Aaron Pratt is the owner of Churning Waters Bait Co, LLC, as well as Churning Waters Guide Service. If you want to catch Musky and don't know where to begin, that’s where Aaron can help. Influenced greatly by his father, Aaron has been fishing his entire life and has dedicated the last 29 years to specifically targeting Musky in Ohio. He is fervently committed to helping you catch fish and won’t rest until you succeed. The pursuit of the elusive Musky, known as the fish of 10,000 casts, has become a significant part of his life. His desire to share this knowledge has grown, enabling you to thrive on your own musky adventures. In 2024, Churning Waters Guide Service celebrated their eighth year guiding for Musky in Ohio, during which time over 1,200 Musky have been caught. Every year and every trip brings a unique adventure, and they eagerly anticipate sharing that experience with you on your guiding trip.

Adam Korman is an avid fly fisherman. Above and beyond that he is a husband, father and a pursuer of truth, beauty and goodness. Fly fishing, as many of you know, has an amazing way of teaching us about living. Not only that, the fact that chasing trout always takes you into the most beautiful of places on God’s green earth.

This journey as a business started a few years ago as he pondered the value of increasing his knowledge and skills for a deeper reason than just self-satisfaction. Thus, Journey on the Fly Guide Service was born in his heart and mind. 

AA Charters, led by the skilled and experienced Captain Allen Weaver, offers unparalleled Lake Erie fishing charters, focusing on drifting Walleye fishing. With years of expertise, Captain Weaver has honed his craft, specializing in targeting Lake Erie Walleye. His dedication to providing exceptional Lake Erie fishing experiences is evident in every trip, ensuring that both novice and seasoned anglers have a memorable time on the water.

Bio coming soon!

Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel is a multi-species angler with over 55 years of experience. A fan of all types of fishing, his favorite species to target are crappie. Though he has fished and done well in a few tournaments, his focus is more on teaching the everyday, regular angler the basics of fishing. He's one of the original owners of Ohio Game Fishing.com, spent eleven years on the Pro Staff of Bass Pro Shops in Toledo, developed an outdoors franchise segment and fishing report for his employer, WKYC TV 3. He is currently a co-host of Inside the Great Outdoors radio with Joe Kastaway Kulis and a member of the Pro Staff of Ohio tackle company Cast Cray Outdoors. Carl is married with six children and lives in Cuyahoga Falls. 

If you’re in Northeast Ohio and want to kayak fish in the big waters of Lake Erie, there is only

one guy – Chuck Earls. Chuck has been fishing Ohio waters for over three decades and is known for three things: safety, extreme weather fishing, and catching monster walleye! Chuck is a licensed Lake Erie Kayak Fishing guide, YouTuber, Podcaster, storyteller, Cold Water Kayak safety expert, kayak outfitter and ACA instructor. When you fish with Chuck, you get a lot of information to help you build your angling skills. He takes the time to explain the “why” not just

the “how.” He targets walleye, steelhead, and smallmouth bass although when you love to fish as much as Chuck does the species is secondary. Chuck is a member of USA Kayak Fishing Team, the USA Street Fishing Team, Team Amped Outdoors, Team Native Watercraft, Team Torqeedo, and Team YakAttack, Team LEWS & Strike King, and is also a FishUSA ProStaffer. Chuck took his love for kayak fishing up another level in 2022 by adding a new kayak division to the 2022 Fall Brawl and the Lake Erie Walleye Trail. Interested in tournament fishing? Let Chuck

get you ready to rumble.

Dan was born and raised in Northeast Ohio where he grew up hunting and fishing with his father and brother, he mostly fished the local lakes like Mosquito Lake, Ladue Reservoir, Pymatuning and Lake Erie fishing for Walleye and Crappie. Over the years, he and his brother, Bob, competed in several local Crappie and regional tournaments on Mosquito Lake, Buckeye Lake, Delaware lake, Berlin and others. Success has led the duo to  2 Local Mosquito Lake Madness Crappie Tournaments and a few Top 5 finishes. In the Northeast Ohio Crappie Tournament Trail, Dan & Bob have won 7 tournaments and have 15 top 5 finishes and have been in the top 3 in points for the past 4 years. Over a decade ago, his desire was to start his own crappie trail in Northeast Ohio where we could provide a club where avid anglers could come out and compete in a Tournament where it was cost effective while having a great time. This became Northeast Ohio Crappie Club. His love of fishing and the support of his family and brother paved the way to educate and help Crappie anglers across Ohio and Pennsylvania providing a great effective tournament trail where anglers supported one another and educated each other on tactics. 

The HuntChef, Jeremy Critchfield, is the premier Wild Game Chef who loves to share his knowledge and techniques! HuntChef seasonings, jerky, sausage, brine kits, and his NEW sauce line, paired with his YouTube channel and social media pages will help you better prepare your harvest! Check out all of his wild game cooking videos on his website or YouTube! 

Catch HuntChef's seminar as he whips up a venison recipe using HuntChef Seasonings and Sauces!! Want to know how to cook a particular cut, how to dry age your deer or anything else chime in the live Q&A during the seminar. But be prepared because Chef always pulls volunteers from the audience to help cook! And come hungry because there are always mouth-watering samples at the end of the presentation!  

Johnta Kirton is an avid fly fisherman and fly tier - his journey fly fishing and fly tying

started in 2008. He ties flies for every species, from Bluegill to Carp to Bass to

Steelhead. Johnta loves fly fishing and targets many species, but his favorite species to target is Bluegill. A 9’ 4 weight is his typical rod of choice, and his favorite flies to throw are micro poppers and micro streamers. Johnta fishes different local waters, but his favorite waters to fish are small local farm ponds. Johnta will be giving seminars on targeting bluegill and panfish with the fly, and highlighting his micro poppers and micro streamers. Be sure to catch his seminars for helpful tips and tricks, and check out his booth to pick up some flies!

Kevin Walters is the owner of Monster Cat Catfishing an online retailer of everything catfishing related. They are based out of southern Ohio on the banks of the Ohio River. Kevin has pursued giant catfish for the past 30 years in waters from Sandusky Bay on Lake Erie all the way to the Tennessee River, with most of his time spent on the Ohio River. He has competitively fished hundreds of catfish tournaments on many different lakes and river systems in the eastern part of the United States. Kevin has been a firefighter paramedic for the last 25 years and in his off time he enjoys fishing for catfish. Kevin uses it as a source of meditation to get away from the mental stresses of his profession. He enjoys spending time teaching others different methods and techniques that make them more successful during their catfishing trips. The sport of chasing monster catfish is becoming more popular than ever and there's hundreds of different techniques that can be used to make anglers more successful such as trolling with planer boards, drifting and bumping. Kevin always gives people a fair warning, catfishing isn't just sitting on the bank with a stinky old piece of bait waiting on a fish to bite. It has evolved into so much more and once you hook up with your first giant catfish you will be hooked.

Capt. Nicholas Zart is a full-time charter boat captain and tournament angler on Lake Erie. Nicholas found his sea legs at just 3 years old, and his life has revolved around the Walleye Capital of the World ever since. At age 10, he began first mating and tournament fishing alongside his dad, Gary, earning him the nickname “Kid Walleye.” By 18, Nicholas had obtained his captain’s license and has since been dedicated to learning everything he can about walleye and the art of catching them. He is passionate about helping others become better anglers by sharing the knowledge he has gained from spending 250 days a year on the water.

Tim Grinder is a passionate Largemouth Bass fisherman who has competed in the Major League Fishing Toyota Series, successfully making it to the championship during his first year at Kentucky Lake. He has traveled across the country, participating in seminars for Academy Sports grand openings. In Ohio, Tim's personal best Largemouth Bass weighs 9.4 lbs, and he has achieved the impressive feat of catching a 30+ pound bag of five bass for two consecutive years. Additionally, Tim runs the Facebook group Bass Nation of Ohio. He is the owner of the custom lure company Tag'em Kustomz, where you can explore a fantastic selection of lures specifically designed for bass fishing at our show. Don't miss Tim's seminars, which are packed with tips and tricks to help you catch huge Largemouth Bass in the spring, along with valuable insights on baitcaster reel gear ratios.

One of the veterans of the FLW Tour, Vic began fishing the Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournaments in 1995, posting his first win at the Ohio River event two years later. He fished his way up through the EverStart Series, joining the FLW Tour in 2005. A finesse fishing specialist, he loves lakes that hold large numbers of smallmouth and cites lakes like Erie and Champlain as his favorite bodies of water to fish. Victor runs his own Ranger boat dealership - Vic's Sports Center - in his hometown of Kent, Ohio.