What’s the biggest fish you’ve caught?
1000lb tiger shark, 450lb Goliath grouper, 41lb Redsnapper, 70lb Gag grouper, 109 AJ
If you were cooking for all your friends what would you cook?
Triggerfish, vermillion snapper and grouper
What’s your favorite band?
Shimano
What’s your favorite movie?
Top Gun
What’s your favorite sports team?
Alabama
What’s your drink of choice?
Coffee and Mountain Dea
What was your last halloween costume?
Pirate
What do you want for Christmas this year?
My kids
How did you get started guiding?
I started as a deckhand in 1995, my stepfather bought a charter boat and I worked for him through high school and college. I was a deckhand for 17 years full time before I bought my own charter boat and started running it for hire in 2013
What makes you different from other guides?
Just ask all the other captains who the best fisherman is. I am very humble about my ability and thank God every day for the opportunity that I have. God gave me a gift and I am blessed to be able to share that gift with my customers. I understand fish and know how to adapt to catch them. Fish are like us, they aren’t always hungry, they don’t always want a big meal, sometimes they want a snack. Fishing isn’t always easy, there’s a lot of times they aren’t hungry and don’t bite very well. I always go the extra mile to make it happen when the bite is tough and don’t use the excuse of “oh they’re just not biting” like most do. I have a passion for, it’s not just a job for me and that passion shows in each and every trip I take. Being good at fishing is a bonus though, because the most important thing to me is showing our customers a good time! It’s not always about what you bring back to the dock, it’s about the memories you make while you’re out there. We pride ourselves in customer service and we strive to create bonds with our customers, we’re not just out there for a paycheck. We want them to come back and we want them to tell their friends about what a great time they had aboard the Wild Orange. What’s unique about the Wild Orange is, I the captain, am with the customers the entire trip, my helm is inside the cabin with the customers and while we’re fishing I’m on the back deck with the customers as well (I have a helm on the deck also). Lastly I am a father of 5 kiddos and I understand our children are the future. It’s very important the we teach them the same passion that my father taught me. The cool thing about my boat is that I can help the kids while fishing because I’m back there with the customers and this takes pressure off the first mate and gives him more freedom to work with the rest of the group.
