I believe a brief introduction is in order. I fish because I love it, period. As far back as memory allows, I have fished for any fish for over 40 years. As a kid, I've wet lines for bream, bass, crappie, striped bass, catfish, then I saw a huge fish muscling around in the shallows of a lake. Big fish in shallow water caught my attention immediately.  Oh, that's just a carp, it's not something you'd want to eat said most. I didn't care about eating it, I just wanted to catch it. Bread balls, corn and eventually a fly rod sold me on catching big fish. Yes, carp. But huge carp that made the drag scream. I realized the quality of the fish doesn't matter, it's the fight in the dog. By the way, I thought carp ate pretty good. Growing up in Virginia Beach, VA , I was eventually introduced to the big pond, the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic. When I gazed out across that endless body of water I envisioned fish everywhere. Not having a boat, we fished from shore for spot, croaker, flounder, and sea trout. Those fish were great to eat but lacked in thrills. Over time I learned of shark fishing (before Jaws, the movie). I could catch a fish of great size and I didn't need a boat to do it. All that was required was spending endless hours day and night on a pier waiting for the big one to come along. I remember preparing the tackle Wednesday so that it would be staged up on Friday in order to get to the pier early enough to get the prime location on the end. Fond memories of youth. I went to Virginia Tech to study agronomy. There I was somewhat distracted by studies and overly distracted by girls, but did manage to catch many smallmouth bass in the New River before graduating. In 1986, I joined the Peace Corps and was sent to Honduras. We were allowed to bring 60 pounds of gear. I brought 55 pounds of stuff and 5 pounds of fishing tackle. Thank God I was stationed near a lake because the Honduran largemouth bass had never seen a black plastic worm before and I tried to introduce each and everyone of them to it on an individual basis. When I returned to Virginia, I met a beautiful young lady who loved to fish. I put up a good struggle but in short order she had me in the cooler; I married her. In 1989 I came to Gainesville for graduate school. Within the first week I discovered Cedar Keys. The tug of the Gulf started on me at first sight of the salt marsh. I remember having a faculty meeting and one of my professors screaming if I see your @#$%truck attached to your &*%^% boat one more time during the week headed west down Archer road you're out of here! That forced my hand. I found a new route to travel. I graduated, not exactly on schedule due to spending a little too much time in the Gulf, but I did graduate. The Center for Aquatic Plants in Gainesville was my first employment and last. The tug of the Gulf had became so intense that my wife said why don't you go get your captains license and at least get paid for fishing. She signed me up for sea school herself. I love her. Charter fishing was at first part time on the weekends out of Suwannee. Of coarse that is kind of like letting the fox in the hen house and telling the fox only to take one chicken. Within a year I was full time charter fishing. I have enjoyed it ever since. However, I have found out through hard times and costly repairs that there is far more to the charter business than just taking folks fishing. One has to love not only fishing but people from all walks of life while handling the ebb and flow of money and repairs. An understanding wife is an absolute must, also. We moved to Steinhatchee in July 2000. The fishing out of Steinhatchee has been fantastic but the best thing here is the people. Gina and I have met some wonderful folks in Steinhatchee. We plan on staying here for a long time. I make no claim to be a fishing expert because regardless of countless hours on the water and the numerous books and magazines I've read, I learn something new every time I go fish and every time I speak to someone about fishing. Keeping both eyes and ears open is great way to improve ones fishing knowledge.