Building Anglers

Hoppers saved the night.

Right from the start, last night’s flood tide looked promising. The fish were tailing, and our first shot came within 30 seconds of stepping on the flat. Unfortunately, that ceased.

As the tide reached its peak, we began hearing the unmistakable sounds of gulpers feeding. While gulpers will eat a variety of prey, the first two fish we poled to were keyed in on grasshoppers, and we watched them eat hopper after hopper.

A fun evening on the water with some of my longest-running clients who have become great friends along the way.

Wind was a tough one today, but angler was an ace.

Over the last week, leading up to this fish today, I’ve been reminded just how important the relationships and connections built over the years truly are to the sustainability of what I get to do every day.

So many clients and friends — from my years being part of an incredible team, to now building something of my own with Building Anglers — continue to show up and support not only me, but things much bigger than all of us. Seeing that support poured into the and helping give back to the meant a lot.

Every 2026 sponsor (please review these on the CFI instagram page), every angler who attended, every silent donor, and every friend who helped with the little things, played a critical part in this years CFI. This fishery provides opportunities and livelihoods for a lot of people, and supporting the resource and the organizations working to protect it should matter to all of us who benefit from these waters. 

Then came this fish today — a true highlight for someone I’ve had the privilege of fishing with for more than 15 years; this is his largest one to date. As guides, we’re rarely the ones standing on the front of the boat. But if we’re fortunate enough, we get to provide an assist, in moments that the angler will tell stories about for years to come.

From today’s game of tag.

A fine Sunday.

First evening flood in quite some time. Beautiful evening.

Hat trick permit day!

Not a shadow in front of the skiff yesterday morning.

Lucky hats are important on the day before a ice storm!