first cultivated.

After graduating in 1997, I decided it was time to pursue my dream of becoming a fly fishing guide. So I packed up what little I had and headed west to the fly fishing Mecca of Colorado. Once there, I immersed myself in everything that was fly fishing and within my first year had landed a job as an instructor at The Blue Quill Angler’s Orvis endorsed Rocky Mountain Fly Fishing School, in Evergreen. This is where I learned that passion, patience, good humor and the...