I can pinpoint the exact moment when my passion for fishing was sparked. I remember it like it was yesterday, even though I was a mere four years old when my Papa taught me how to catch mud minnows out of a ditch on the side of road, in Beaufort, S.C.. From that moment forward, I was hooked. As a matter of fact, all I wanted to do for a few subsequent years was just catch bait. I finally figured out the point of catching bait by putting that poor little minnow on a line and sending him down to the depths.
Flash forward 22 years and you’ll find that same girl, searching the flats of Tampa Bay for redfish, snook, trout and tarpon from the poling platform of her 2014 Beavertail Strike. Without a doubt, sight fishing with light tackle or a fly rod is one of my favorite pursuits. The passion that started at a young age has since culminated into a business where I can show people what I love. My knowledge of the Tampa Bay fishery, coupled with the comfortable, dry and skinny ride of my BT Strike allows me to get clients to the spots where they get to cast to tailing fish in the shallows, experience tarpon off the beach, or wind through the deep creeks where fish get stuck on a dead low.
I enjoy teaching beginners the art of casting a fly rod, how to work a lure, or how natural factors influence fish and their movement. On the flip side, I love the moments when I get to watch an experienced angler place a perfectly casted fly or lure in front of a hungry fish. Regardless of your skill set or experience level, I’d love to show you all of the incredible facets of the Tampa Bay fishery, and why the Beavertail Strike is the perfect skiff to get you there.