Capt. Tom Campbell
Tom grew up in Huntsville, AL where at a very young age fished Guntersville Lake for largemouth bass. It was a common scene in the Campbell household for Tom to throw epic temper tantrums if the boat left the driveway without him! Later, he focused on Tim’s Ford Lake in Tennessee for smallmouth and giant stripers (up to 30 pounds!). It was here where he obtained a fisherman’s greatest asset. Patience. It was absolutely impossible to fish too slowly in Tim’s Ford’s deep clear waters.
In college, Tom ventured out west where he attended the University of Montana in Missoula. He graduated with a B.A. in English Literature and was the starting goalie for the U of M’s hockey team. It was in Missoula where Tom immersed himself into anything and everything that had to do with fly fishing. Missoula was a fantastic place to catch the bug.
Tom’s mentors included some of the finest fly fisherman and all around people that you could ever meet. These included: George Kesel, Jim Cox, Dustin Manville, John Herzer, Terri Raugland, and Brad Thompson. With their help, Tom became a well rounded seasoned fly fisherman, prolific fly tier, and rod builder. He also worked at Kesel’s Four Rivers Fly Shop/Blackfoot River Outfitters. Here, anglers (no matter what their skill levels) were treated with the utmost amount of respect and courtesy. This is the most important principle that guides Tom today.
If it weren’t for the patience and generosity that was extended to him from these mentors when he was a beginner, he would not be able to guide with the amount of success and high standards that he has now. Tom gets a great amount of fulfillment spending time on the water with other anglers, and is more than happy to pass knowledge onto others as freely as it was passed on to him.
After taking several saltwater fly fishing trips to Florida and The Bahamas, Tom was ready to take on the final frontier of fly fishing. He moved to Santa Rosa Beach, FL in 2005 where he worked at a local fly shop for a year before deciding to start guiding. Tom had spent the last ten years learning, honing his angling skills, traveling, and posturing himself to finally achieve his destiny of being a guide. Since then, it’s been a wonderful ride!
What amazes Tom is that every single time he goes fishing, he sees something new (fish behavior, water conditions, weather, etc). Applying that new knowledge is very rewarding to him. In other words, Tom is not a guide or angler set in his ways. There have never been any silly questions asked on Tom’s boat and suggestions are not quickly discounted. His laid back demeanor and dry sense of humor will quickly put you at ease, so that you can enjoy your day on the water. No matter what type of trip you may want to do (redfish, tarpon, bonito, speckled trout, etc.), Tom will enthusiastically work to make that trip a fun, productive, and positive experience for you.
Capt. Stephen Dailey
Captain Stephen Dailey was raised fishing the waters of Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Since the time he got his first boat at the age of seven, he has experienced all types of fishing from bream to blue marlin. At the age of seventeen Stephen started deck handing on the charter boats of Orange Beach Alabama. Stephen's years of deck handing provided him some life long experiences as well as help fund his college education at Auburn University. His specialties are inshore fishing for trout and redfish, and near shore fishing for snapper, cobia, mackerel, and grouper. Stephen's roomy 24' Blazer Bay is well equipped with the latest high quality rods and reels for whatever style of fishing you prefer.
Captain Stephen is also an avid duck hunter. In the winter months, you can find him in the marsh of Louisiana, the rice fields of Mississippi, or the flooded timber of Arkansas following the duck migration. The local waters of Santa Rosa Beach are also one of Stephen's favorite areas to duck hunt.
If you're looking to catch some nice fish in the bay or out in the Gulf, Stephen is a great choice to have as your guide. He's fantastic working with kids, knows where and how to catch fish, very safe, and makes every trip a positive experience.
Capt. Clint Hood
Captain Clint Hood is an Auburn, Alabama native who grew up hunting and fishing the waters around Alabama,Mississipi,and the Florida Panhandle. Fishing and Duckhunting are both obsessions for Clint , Feb – Oct he can befound along the gulf coast patterning the local fish ,Nov – Jan you can bet he will be in a rice or bean field somewhere in the Mississippi Delta with a hot cup of coffee ,good freinds ,and a wet dog . “The only thing that rivals a group of pintails cupped up in the decoys is a tarpon screaming off drag.”
Clint is an advocate of getting kids involved in the outdoors, donating his time to Ducks Unlimited’s Greenwing program ,and the CCA kids tournament at Grayton Beach.
United States Coast Guard Licensed Capt , a member of the Florida guide association, a key influencer on Columbia Sportswear’s pro staff, Clint’s career as a professional guide and captain is really taking shape. Fishing the better half of his 27 years, he is experienced all all types of waters. Fishing year round he witnesses the ever changing fish patterns. This allows him to know when and where they will be on the next trip. Captain Clint Hood provides a safe, enjoyable, and productive fishing experience for the most advanced angler, to the beginner.
Capt. Ryan Hawks
Ryan first began fly fishing in the blue-ribbon trout and steelhead rivers of Northern California. After catching bonefish in Mexico’s fabled Ascension Bay he quickly became a die-hard saltwater fly fishing fanatic. Later that year he caught his first tarpon on a fly rod from his 9-foot Outcast pontoon boat in the Florida Keys. Since then he has traveled to many of the world’s greatest saltwater destination, caught over forty species of saltwater game fish and made many great friends and mentors in the process.
After moving to the Florida Panhandle in 2007 as a surgeon in the Air Force he spent nearly all his free time stalking redfish in the local marshes and chasing tarpon on the sandy flats along the Big Bend. He is an avid fly tyer and has developed several innovative tarpon and permit flies. Ryan is a member of the Federation of Fly Fishers and is a member of the International Game Fish Association’s fly-rod Inshore Super Grand Slam Club.
Above all else, Ryan loves teaching fellow anglers the art of stalking tailing fish on the flats. He truly gets more of a thrill out of guiding clients to catching their fish than out of catching them himself. He combines relentless fish hunting skill with patience and an extremely easy-going personality to ensure his anglers have a positive fishing experience.
