John caught the fishing bug early when his dad first started taking him to local Chicago area ponds and lakes at the age of 12. Like most kids, his success centered on drowning worms for bluegill, channel cat, bullheads, and small bass. It wasn’t until he discovered river fishing for smallmouth bass that his passion was born! John grew up fishing jigs and Rapalas on the Kankakee River for smallmouth almost every week, giving him the chance to learn how to read rivers and properly present to feeding lanes. It was these experiences that would sow the seeds
for his eventual love of streamer fishing in adulthood.