As a Minnesota walleye fishing guide as well as a guide for other fish species, Jason gets the pleasure to guide on many different lakes which makes it a unique and rewarding experience all in one. You can find Jason spending his time as a fishing guide on Lake Vermilion, Leech Lake, and the lakes in the Hackensack area. He will be spending the majority of his time on Lake Vermilion now. When he is fishing, Jason is the President of Leisure Outdoor Adventures so he is busy running and managing all operations within the guide service.
Outside of guiding, Jason is a High School Social Studies Teacher at Brainerd High School as well as a Varsity Football Coach for the Brainerd Warriors. He likes to say he has passion in life for the 4 F's, "Faith, Family, Fishing, and Football". He is married to Emilee and they have two daughters in Macin and Hayden.
My Favorite Fishing Memory
It was the 2015 Minnesota Walleye Opener and I was doing a guided fishing trip on Leech Lake with two customers. We had caught a few Leech Lake walleyes when I felt the thump on my jig and it was a nice 27.5” Walleye. After some quick photos and high fives we released the beautiful Leech Lake Walleye After fishing for another five minutes, I threw out my jig and minnow again and set the hook again and this time realized it was something much bigger. After about a ten minute tussle that included two air borne acrobatics, I landed a 45” Leech Lake Musky. Being it wasn’t in season, we snapped a quick picture, and back in the lake she went. I guess that is what you call a Leech Lake double header.
My Favorite Fishing Guide Story
As a fishing guide you meet many people of all ages, backgrounds, and personalities and with each trip comes a story to remember, whether it is about catching someone’s biggest walleye ever on Leech Lake or losing a giant fish at the boat. The story that sticks out to me the most, had many fish catches and memories on Leech Lake as we were catching walleyes, but the real story was how these men all got to be inside of my boat.
As we were idling away from the dock at Chase on the Lake Resort, I was making small talk with these four gentlemen and I asked “how did you guys all get to know each other?” Figuring they were family, or good friends, the group leader said, “I think we should wait and tell our fishing guide what he has just gotten himself into?” I immediately wondered what the heck is going on. As we began putting Leech Lake walleyes in the boat on each pass and everyone began to laugh, they said “I think it is finally time we tell Jason who we are”. For the next 15 minutes, I stood there in shock as they told their life stories of being long lost brothers who had found themselves through various ways and for two of them this trip was the first time they had met each other. Needless to say to have the opportunity to be part of something like that was truly a memorable moment. For the next two days we filled the livewell with Leech Lake walleyes and as their fishing guide and now friend, I made four great friends and was told a story that was truly a once in a lifetime experience.
For more area information visit the Lake Vermilion Tourism Bureau site.
