believe I was a born fisherman.  I believe this because there are no fishermen in my family.  I had no father figure, no brothers or sisters, and was raised by only my Mom with the help of my lovely Grandma.  I had no initial influences that could help explain my early curiosity about fishing.
I can remember starting to become obsessed about fish at an early age.  I remember my mother buying me a fishing pole at about age 6.  I was always interested about fish swimming in the water so I began to try catching them.  At this point I knew little to nothing about how to catch fish.

At the age of about 10, I ran into my cousin Tom Knutson at a family reunion that was on a lake.  He was a few years older than me and was a much more experienced fisherman.

Tom made my day by taking me out in a fishing boat for the first time.  It was an awesome experience.  We went out in a boat and caught more fish than I ever caught off the shores.  Tom began playing the role of an older brother to me.  He showed me all the basics to fishing and became a great role model for me as I grew up.

At the age of 12, I purchased my first boat.  It was a 12-foot aluminum boat that Tom sold me.  I of course didn't have my driver's license, so I relied on my Mother to drive me to the local lakes and rivers.  I remember having to try and back down the boat trailer into the water for my Mom.  Her car, and her willingness to pull the boat around with it, enabled me to start learning about fishing when Tom wasn't around.

At the age of 14 my fishing life really began to take off.  This is when I began to work at Blue Ribbon bait in Oakdale Minnesota.  In this store, I got to talk to fishermen all day and I began to love it.  Talking to fishermen about fishing was like the next best thing to being out on the water.  I remember how fast I was influenced at Blue Ribbon.  I felt like I was tossed into the fishing culture in a hurry.

Immediately after starting at Blue Ribbon, I met a fisherman named Ed Philpot.  He helped change my fishing outlook.  He gave me a book that literally changed my life.  The book was called "SPOONPLUGGING: Your Guide To Lunker Catches" and was written by E. L. Buck Perry.  When I picked this book up and began to read it, I remember getting chills down my back.  First of all, I had never even read a book before.  I knew how to read, but never was interested in any books.  I just wanted to fish.  This book had something incredible about it that drew me in.  The book had lots of pictures of huge fish in it and the writing style of Buck was so clear to me.  It was like Buck was talking directly to me.

I remember not being able to put the book down.  My friends used to make fun of me for walking around school with a green fishing book.  This book became my bible. Buck taught me that there is no shortcut to fishing success.  I later applied this "Spoonplugging" discipline to every aspect of my life.

I soon began to catch many BIG fish.  I was applying what I had learned in the book to every fishing situation I encountered.  I remember spending just about every chance I could out on the water.  I had many great catches at an early age.  My passion for fishing kept growing.  At the age of 22, I began to start sharing my passion for fishing with people besides my friends and family.  This is when I started my guide service.  I didn't have many customers, but I loved taking people out fishing. It was something that felt right for me.

Throughout my life, I have been specifically obsessed with the musky.  Most of the waters I fished as a kid were all musky waters.  On July 7^th of 1999 I fulfilled a dream.  I caught the Minnesota state record Tiger Musky.  This was the greatest day of my life (so far).  This monster added fuel onto an already blazing fire of passion that I have for fishing.  I have not been the same since this musky.

Catching the fish gave me a whole new appreciation for what life can deliver.  I sometimes have a hard time putting into words just how much fishing means to me. I feel as though I am meant to share my passion I have for fishing and life with other people.  Fishing has given me a great appreciation for life and all it has to offer.

The Buck Perry basic guideline that I fish by is:

BUCKSEZ
SPOONPLUGGERS
BASIC GUIDELINE

The "home" of the fish (where he spends the greater part of his time - a sanctuary from a changing or hostile environment) is somewhere in the deep, or deepest, water in the area being fished. When in the sanctuary depths, the fish are normally so dormant, and/or so deep, they are almost impossible to locate or catch. As fishermen we are saved due to the fact the fish do not stay so dormant, or so deep, all the time. Once or twice on an average fishing day they will become active and may move toward shallower water. We are saved again, because when the fish become active and move toward shallower water,'they do not go in just any direction. The route they take has bottom features (structure, breaks, breaklines) that show them the way. As the fish move along a bottom feature (structure) they will pause or stop at things (breaks and breaklines) on the bottom. How far they go (along a migration route toward the shallows) and how long they stay ( at a "break" or "breakline" before turning back to deep water) is dependent upon (controlled by) the weather and water condition at that particular time. If you and I desire to consistently catch fish whenever or wherever we go fishing, we must control the depth and speed of our lures (or bait) on, and/or around the bottom features (structure, breaks, break-lines) the fish are using in their movements and migrations.