At the core of it all

I grew up in a small Wisconsin town where I was born to two high schoolers which led to an interesting and chaotic childhood.  My younger siblings and I had a true neighborhood with kids everywhere and the majestic Flambeau River just a block away.  That is the place where I was able to see the magic of water and the lure of the presence of an ever-flowing, separate world.  This was the location of my most memorable childhood moments. Fishing was more than an activity that I did as a child; it was an escape.  It was a way to make sense of the world.  Fishing has been a true constant in my life. 

As I grew up, I worked jobs in a mechanic shop, construction, the YMCA, and basketball camps.  At 23, I graduated with a mathematics and physics degree.  I planned to move to Florida to teach and fish my life away.  I took a teaching and coaching job in a small town near my hometown “just in case.”  As they say, the rest is history.  I ended up renting and later buying a small cabin on a small lake, rightfully named Fish Lake.  I have lived there for over 20 years. The small cabin and my family have grown to the perfect size.  My daughters and I have developed a bond with the lake and the nature that surrounds it.