My family has been heavily involved in the outdoors for as long as I can remember. Growing up many of my friends would go on trips to Destin, Disney World, and places of that nature. My parents idea of a family vacation, however, was far different. We would spend our vacation time going to Panama to billfish, Africa to go on safari, out west to trout fish, or even just spending a weekend at our local cabin to whitetail hunt and bass fish. These early trips really shaped my passion for the outdoors and started me on the path to becoming a fisherman.
My parents have always loved to hunt and fish, and they really made it a point to get me involved at an early age. During my younger years, we would travel every weekend to our cabin in Chattanooga, Tenn. It was located on a small body of water named S.K Johnson Lake. I would spend every weekend walking the bank or taking out my fishing kayak in search of any fish that would bite. These early fishing trips really fostered my love for bass fishing.
Once I turned sixteen, I would take my dad’s jon boat to the lake every chance I got. During this time, I started watching college fishing religiously, and I became infatuated with the Auburn University Bass Fishing Team. It soon became my goal to fish competitively for this widely renowned team. People like the Lee brothers, who came through this program and made it to the professional circuits really showed me what this place had to offer. I soon became infatuated with making it there.
I then spent the next few years fishing any local tournament I could in preparation to fish the college circuit. A few years later, I was accepted into Auburn University and began my college fishing career. This opportunity surrounded me with some of the best college fisherman in the country, which really helped grow my skill level over the following years.
During those coming seasons, my knowledge and love for the sport of fishing grew substantially. My partner, Sam Hoesley, and I had a number of top 10s and top 5s which furthered my drive to make a career in this field. Along with these college tournaments, I was also pursuing a degree in Pre-Law. This curriculum consisted of a substantial amount of written assignments, which is where I discovered my love for writing. Upon my graduation from Auburn, I knew I wanted to incorporate my love for fishing and writing into a career.
A few months ago, I learned of the opening at Wired2Fish, and I knew it was the position for me. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to work at Wired2fish and turn my passions into a career. I can’t wait to share my, and others’, experiences, knowledge and passion for the sport of fishing with the angling community, and I couldn’t be more grateful to be working with a group of like minded individuals with a passion for the outdoors.
Editor’s Note: Our newest member of the Wired2fish Team is Associate Editor Sam Hanggi. This is his back story on how he came to be a fisherman so you can get to know Sam a little better. He will be bringing boat loads of fishing information to the angling community.
