Guide Profile

I have been a devout fisherman as far back as I can remember. I started salmon fishing while the rest of the kids were still on the playground. To fund my young fishing habits I mowed lawns in town to buy my first fly rod and reel set-up. By the age of twelve, I had caught more salmon than most will in a lifetime, as I lived near streams and rivers in Upstate New York that had world-class runs of King and Coho salmon, rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, and of course steelhead. While most kids idolized sports figures, I grew up watching the fishing greats, Flip Pallot, Lefty Krey, and Mark Sosin. As my friends were tackling dummies at football practice, I was roll casting into a river tail-out that had a fresh run of steelhead. Since then I have fished and honed my skills everywhere my travels have taken me: countless places along the Northeast coast, the Florida Keys, the South West, the West coast, and the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, as well as Canada, Japan, and the Caribbean.

At eighteen I owned and operated a 28' Great Lakes sport fishing vessel, which I fished for two years, doing mostly salmon and brown trout tournaments on Lake Ontario. After high school, I earned a degree in political science and psychology at Syracuse University in Upstate New York, all while heading home to fish and guide on the weekends. Before I followed my dream of being a full-time guide and drift boat captain, I wanted to get a little deeper into the fishing world. This motivated me to work for Orvis on 44th and 5th Ave in Manhattan. While working for Orvis, I guided and fished on the weekends, often taking the train to Montauk or a Jet Blue flight home.

As time went on my need to get out of the city and chase my dream soon took over. Orvis endorses exceptional lodges all over the world, so I weeded out different choices and found one that fit very well. Because I wanted a drift boat river and a fishery much like I was used to, I chose The Kenai and Kasilof Rivers in south central Alaska. I went on my own a year after that by creating my own company, DriftWater Fishing. Now I have wonderful clientele in both New York and Alaska. And DriftWater Fishing boats are on the water over 300 days a year. If you are looking for an experienced guide to a successful fishing trip, please give me a call.