Capt. Mike Patterson
22′ Pathfinder
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in Westminster, Mike began fishing at the age of 4 in a small stream behind his house.
Growing up in Maryland gave him plenty of chances to fish in ponds, streams, lakes, the Atlantic Ocean, and, of course, the Chesapeake Bay.
Mike’s career choice was to be an electrician, but at the age of 26, he had a terrible accident. Still limited in the things he could do, and with his love for the water, Mike changed careers, learned to scuba dive, and soon became a dive instructor. With his knowledge of fishing, diving, and love for the water, he moved to Islamorada, “The Sportfishing Capital of the World”, in the Florida Keys, ran a dive shop, and soon after bought an offshore boat and started a fishing charter business. Sailfish became his fish of choice.
Mike competed in every tournament in town and took 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in almost all of them. Then it was time to try backcountry and flats fishing. After a year, Mike sold his offshore boat and became a full-time backcountry fishing guide, winning many backcountry tournaments along the way.
Mike has guided a past President, sports heroes, actors, senators, and some very interesting fishermen, and he enjoys every minute of it. You could sit for hours and hear all the stories Mike has to offer about the events, people, and pretty interesting situations he has found himself in.
That is what led Mike to The American Outdoorsman, where he is very honored to be a member of the “Pro Staff”. He looks forward to bringing his passion and knowledge of fishing to The American Outdoorsman.
Mike has been a fishing guide for about 30 years. He made a full recovery from his near-death accident, and looking at him today, you would never know it happened. He keeps living his life to the fullest and is thankful for every day he has.